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2010-11-04
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I wasn't impressed by the food here the last time I visit, so I wasn't expecting too much this time. But this time it wasn't the food I came for, it was the 2005 Le Petit Cheval St Emilion Grand Cru and a 1996 Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru, courtesy of 2 very knowledgeable wine lovers whom I had the pleasure of meeting.The place is very nicely decorated, old school with a touch of class, but ruined by a table of rowdy and loud Westerners a couple of tables away from us. The bread basket was
The place is very nicely decorated, old school with a touch of class, but ruined by a table of rowdy and loud Westerners a couple of tables away from us. The bread basket was the signature twirl bun, grissini (which tasted a bit too buttery, I prefer mine more bread-like), and baguette slices that was salty. The menu has many choices, but for some reason I always feel that I can't find a winner amongst the plentiful offerings, perhaps it's because nothing really stands out for me. So I went for a plain spinach salad with mushrooms and bacon, which came as is, i.e. not a drop of salad dressing. And as it was served in a bowl, it made the portion look even smaller. They forgot my white asparagus and poached egg order, and I had to clarify with at least 2 staff before they realised that I had ordered 3 instead of 2 courses, and I wanted to be served the asparagus before the mains came so I won't make everyone wait. Again, the dish came unaccompanied with even a drizzle of olive oil or any sauce. I enjoyed the asparagus which was cooked nicely and not too soft, but the poached egg was a disaster. It felt like cutting into chewing gum and tasted like rubber, the yolk was a full hard yolk when I think it should be at least a little runny so you can dabble some onto the asparagus, and completely tasteless which not even salt and pepper could salvage it from disaster. My parents had the fish soup which looked quite appetising with an abundance of fruits de mer. The others had parma ham with melon, which got a general nod of approval from the table.
The 5 of us ordered 3 kinds of mains, a cod (mine was miso glazed, the others were prepared differently as in photo), a porcini tagliatelle and a sirloin steak (I think) with white truffles. The cod was tasty and moist, with an ever so slightly glazing of miso on mine, but it looked a little lonely on a big plate all by itself, with not even a garnish in sight, as the 3 sturdy looking stalks of green veg and 4 slices of potato were put on the side. The other cod dish looked more appetising, though tasted much the same. The white truffles was quite strong and pungent, and I could smell it from across the table. That earthy, musky note which hits the nose was followed by a fragrant note which lingers for a brief moment before you tuck into it. The porcini mushroom I stole from my next door neighbour was average, the pasta was average, the sauce was average. Nothing to fault, but nothing to write home either.
The dessert winner was the vanilla meringue which was a layered pile of fluffiness with a soft vanilla taste. My crepe suzette was a lot of fanfare and visual performance but not much when it was served, 2 meagre slices of dough which tasted undercooked and doughy despite the adequate time in the pan. The Grand Marnier was too heavy and there was no citrus flavour at all, or maybe their version does not call for oranges.
The highlight of the meal was of course the 2 wines, even the champagne that had a head start was soon abandoned to the side. The wine was the main focus of the dinner, the food was merely there to decorate the table and provide the stomach with something to grind on. I won't bang on about the wine here, but suffice to say they were both very good, and my personal preference was the more mature Margaux with a more complex bouquet.
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