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2016-02-13
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Our party of three were seated immediately even though the restaurant was looking almost full at 6:45pm on a Friday. We decided to order a mixture of a la carte and set menu to share in order to try a few different things. The decor is modern but the dim lighting created a warm and intimate atmosphere, completely separate from the harsh bright lights of the shopping mall outside. We had pleasantly forgotten where we were until we stepped outside after our meal.The minestrone soup ($49) was on th
The decor is modern but the dim lighting created a warm and intimate atmosphere, completely separate from the harsh bright lights of the shopping mall outside. We had pleasantly forgotten where we were until we stepped outside after our meal.
The minestrone soup ($49) was on the side of watery, and quite bland. It was however served very hot, so at least it warmed me up. A bit pricey for what it was though, not very different from canned soup.
Fish and chips (~$140) were a nice surprise. Very crispy chunky fries together with two tender fish fillets fried in a light batter. Accompanied by a large serving of tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon, it was a pretty good version of the dish.
We asked for spaghetti instead of linguine for our pasta with prawns. The spaghetti came out perfectly cooked to al dente, lightly coated in the tangy tomato sauce, with one large prawn on top. Again, a well balanced dish, with strong, fresh tomato flavours, and very appetising. We all kept on going back for more of this dish!
Now for the set. The dinner sets come at different prices, depending on your main course of choice. We ordered the set with Lamb Shanks (~$248) with tomato and buffalo mozzarella entree and banana crumble cheesecake dessert. The entree was a bit of a disappointment, with a few leaves topped with two slices of tomato and a tiny wedge of mozzarella. I couldn't even taste the mozzarella, it was so tiny. And the dressing is lacking in acidity, it seems that they just drizzled it in a bit of pesto, which didn't add much to the combination.
Thank goodness the lamb shanks came out in a generous serving....that is of vegetables and mash. The lamb shanks themselves were a bit on the skinny side, and not cooked long enough to be "falling of the bone". Sauce was rich and flavoursome. However, there just wasn't enough meat to justify the price, so based on this, the set was not particularly good value.
Finally, the banana crumble cheesecake was delicious! Crumble was crumbly, and cheesecake was soft and light, not too sweet at all. I liked that it was an original take on two very traditional desserts, I would glady return for this cake to try with one of their coffees.
A pleasant dinner. You won't go wrong if you stick to the a la carte selection and choose the simple options. But more importantly, this is place offers a quiet oasis to the bustling shopping chaos that is TST when you need a break from it all.
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