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2013-10-01
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Our first courses were seared tuna with onion cream, black olive and green herbs and a duck consommé with tortinelli of spiced plum and confit duck leg. The consommé was rich, with a powerfully concentrated savor of duck, the plums sweet and slightly crunchy. The dumplings filled with buttery duck confit offered another dimension of taste to the dish. The consommé had an Oriental character emphasized by the use of plums and spices, similar to Peking duck. The French duck confit and Asian dum
Our first courses were seared tuna with onion cream, black olive and green herbs and a duck consommé with tortinelli of spiced plum and confit duck leg. The consommé was rich, with a powerfully concentrated savor of duck, the plums sweet and slightly crunchy. The dumplings filled with buttery duck confit offered another dimension of taste to the dish. The consommé had an Oriental character emphasized by the use of plums and spices, similar to Peking duck. The French duck confit and Asian dumpling wrapping gave a delicious combination of taste and texture, with an interesting visual contrast. The tuna was soft and rich, complemented by the smooth cream, redolent of the rich flavor of onions, salty olives diced finely and a refreshing sauce of herbs.
For our second course, we had Angus beef rump, braised potato, broccoli and celeriac remoulade and halibut with daikon, Swiss chard and grapefruit salad. The beef, though a little tough, was full of delicious juices. The celeriac was sharp and refreshing, bringing contrast to the rich dish. The sauce had red wine gel dotted through it, giving extra notes of berries, currants and fruit to offer acidity and balance. The gravy had been reduced painstakingly, giving a rich and full-bodied sauce to complement the meat. Chopped-up broccoli florets soaked up the gravy, the moist vegetable only a medium to carry the savory smoothness of the concentrated juices. The halibut was perched on a bed of tender Swiss chard, topped with two translucent rounds of daikon radish and bitter, tangy grapefruit and grapefruit foam. The sharp, sour froth contrasted with the zesty fruit, a wonderful summer dish.
The desserts were spectacular. Compressed pineapple, shortbread crumble, citrus fruit sorbet and house made pineapple soda were one, and the other was a hazelnut sweet crust with salted caramel, hazelnut mousse and raspberry sorbet. The pineapple had gained a brighter color from compression and had become juicier and sweeter, due to juices being trapped in the flesh instead of leaking out. The sorbet was wonderfully sour and highly suited for the heat of summer. The soda was a blend of pineapple and vanilla flavors, bringing to mind fizzy fruit juices and cream soda. The hazelnut crust was delicate and sweet, with flavors of chocolate, caramel, nuts and malted milk. They brought to mind the flavor of Maltesers, giving way to more memories. The mousse was light and airy, with more nutty sweetness trapped inside than it seemed possible. It melted swiftly, leaving a delicate flavor that lingered in my mouth and throat. The caramel was soft and gooey, making you think of the caramel in chocolate bars. The restaurant also offers tiny spheres of cool, fruity melon sorbet encased in a fragile shell of dark chocolate that are both icy and soft.
When the meal has ended, I walk reluctantly out, uneager to face the burning heat outside, wanting to linger, to savor the delicious tastes in my mouth.
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