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2011-03-05
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I distinctly remember when this place just opened, there was hype everywhere. There was pages of 'congratulations' on Gold's opening in the weekly HK Mag, there was raving reviews..... the whole lot. So, instead of telling myself not to expect much as I usually do, I couldn't help but have slightly high expectations of this place... lunch menugiven the three-course it certainly seemed like a good dealbread basketthe rolls (focaccia, baguette, grissini) weren't warm so they turned out slightly ha
lunch menugiven the three-course it certainly seemed like a good deal
bread basket
the rolls (focaccia, baguette, grissini) weren't warm so they turned out slightly hard. however, on a visit during dinner they were warm/hot, so it was better. M and I figured that the green dip (left) was made from guava... it was sweet/sour.... definitely a first for me with bread.
first plate from antipasti buffetthe appetizer buffet selection was overall pretty good. I liked their selection of leaves - fresh rocket + baby spinach....how could you not? There was also roasted eggplants, zucchini, poached shrimps (v. sweet i must say), parma ham and melon, smoked salmon, a really spicy thai beef salad, duck breast salad, couscous salad, squid salad, some marinated tofu cubes...
"slow cooked salmon, tabbouleh salad and sesame lemon garlic dressing"the tabbouleh salad was enjoyable, and the outer parts of the salmon was just cooked so it flaked easily despite looking quite pink. on the inside, was a different story. it was stone-cold.... like refrigerator-cold, and had a different hue of orangey/pink like sashimi, which did not give in to the fork like cooked salmon should.
Perhaps slow-cooking it for longer would've solved the problem, but I informed the manager who failed to remotely justify the rawness of the salmon and refused to have it cooked for me (i didn't even want a new one, why can't people choose how 'done' they want their fish like they can with their steaks?). he later brought out another piece of slow-cooked salmon to use against me..... which turned out to be perfectly cooked and was an entirely different colour to my piece - seriously?
raw centerto prove my point, here was the centre of my salmon which i left uneaten.
"porcini mushroom tortellini, wilted spinach, parmesan and crispy pancetta"
m being a lover of tortellini ordered the lovely-sounding pasta dish. however, to her (and later my) disappointment, the filling inside the tortellini resembled mystery meat even though the menu had held it it out to be porcini, and the sauce was like a thick gloop of melted cheese... no it didn't taste completely horrible but texturally it was unappealing and we definitely expected better
"fresh italian yogurt served with condiment"
to be honest i expected the frozen yogurt to be creamier. that said, it wasn't bad with the crispy chocolate balls...though i detest raw oats.
"gold ginger pear cake with hazelnut gelato"
this baby slice of ginger pear cake was not bad either, it could've been more moist but i guess they serve it on a pool of creme anglaise for a reason. the hazelnut gelato M liked, but not being a fan of hazelnut it failed to win my heart.
About a week later I re-visited Gold for dinner. I was hoping there'd be at least one dish that i could come out loving. We were presented with a daily specials board which had (almost) as many items as listed on their regular menu. Although the king fish carpaccio and grilled seabass sounded quite interested we decided to forgo these and try the much-raved classics first...
"Porcini mushroom flatbread" ($148)this was essentially a mini-pizza, with a crispy and cracker-like base. on top was finely diced porcini mushroom, sauteed diced onions and a touch of truffle oil which made everything smell very earthy and delicious. the taleggio cheese on top was just melted but the way it spread made it look not-so-appetizing.
"Dutch Veal Chop" (10oz) ($428)served with a red wine sauce, half bulb of garlic, vine tomato and grilled quartered onion. it was simple but very good. the piece of veal was cooked to a perfect pink on the inside, and extremely tender. the garlic was fragrant and the red wine sauce was unnecessary as the piece of meat was seasoned already.
"Italian Wild Boar Ragout Tagliatelle" ($288)im not sure why it's now called ragout (french) instead of ragu (italian) since the price hike, but anyway this was our favourite dish of the night. the tagliatelle held the rich minced boar bolognese very well, and the bolognese itself was seasoned perfectly - not at all salty and you could taste the meat. the egg on top i presume is slow-cooked to achieve the runny yolk and just-coagulated egg white, which, when mixed with the pasta gave it another layer of richness.
Lobster spaghetti ($338)
this could have won my heart as i love lobster and tomato-based sauces, but tonight the spaghetti was over-cooked so it lost its bite, and if i'm to be picky the rich tomato sauce was on the salty side. nonetheless, it was still a very good dish, especially with the lobster cooked to medium giving it a slippery texture which i haven't had the pleasure of having since last year at the Derby Restaurant.
So there, my honest thoughts on Gold and its food. I can't explain why lunch and dinner can be milestones apart in terms of quality but dinner was definitely enjoyable and deserves a second visit.
[p.s. since this is a combined but mixed review of lunch and dinner, the ratings here apply to dinner only]
For original post: http://gastronomerr.blogspot.com/2011/03/gold.html
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