Video
Read full review
2012-01-14
1444 views
We don't visit Derby often. Usually we eat at Six Furlong or the Gallop, or the 4/f 'cafeteria. Much less fuss. Much more economical. Members only, mind. Birthday month - 1 guest free per 4 diners. The waiter gave us menus and we realized that only the member was given the priced menu - like what happens at a 3-star michelin restaurant. Sadly the waiter failed to correctly identify the member. Environmentim entrance, classy, nice array of wine. Brighter once you get to the main dining area. The
Birthday month - 1 guest free per 4 diners. The waiter gave us menus and we realized that only the member was given the priced menu - like what happens at a 3-star michelin restaurant. Sadly the waiter failed to correctly identify the member.
Environment:
Dim entrance, classy, nice array of wine. Brighter once you get to the main dining area. The dining room is quite long, but not very spacious. There is a large round table in the middle of the room, accommodating parties of 8 (I think). There are also nice cozy corners for couples. You don't enjoy much privacy though. Food:
Bread basket consisted of multigrain, sundried tomato, whole wheat baguette and sourdough. The rolls weren't hot enough i think, but they were quite yummy. Grainy and fragrant. No complaints. The slab of butter was room temp and easily spreadable. White: Chardonnay Newton unfiltered.$115 They poured a small mouthful for me to taste. We originally wanted one glass only to share between R and I but they mistook it for 2 glasses and so charged us for 2 glasses. Hmph.
Salami wrapped rocket/cheesy amuse bouche Too salty for my palate.
Blackcurrant sorbet - palate cleanser : Delightfully fresh and natural. It was quite sweet, but in a fresh and delicate kind of way. Since it's sorbet it's bound to be slightly watery. The balance was quite the way I like palate cleansers to be. More watery than usual. Nice.
Items from Truffle menu
You get asked whether you want truffle shavings served at the table. $50/gm. The waiter will work at the truffle until you say stop. We didn't have any.
*Black truffle risotto with sauteed frogs legs, bacon and leek confit
I had this. The risotto was well-cooked but the flavour was not satisfactory. It was too too salty and cheesy to begin with, not to mention how the truffle flavour was significantly masked. Could not taste any truffle to be honest. As for frogs legs - it tastes like chicken. Texture: also similar. Succulent, tender and fatty chicken. Not bad at all. Scallop tartar - black truffle cauliflower remoulade, granny smith, rye bread croutons
D had this. I took a bite of the mushy bedding on which the scallops were resting, and was not impressed...whatever it was that I was eating. It wasn't very yummy. Pumpkin veolute with black truffle and chestnutsNo photos - refer to Sweet corn soup below. They look alike. It was hot, and quite light for a pumpkin soup. Probably not cream-based. A drizzle of olive oil on the top made it silky. Truffle flavour came out stronger in the soup but still..not as strong as I hoped. The chestnuts were yummy in the soup, adding a bit of bite and additional flavour.
Slow-roasted Bresse chicken breast - black truffle and madeira jus; artichoke hearts, kenya beans paired with Chardonnay Newton unfiltered
I was impressed by how tender and juicy the chicken breast was. Usually chicken breasts are slightly rougher. Sadly, in terms of flavour it wasn't very impressive. The same problem persisted - couldn't really taste truffle. The madeira jus was watery. I would've enjoyed a thicker sauce to dab my chicken breasts in. There were scalloped potatoes which were baked with a cheese. The cheese was tasty but I thought the potatoes themselves were under-salted. Roasted boston lobster - black truffle and port wine essence; creamed fennel, parmesan
Did not try. Classic dinner set menu
Derby Caesar salad
Took a bite of the leaves coated in the house dressing - quite light, well-tossed, and didn't feel too fat. but it's slightly sweeter than the usual caesar salad dressing. Which..is good. Crisp bacon sitting on top is always delicious. Sauteed foie gras - madeira sauce, grapes, bacon
Don't like foie gras. Had one grape only. Pan fried salmon - tarragon and mustard sabayon, etuvee of cucumber, new potatoes
The fish was fried well - nicely browned on top and soft in the middle but the flavour was highly unsatisfactory. It smelled fishy and tasted flat. Stale fish...Sweet corn soup - perigord black truffle, chives
Much too sweet for me. The sweetness is supposed to have come from the natural sweetness of the corn though. Very hot. Not creamy - good. Dessert:
Ginger, coffee, truffle souffle
I ordered the truffle souffle. This one was very, very truffle-y! The most fragrant of all the dishes on the menu! Recommended if you haven't had truffle souffle before. But having this once is sufficient - i wouldn't deliberately go back for this item alone. I still prefer my all-time fave ginger souffle, with candied ginger inside. H ordered this, yum yum. The souffle had nice texture and was light but not too airy. There was some substance in the body of the souffle, which I liked. I don't want to finish my last course of the meal feeling that I hadn't eaten anything of substance. Petit fours:Chocolate coated fruit strips. Not outstanding - prefer LMdC chocolate-coated ginger and orange peel. Not a big fan of petit fours anyway. I prefer a piece of gum.
Conclusion:
Not cheap and the food isn't worth the price. However, given the nice environment and the great service, I might go again during someone's birthday month to enjoy the discount. Otherwise, its' not a very convenient location, and the food is so-so.
Post
