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2014-08-15
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Getting to Vasco in PMQ is a little difficult but once you figure it out, it sounds simple. Get into the very large (and probably an old cargo lift) at the end of the building, get to the 6th floor (or is it 7th - I can't remember) and then walk up another flight of stairs to Vasco. When I got there, there was another lady in front of me and she had trouble locating her reservation for the evening. After waiting for a few minutes while the two ladies at the counter tried to find her reservation,
On to the food - service was pretty patchy when it came to ordering. As I am a vegetarian I asked if there was a vegetarian tasting menu. Unfortunately the answer was no, but the chef could change some of the dishes. Ok, that's fine, but for a top-end restaurant like Vasco I was expecting a little more. One of my friends is a pescetarian, so she also opted to have a few dishes changed. While that was not a problem with Vasco, there was at least three different waiters all asking us about our dietary preferences and telling us what the chef can change that we got confused!
That aside, I have to give them points for trying. I could tell that they are trying hard to please, and that's a very positive thing. The waiters came across as genuinely excited about the food when they presented it. I quite liked that there were three different types of olive oil which they went through with great fanfare. The amuse bouche was unimpressive; it seemed to be tastier for the non-vegetarians. The tasting menu was good although there were a few items that were way below the benchmark, such as the gazpacho which turned out to be a bland, yogurt-based cold "soup" with hints of cucumber. It wasn't just me as I let my friends taste it too, and they all agreed it wasn't up to standard. I mentioned this to our waiter after paying for the bill so hopefully they can improve the dish.
The pacing of the meal was great - plates were cleared when we finished and within 3-5 minutes, the next one will be set.
We had a bottle of wine and that was decanted well. The wine list is of course leaning on the expensive side, but I can live with that as it is a fine-dining restaurant.
Other than the gazpacho, everything else was executed well. Dessert was delicious, and so were the petit fours which appeared in a flashy glass sculpture.
My take on Vasco? I will visit again but hopefully they will have a dedicated vegetarian menu by then. Ambience and decor didn't strike me as very different from other top-end restaurants; one of my friends remarked that the decor would look dated after a few months. I guess after the novelty of dining at a new restaurant wears off, it will be left to the ambience and food to retain customers. I believe the food will continue to be a draw; while not cheap, Vasco is a fine-dining place which will deliver if they get their teething issues sorted.
Other Info. :
The tasting menu (the shorter one of the two tasting menus) is good value for money. However it will be a long meal so be prepared.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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