Video
Read full review
2012-03-15
34 views
We've been to the one in TST before and were quite happy with the food, so for my dad's birthday I decided to try the CWB branch for convenience. The place had a few tables spaced apart so the noise level was acceptable and you didn't feel like someone was invading your space. The lighting was rather dim, for that romantic touch, but my parents found it hard to read the menu (fear not, for the waitress fished out her iPhone and patiently stood over them with the LED light app whilst they browsed
The bread basket was nice, but the homemade dips were bland - something with pineapple and something with garlic. You'd almost have to close your eyes and imagine the flavour.
Most of the dishes were presented well, much improved from the TST one, which left me with the memory that the portions were big but there wasn't much thought put into the visual aesthetics, as everything was piled onto the plate in lumps and bits. Here the dishes were much better constructed, for example the tomato salad or the baked zucchini
The scallop with bit of foam on the side was a foray into the rather passe molecular gastronomy, people think putting foam on everything would make the dishes fancier, somehow the foam didn't look like it belonged there
The mushroom consomme was very clear and refreshing, if only they served more of it
My favourite was the beef cheek which was extremely tender and tasty, with the flavour of the jus soaked through and through
For mains we all picked fish, the seabass was nicer, the other one (can't remember what fillet it was, but it was rolled and had some creamy sauce on it) was a bit tough and chewy, and again the greens took centre stage.
Finally the dessert was disappointing, as the souffle came in a dish that we were warned was hot (which it was) but the souffle itself was very mildly warm, bordering on cool. How they managed to accomplish that I don't know. It was eggy and spongy without much flavour either.
They made up for it with a much nicer creme brulee on the house for dad's birthday.
If you're looking for a place with free corkage for intimate dining, this could be one of your options, it's less crowded and noisy and the prices are quite reasonable compared with some others. The menu comes in three different prices according to the mains you choose, so there's room for manoeuvre.Post
