Bites: Restaurant Amuse @ Perth

A special occasion demands a special venue.  While it is nothing new for little darling, I did want us to have a good night.  With countless of praise from bloggers and food critics alike, there seemed no better place than Amuse.   Often renowned as one of the best if not the best in Western Australia, I booked well ahead of time to ensure we both had a place for our anniversary.  The decor of Amuse is minimalistic with art pieces showcasing symmetry and it all seems very textural from where I sat.  Was this a sign of things to come that night?  Multi-dimensional food with significant textural elements fit for heaven? I wonder.

Simple sitting!

As this was our anniversary I told myself not to be that geek with the camera but realise that I have the little darling with me. A few dishes I have missed out due to poor lighting and I did not take more than 1 shot of each course. But that was alright, the night was one to remember!

Drinks for two!  We decided to leave the menu a secret until we finally gave up waiting in anticipation after 6-8 courses.

Ocean Trout with Honey Mustard.  Good first impressions creates lasting ones and this was here to say.  This was an enjoyable yet fairly straightforward snack which can be applauded for so many reasons.  One in particular was the honey mustard where subtleness of the mustard gave a really good taste to the fish while the sweetness of the honey was just spot on!  Well toned flavours for this one.  The crisp gave it a nice crunchy too!

Potato Crisps were really good but I did not quite get the dollop or something.  I think the waitress mentioned brine or something something?  I remember that it was salty and sweet. Not bad!

Two other snack that were served was the Oat crisps and Prosciutto piped with Bone Marrow.  The oat crisp was nice but the snack with Bone Marrow was even better.  Darling and I were pretty sceptical at first but oh boy we were wrong.  The meat used to encase that lovely bone marrow was so nice!  So was the bone marrow itself.  Felt creamy and really tasty!

After the snacks came the bread with a really nice spread which I think was butter and solidified olive oil!  Basically really good in-house crusty bread where you have both wholemeal and white.  Free flow for the whole night.  Neither of the condiments were salted as the bread was already salty.  I have to say, I love my bread fresh.  That smell and the satisfaction of pulling it apart is gorgeous.  Saying this, I rarely eat bread, but when I do, I love it!

King Fish, Nashi Pear and Tea Tree.  This was the first proper course.  I hate sashimi.  But this was wow! No seriously, wow!  The fish was so fresh it was hard to hate.  Nashi pear slices really paired well with that fish.  Good thinking in the kitchen.  Tea tree hmm how does it even taste?  Not quite sure whether the crowd was necessary but as it is, the pear and the king fish was kickass! Nonetheless, I cannot say that having the tea tree did any harm.  Thumbs up!

Manjimup Truffle and Risotto was an additional course which I added on. No regrets.  Truffles really went well with that delicious risotto.  Definitely could have more risotto to bring everything together.  The flavours here were really  good. But was I liked most was the fact that it had that smokiness in it as if it was smoked or cooked in some bacon or something. So good!  It was also cooked to the extent of creaminess and silkiness that Masterchef judges always want. So this for me a thumbs up! 

After that came the all time catchy half-cooked egg in a jar course with enoki and hickory smoke. DAMN it was good.  I really enjoyed it.  Did not feel like it was something difficult to make but WoW! I do have a theory of how the hickory smoke is captured in the jar but some things are better left unknown.  The eggs and mushroom really felt like a modern reinterpretation of a Chawan Mushi crossed with an Onsen egg. Flavours were significantly Asian but had that Western flair.  Do I even know what I am talking about @@? Probably not.  Still suffering from after effects.

Also, there was the marron course served with guacamole on a thin layer of crisp with lemon dip.  I have had many marrons over the past few months. This one did not disappoint but neither was I wow-ed.   Good stuff but not “blow me away”.

Duck with red and gold beetroot on chestnut puree.  Perfectly cooked with a pinkish middle, these little morsel was of perfectly executed.  However though, it felt a little too small to feel the perfection of a duck breast. But the pairing with beetroot and chestnut was good. From the earthy feeling of the beetroot to the sweetness of the chestnut.  The combination was spot on.  There was also a textural component which brought a nice crunch to the whole dish!

Lamb three ways – diced, fillet, and pulled with chickpea was another dish that felt special.  Textural spectacular was here.  Two almost melt in your mouth lamb and a slightly chewy yet tender tongue finished with a creamy  chickpea names the reasons for the “wows”. The taste albeit slightly blend was really celebrated the flavour of the meat which I did enjoy.

Parpadelle with Sear Scallops and shaved Octopus.  This was one of the dishes that I was really looking forward to that night.   I started the dish with the parpadelle and some of the vegetables with a slice of the cuttlefish with some sauce.  And I really felt disappointed. The taste was blend. Really blend.  Another dive into the dish did not taste until different.  All until I popped that juicy scallop into my mouth and BAM it was a score.  While one could not fault with the scallop, I did not enjoy any of the other elements which followed.

Finishing the mains, we moved onto the the dessert dish where we started with a dehydrated mandarin slice and long pepper.  Just in time to prep us for our dessert course :)!

The first one up that night was a Hazelnut Sorbet with Lemon Curd and Pear with crushed nuts.

Upon my first glance, I was left wondering where was the lemon curd.  Apparently unsuspectingly shaped into long string.  Hazelnut sorbet was silky smooth like how ice creams should be.  Controlled sweetness with good flavours made this dessert every bit delectable.  The foamy pear element was another applauded creation that night.  It was foamy slightly sticky .. are there even words to describe it?  Crunchy hazelnut with all these other texture and once again, textural brilliance by the amazing crew at Amuse!

The final dessert that night was a game of balance and creation.

Passionfruit Meringue two ways with bitter chocolate mousse, sticky toffee, white chocolate and to finish, a sprinkle of salty caramel.  Passionfruit flavour was strong and so was the sweetness from the white chocolate, but the intensity of the bitter chocolate was spot on.  And like how many have mentioned before, a little sweetness can really bring the chocolate to another level.  The fragrant salty caramel was just so good!   Could have had seconds!

To finish the night was petite fours and hot drinks.  Darling and I were too full for drinks but we gladly picked on the little desserts.

I found the chocolate mediocre but the rest pretty good! Unfortunately the jubes did not leave me on a high note.  Previous dining at Le’Atelier de Joel Robuchon had me drooling for their berry jubes.  They had aced the consistency, and the fruitiness.  Amuse version of the fruit jubes was fruity but it was just soft through.  A little bit more of chewiness would have really made it perfect!  Then comes my favourite of the petite fours, the jam doughnuts which felt like a reminiscence of my holidays to Melbourne in my university days.  Was its that fluffiness of the pastry or that well proportioned jam and pastry, or perhaps both?  Having it warm fresh out of the kitchen was that added bonus. Delectable!!

I could summarise all that I have said once again.  But with the word good, yummy and all those words representing delicious so overused, I believe the contents have summed itself up.  High and lows were eminent but did I enjoy Amuse? Yes, I did.  The hosts were perfectly. Attentive in every sense and always prepared to help, what more can be asked of the crew?  Judging the food it was cleverly put together and despite the simplicity of some, sometimes less is more.  Amuse @ Amused. 

WenY

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Bites:Taro Taro @ Victoria Park.

The Asian food scene in Perth has never been boring.  Whether it is Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese, there was always something to cater for everyone.  With the addition of a Taiwanese cafe in Vic Park, my argument has a solid backing.  Promoting itself through Facebook, Taro Taro gained for itself great momentum which saw its first three days of soft opening flooding with keen taste buds.. and I was one of them.

For dinner last Friday we ordered heaps of braised pork rice and a oyster noodles to share.

Dinner!

Oyster noodles!

For me, I have never liked this sort of noodles even in Malaysia.  In Taiwan itself, I could not appreciate the fondness of the locals towards a popular franchise called the Ah Chung Mien Sin which specialises in such noodles. Not sure if the spelling is correct lols but nonetheless, Yvonne who ordered this thought it was ok with the exception of the oysters which seemed to be covered in flour. She was also hoping to get some of the chilli to go with this but it was not available during their trial runs.  Overall, an OK eat!

 

My pick for the night was the braised pork rice

When I collected the rice from the counter, I was really pleased with what I saw.  There was a whole lot more of mince which one would not get in Taiwan.  First impressions were great with me.  The addition of Coriander was smart, the egg was well done, and the pork was lean.  However, after a few spoon full, I stopped getting the sensation which I had before back in Taiwan.  I think we needed a little more kick in the sauce.  Perhaps make the sauce thicker and a little more of that preserved vegetable which I think is Mui Choy or pickled mustard which would have been great.  Another thing which I missed was the slightly greasy feel of a typical braised pork rice bowl back in Taiwan.  Having lean meat is a luxury and at the same time really healthy, but at the expense of taste hmmm.  I would prefer unhealthy.

Edit: Had it again today! Tasted better with the preserved vege provided on the side :)!

 

For dessert we had the bean curd dessert with sago, yam and sweet potato balls as well as Ai Yu Jelly with White Pearls and lemon tea.

While I enjoyed the Ai Yu jelly and found the addition of the white pearls really nice, I could not help but feel that the entire drink which is a modern reinterpretation of the classic one in Taiwan has not succeeded.  A few sips had me not wanting the drink anymore as it was unbearable.  Don’t get me wrong, it did not suck all that bad but I believe that the lime essence has been squeezed or obtained inappropriately making it really bitter.  Felt as if someone actually just boiled down the whole lime just to get the lime flavour.  With a cup that big, it was really difficult to finish considering how bitter it was.

 

As for the special bean curd dessert, it was pretty decent.  If I had any complains it would be that the yam and sweet potato balls were a little hard to bite through.  It would have been a lot better if it was slightly softer yet it pack the chewy consistency that I’m used to!

Bean curd Dessert!

Earlier this year, my trip to Taiwan was packed with great scenery, polite locals and fun peeps. What felt lacking was the food. Nonetheless, I still brought fond memories of delicious beef noodles, crunchy XXL Chicken Chop, braised pork rice and the refreshing Ai Yu jelly drink home with me. So with Taro Taro, I had high expectations.  Over all, I felt that it was average but could be improved. The braised pork rice was OK but could definitely be improved in terms of meat and sauce. I heard the XXL Chicken Chop was pretty good according the both the little darling, my sis as well as from fishman and Yvonne who had dined there twice on Friday.  I look forward to the grand opening where I hope the Ai Yu jelly drink and the yam/sweet potato ball would have been improved!  At the same time though, I cannot help but feel grateful for an additional variety in Perth!

Edit: Also had the fried chicken today! Smashing!!

 

WenY

Product Talk:Squeeze & Stir Heinz Soup

I recently volunteered to help Nuffnang do a review  for Heinz who has just launched a line of handy squeeze soup packs.  In return for this product talk by Nuffnang, I have received free soup and such.  Anyone keen can be part of this too.  Just visit this link here.  While there was not requirement to post this, I decided to do this because the product was actually pretty decent.  The product I received this time was Heinz’s Squeeze and Stir instant soup.  It actually just reached me last Friday and in the box, I had 2 sachets and a mug with a soup spoon! All that you would need to make it work, really.

 

Sunday saw a massive storm tormenting the state and this could not have come in any more handy.  With trees falling, going out for lunch during the storm is definitely not a choice.  So for my morning lunch, I had the soup.  The overall taste is pretty damn close to a quality tomato soup.  It was salty, sweet and hmm pretty yums actually. 

 

Unfortunately though, the only thing that was less than satisfactory is the consistency of the soup. A typical tomato soup for me has to be thick but this felt nowhere near thick. Also, you do not get much tomato bites pieces. Nonetheless, you do get small pieces of herbs and onions which were pretty decent. I guess it is hard to complain when you are dealing with instant food.

Over all, I am thankful to be included by Nuffnang for their product talk!  While this soup did not have all the qualities of a homemade one, this one was pretty damn good for one of a packet.  There was the ripeness of the tomato, saltiness was not overboard and this all made it fairly good.

 

WenY

Bites: Rasa Nyonya @ Victoria Park

My typical Saturday bite is a good fix of Nasi Lemak and a whole lot of other goodies.  Unfortunately, that only happens in Malaysia.  Nonetheless, if you are craving for a little goodie with a twist of exciting yet authentic flavours, perhaps Rasa Nyonya might be your pick.  The term “Nyonya” to my knowledge originates from the term “Baba & Nyonya” which is a Malaccan term for a certain mixed race of Peranakan Chinese.  Typically, Nyonya food often revolves about a concoction of sweetness, spiciness, saltiness with a hint of sourness. For me, that was what we had tonight.

Random decor!

 

For this table of four, we ordered dishes which were highly recommended by our Asian peers. 

Ikan Assam Gulai Pedas, was one of the dishes we ordered that night.  The slices of fish cooked in a broth rich in spices and flavour went with rice.  While the fish was not overcooked, the fillet slices were not the best fish to use for this considering how much the texture has deviated from what I am typical accustomed to back home.  The sauce which sweet, and sour with a hint of spiciness! Definitely yums for me!  However though,an unpleasant sensation was inevitable as the sauce was gritty due to the herbs and spices that was blended for this dish. 

 

Special Egg Tofu was another dish we had today.  This was one was pretty special albeit a little on the sweet side.  The dish to me consisted of two main components, an egg component which acts as a binder and the other, diced fried bean curd.  The omelette held the tofu together before being topped with fresh garnish with a mix of sweet chilli sauce and sweet dark soy.  This is pretty unique and I’m pretty sure the sweet tooths Nee and Fishman enjoyed it a whole lot!

 

The last dish was my favourite for the night.  This is a classic butter prawn with egg floss rather than an oatmeal coating.  Generous servings of egg floss made the ordinary prawns absolutely lip smacking!  Present also is the fragrance of the curry leaves which added another taste to the prawns.  Back home this is an absolute favourite in my family.  The thought of having steamed rice with the prawns covered in fragrant and crisp egg floss is almost impossible to resist!

 

Overall our meal was pretty decent.  Coming here tonight, it is clear that Rasa Nyonya has more to offer other than the Nasi Lemak that I have been having here for the past years.  While this might seem a little premature considering the 3 dishes were the few out of the many more served, their chef recommendations seem rather good too!  When I come back next time, it’ll definitely be to try the salted egg dishes as well as the kankung belacan!  Other than the food, Rasa Nyonya also serves up some of the Malaysian classic drinks such teh tarik, milo dinasaur and what not.  So would this restaurant be a yay or nay? Definitely a yay this trip!

 

WenY

Bites: Tuck Shop @ Northbridge.

It is finally good to not have Asian food for lunch at work anymore.  After a good 3 months at work, I have finally managed to visit the Tuck Shop which is no more than 5 minutes walk from my office.  Well known for its pies and other brekkie foods, this little establishment along Newcastle Street has already set a name for itself.  It is clear that Tuck Shop is a popular choice for both food and coffee considering the constant crowd it attracts as well as the mentions it gets from my office mates.

The interior of Tuck Shop is simple, neat with a touch of country I’d have  to say.

 

The Menu:

Approximately 15 choices for brunch ranging from simple toast to fancy ones with meatballs, oven roasted chorizos and such with the eggs of your choice! For lunch though, its a small selection of gourmet pies and dishes.

As the pies were all the rave at Tuck Shop, I did not bother looking further!  My choice for the afternoon was a Beef & Stilton Pie while my mates Andrew and Win had the Chicken, Vegetables and Tarragon Pie.

My choice of Beef & Stilton could not have gotten any better.  Rich, melt in your mouth beef enclosed in aN outstanding puff pastry was absolutely smashing.  Stilton as Andrew mentioned to me is a variety of strong pungent cheese like the Blue Cheese.  While the cheese taste was milder than expected, it did add some flavour which had me wondering what it was before.  Nonetheless, the pungent taste one normally gets from blue cheese is not all that obvious.  For me, the beef is really delicious as I have mentioned before, melt in your mouth!    For $12.50 this is no ordinary pie pricing.  Nonetheless, it was a good.  Unfortunately though, both Andrew and Win felt that their chicken pie lack in salt which I agree too!

 

Hand Cut Chips with Homemade Aioli to share.

Hand cut chips always seemed to get the better of these gourmet cafes promoting healthier eating habits.  For me though, the chips at the Tuck Shop were ahead of its peers but it is still, a healthy eat. For me, I have always been a fan of classic shoe string chips.  In this taste test then, this was OK only.    It’s aioli on the other hand was full of flavour which is a quality I usually look for in a dip.  Saltu, full of garlic flavour with that light pungent twist of mustard made it every bit desirable!

 

This seems like a perfect start to a long holiday drought for me.  I guess unless Australia wins the Olympics, there will not be a holiday until the 1st of October which is a good four month from now.  Tuck Shop definitely makes a name for itself in the Northbridge suburb putting out good food at fair prices.  While I know my review has come in later than other bloggers, it is always better late than never.

 

WenY

Bites: Mosmans @ Mosman Park

Mosman’s has always caught my attention.  It first started with the venue hosting the Miss Universe Selection for W.A. and yeah, I guess it ended after the pictures.  Haha joking :P!  There are heaps more about its history but I will leave that to Wikipedia.  After missing our booking last week due to a cold, I could not have been more excited about coming out.  What more when the last few meals you had were no more than porridge and soup!

 

When we reached in the evening, we were the only ones there.  Seated at a private corner, the little darling and I enjoyed view of the Swan River which was partially illuminated by Mosmans trademark blue lights.  Judging by the marine life swimming so closely to us, it was clear that they were attracted to the light.

The interior of Mosmans.  Albeit its simplicity, its traditional approach does not let down the ambience for a romantic evening.

 

Mosman’s :)!

 

The warm bread to start our meal:

Warm olive bread, confit of garlic, D’Isigny butter was our pick to start the night.  Cutting the bread into half started with a nice crack of its crust followed by an airy inside.  Quality butter spread complemented the delicious garlic confit.  All little condiments really mixed into something amazing.  Despite disliking olives, the garlic – butter combination tamed my judgmental thoughts of it.  Even darling who does not normally eat too much bread before starting, ate as much as I did!

 

Australian pan fried scallops, sweet corn & chorizo salsa was the little darling’s choice of appetizer.  She loves her scallops and this was no different.   It was still perfectly cooked with its sweetness still intact, not chewy in any sense.  The corn helped brought things together giving it another sense of texture.  The salsa with Chirozo combined the elements together really well and overall this was ‘wow’!

 

For me, I decided to go with the crab & parmesan Aranchini with romesco salsa.  Crumbled goodness filled with ….! That was my only problem here.  While the Parmesan’s presence was clear, I could not feel any crab. It was really subtle perhaps just so as to give it a little seafood touch.  Even the little darling had some.  Or at least I convinced her to have some.  The romesco salsa was just nice if I had to comment on it.  It felt well balanced.  I am not quite sure what composed this delicious salsa but it was something new which I really enjoyed!

 

While I have never ordered any fish dishes other than fish and chips, I was keen to try the fish at Mosman’s well knowing what their forte is.  Having said that, I ordered the West Australian Goldband Snapper, coconut pilaf rice, lemongrass cream, and shoot salad as my main.   Inspecting each element in my mouth tended to be less satisfying when I had each of them by itself.  Typically aromatic lemongrass cream felt lacking in flavour and so was the rice.  But when I started eating the fish, I found it splendid.  The fish was perfectly cooked with the flesh tasting sweet. It’s freshness did not disappoint and it was really good.  After awhile it all started to make sense.  The toned down elements did not intend to steal the show from the fish which was meant to be the star.  Fresh shoot salads added a refreshing touch to the entire meal.  Mixing the rice with the sauce along with the fish and salad really was something memorable!

 

For darling, her choice of grilled crispy skinned Tasmanian salmon rubbed with Chermoula, sultana & red pepper cous cous, and Tzatziki yoghurt was less than great.  While it was perfectly cooked, there were certain things which she did not like.  For instance, the crispy skin were no where near crispy.  Even our homemade version was a lot crispier!  What she felt next was that the cous cous felt a little overpowering.  She feel that the taste of the fish was covered by the spices of the cous cous.   Overall, an OK! But I guess it was not the best.

 

Finishing our mains, I was really delighted with the way my night have gone by.  The little darling was happy too, with the exception of the salmon.  After looking around the menu for a bit we decided to share a dessert, and boy were we glad to do so!

Caramelized honey mousse, saffron poached pear and honey jelly, fresh honeycomb.  The main features, each different and yet similarly honey like.  The slice of mouse-jelly cake was delicious.  Mousse was not smooth but I really liked the way it turned out. Felt somewhat frothy yet yummy!  Jelly layer gave a good sense of chewiness which was yummy followed by that crumbly bottom layer.Poached pears were cooked nicely with a matching presentation.  Saffron taste was not the most obvious flavour but was definitely present.  As for the honeycomb, it was just honeycomb being what it is.   Really good dessert I thought. It is one where all the flavours were not to overpowering.  Felt really mellow except for the honeycomb which leave that sticky bit in my tooth! @@!

 

Mosmans has been a fantastic host that night.  Attentive waitresses made the experience somewhat personal.  I guess the small crowd did help.  Its seafood offerings did not disappoint.  Whether it was the fish or the scallop and even the crab arancini, they all tasted really good.  All in all, it was definitely a good experience.  If one ever asks for the perfect seafood occasion; Mosman!

 

WenY

Bites: Il Ciao @ Applecross (Revisited)

Two weeks I re-visited Il Ciao to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Despite recent reviews saying it has dropped in quality, there were no significant issues with the food we had. At il ciao, there is always a wait and no bookings are allowed for group of 7 and less. Nevertheless, the free pizza slices kept the waiting patrons happy!  While we waited, I was snapping around trying to get accustomed with my new toy.

Using my workmate’s Canon 30D! I can tell you one thing for sure, you’d be surprised what this trusty aged machine does! It really produces some fine pictures!

The appetizer for the night:

The chili mussels were flavoursome with its flesh more well cooked than most places.  However, the missing richness in its tomato taste failed give us the perfect start.

 

After the mussels, the girls were back to their usual antique.

The ladies :)

 

For our mains, we each ordered one and pretty much shared it around the table:

Fishman’s scotch fillet was one of the superb dishes that night.  While it did not offer all the qualities of a dry aged steak, the scotch fillet did not feel lacking in anyway.  It still was cooked to order albeit slightly overcook, but the most amazing part of the steak was the sauce.  Creamy goodness with mushrooms and chopped tomatoes.  Just a good mix of sweetness, saltiness and acidity.  Slurps!

 

Nee and I both ordered the Ruspante alla Diavola or the chicken char-grilled and marinated with chilli, rosemary and white wine  served with a side of Spaghetti Bolognese.  I have had this before and like 3 years ago, it did not disappoint.  This is easily a good chicken roast with a tasty outside and a moist inside.  Seasoning was flawless although Nee did struggle with the heat a little.  Bolognese side is definitely worth that extra dollars adding.  While they do not use wagyu, the mince still felt moist and juicy.  Definitely my pick at Il Ciao!

 

The little darling’s lasagne was also pretty decent.  If there were any wishes, it would be more of that rich tomato sauce and of course some béchamel to go with it.

 

Traditional Ligurian twirled pasta with ricotta cheese, sundried tomatoes and Italian sausages in a fresh tomato sauce was  Yvonne’s choice that night. While it tasted OK I thought that the pasta could have been a little softer.  There were some instances that it felt significantly undercooked!

‘

And lastly the birthday girl!  Finally 18 now! Happy birthday ;)!

 

And ok, the little darling and I

 

 

WenY

Bites: Red Cabbage @ South Perth

Having missed our meal at Red Cabbage before only meant that the secrets of its success remains a mystery.  But it was without a doubt that the day to taste what chef’s Adam Sayles and Scott O’Sullivan had in store is not too far away.  After much planning, the little darling and I finally had a chance to dine at the restaurant.  Red Cabbage has a list of food to offer in their menu but to me, the hassle of deciding what to order is unnecessary as there is no better way of appreciating a restaurant’s food other than trying their degustation menu.

The customary set of matching cutleries carefully laid out on each side of the table.

The free appetizer was a warm bun with sesame seeds with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Unlike Rockpool, the bun had a slight crust on the outside with a very nice and fluffy inside.  Pretty good stuff!

Bun!

The Amuse Bouche that  night was thinly sliced meat topped with Mozzarella.  I would not say that this was horrible but it just did not pack enough punch to start of my meal.  Yes, the cheese was faultless and so was the beef.  But in comparison to my recent visits to Jackson’s where I had gazpacho sorbet in a cornet or in Joel Robuchon’s the chestnut soup with chestnut foam and truffle oil, this did not quite meet my expectations.

Shaved meat with Mozarella

Crispy Pork with Seared Scallop and Pineapple on Coconut Mousse

The first appetizer was an interesting one. Arranged on top of a coconut mousse layer is a neat little cube of crispy pork, pineapple and seared scallops. The crispy pork to me was not as expected. Deviating from the normal pork belly and scallop classic pairing, this reinterpretation seems to have hit the mark, but merely. Everything was ok on the plate but I cannot help but feel that the pork itself felt rather lost. Yes it was crispy as described but it was not tasty. Inside it was shredded pork that was shaped, battered and fried. Its only salvation would have came from the chilli jam which did not taste any better than your everyday sweet chilli sauce.

Marron on squid ink crumbs with homemade bacon and stone fruit.

While the few courses before were mediocre, this one was visual excitement on the first sight.  Seriously, a juicy half marron on a transparent plate circled by what seemed to me like coloured iced balls with black crumbs in the middle. If that is not visual excitation, I am not sure what is.  As good as it looks, it was equally matching in taste.  The saltiness of the homemade bacon was complemented by the sweetness of the melon and the marron.  Texture wise, it was really nice too.  The slight chewiness of the bacon, crunchiness of the greens and sweetness of the marron all mellowed nicely with the help of the melon.  Definitely a major highlight for the night.

Wagyu Corned Beef

While the name sounded promising, I found that the main focus of the dish which was the corned beef did not really benefit from the Wagyu.  Melt in your mouth feeling was non-existent.  It was tasty but unfortunately not moist enough.  Definitely did not seem like it was overcooked so I am not sure what happened there.  Mash and the jus was flawless.  To bring them all together, the crumbled Ricotta was super nice.  It was one of the things I wished was slightly more generous in content.  It would have really brought more moisture to the dish giving the Corned Wagyu Beef a better chance to shine.

Crispy skin barramundi with an coconut and tamarind sauce

The crispy skin barramundi was another dish which I though was presented beautifully that night.  A large prawn sat on top of  the fish with both almost matching in size.  As darling is allergic to prawns,  I happily had hers.  It was seriously yums!  As for the fish, its skin was crispy unlike the horrible salmon I had at Barrolo’s!   But what darling was not too happy about was the sauce.  To me it tasted fine.  Somewhat Asian but really tasty.  However, darling did not like coconut so I guess this sauce is really not for her.

Nitro cleanser! Passionfruit mousse dipped in nitrogen with a strawberry coulis.

Mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen serve on strawberry coulis? I will definitely take it.  The fancy name added to the simplicity of its presentation, and I was sold.  However, I was not the most satisfied customer when the nitro carried a slightly bitterish taste.  Nevertheless, it had what it needed to refresh one’s taste buds before moving on to the main.  But the problem you see, was that it was never really served to us before our main. I asked for it after noticing that a course was missing from our degustation. Hmmmmm… fine dining is definitely about presentation and its food.  But the hospitality industry as its name suggests means to be hospitable.  Not quite what I expected.

Nordic Brie (I think) With Blood Plums and Date Jam

For me, this was another course which I truly enjoy.  The runny medium in the brie was orgasmic.  Plums with date jam along with the brie on cracker was a party which my mouth would gladly host.  I really enjoyed this.  Perhaps I can now better understand why one would order cheese platter for dessert.  It is very very good IMHO!

Meringue, Trifle and Dehydrated Raspberry with an Amerato Gelato

The dessert which is a mixture of chocolate, gelato, fruit and meringue was the final course of the night.  Despite finding myself disliking meringue for most of my life, this one was simply superb.  Probably another “yay” for me.  The slightly bitter trifle worked well with the raspberry which had the acidity and the sweetness of the meringue just creates the right chemistry. What did not work for me is that the meringue was impossible to break through.  This made it difficult to proportion the taste altogether.    Breaking one would send all the bits of trifle and raspberries out of the plate.  While it might have looked ugly, I would not mind if it had in fact been crushed or broken apart before it was served.  That is unless, each element was to shine by itself and if it was so, I think they do not do well.  Anyways, this is in fact something I see Jackson do when they served a mixture of brulee, honey comb and macaron together. All broken up and freely sprinkled on each other.  The balance was right.  See this link.

Ok peeps, it 2am way past my old man bed time.  Today has been a busy one.  To sum it up, my visit to this restaurant has had its merits and faults.  Service is definitely going to be my main complain here.  Acknowledging that the restaurant felt slightly short handed does not mean that such imperfections can be compromised when you have customers paying such money for their food.  While the staff was friendly and willing to explain each dish sent to the table, it was evident that their presentation was rather unpolished and very rush.  Luckily enough though was that the waiter himself apologised for the rush he had while presenting to us our dishes.  The food had a large variance in terms of likes and dislikes.  Some made me like to so much that it was worth hyping about while some was just lacklustre.  For all its worth, I do believe that the establishment still carries the value that make it worth a return.  Perhaps some improvements could be done for the better good.

WenY