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2011-02-23
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Last night, Moo surprised me with a new restaurant. Apparently it was so new that there have not been any reviews on Openrice yet! At first, I was a little bit skeptical but it turned out to be one amazing discovery! We read the menu on the wall before walking up to the restaurant. It looked delightful with sections of French, Tuscany and Spanish tapas to select! They even have a small Foie gras section with three dishes listed on the menu.Filled with excitement, we went upstairs and encounter
We read the menu on the wall before walking up to the restaurant. It looked delightful with sections of French, Tuscany and Spanish tapas to select! They even have a small Foie gras section with three dishes listed on the menu.
Filled with excitement, we went upstairs and encountered an extremely clean and chic environment. The bartender was making drinks for a French couple and looked super professional. We sat down for a couple of drinks before dinner... and we were so impressed!
I started off with the Blackberry &* Lavender martini - DIVINE. * It was well-mixed and sophisticated - I was a bit shocked! The vodka in it was infused with lavender but it was not overpowering at all.
Moo had "The Elder" which consisted of cognac, white wine and champagne mixed together - it came in a tall glass and was very refreshing.
We decided to have a second round of drinks and the French bartender Benoit (who turned out to be the Operation Manager of Entourage) suggested two Gin based martinis. I told him I wasn't a Gin fan but he said with confidence "Trust me you won't be able to taste it!".. and he was right! Benoit made a grapefruit gin based martini for Moo* and another Gin martini made with a good blend of herbs, lime juice, soda and Gin for me. These were both DELICIOUS! Benoit was trained in London and is now my favourite mixologist in town! * You can tell him what you like and he'll tailor-make amazing drinks for you. His cocktails are sophisticated, easy to drink and extremely tasty. I would totally ditch hotel bars for this Hidden gem.
We also tried different Tapas to go with our drinks. Benoit recommended the Spicy chorizo on bread and I picked the Salmon blinis.
* Salmon Blinis - I was expecting the blinis to be like mini pancakes with a salmon rose, they came a lot bigger in size but the blinis tasted great! Not dry at all and the portion was very generous.
* Spicy Chorizo on Bread - Together with the red onion jam like spread between the chorizo and the thinly sliced bread, this tasted pretty good. The chorizo itself was delicious!
Our tapas came with a cute little basket of bread though they were not warm enough. The waiter told us the bread was all Homemade! The basket carried Goat cheese bread &* Baguettes .. these went so well with the butter, I had to stop myself from eating too much and ruining my appetite for what was to come.
I must say I really love the beige leather seats that surrounded the Oval bar. We sat on the high tables which were very pleasant too! Was delighted to find the restaurant area as clean and chic as the lounge. It wasn't a huge area but the booths looked very comfortable. A great place for dating or just a friendly gathering. I must add that the bathrooms were very nicely designed and super clean.
To start, Moo &* I shared the Verrine of Foie Gras. I figured the foie gras must be good if they had their own special section on the menu.. and it was!! Extremely smooth and delicious, the verrine came with tasty fig jam and thin slices of bread. The foie gras quality was great and not heavy. I usually prefer to have my foie gras with brioche but this dish was Perfect and made me a very Happy Girl!
We then tried the Green Pea Soup which was absolutely delicious! Would love to try the Onion soup with Emmental cheese next time* The friendly waitress recommended the Lamb and the Veal cheeks for mains. We opted for the Veal Cheeks and we were just so pleased. This dish was as good as the ones in HK's top french restaurants. The veal cheeks were extremely tender and the mash was SO well-made. An extremely refined dish - we savoured every moment. Also loved the veggies in this dish, very fresh and complimented the dish well.
Since our dinner was so successful, we decided to test the skills of the pastry chef who recently arrived from France. We ordered the Apple Tart with icecream. You have to wait 15 minutes for this dish but it was very good! Loved the twisted pastry sticks on top. Took one bite of that and knew the tart was going to be good.
Benoit also recommended the Mille Feuille which was also freshly made and not on the menu.. this was HEAVENLY! The pastry was SO fresh, I was on Cloud 9 * .
Our meal ended with another round of drinks. Benoit made a special Lemon Pie Martini * - we enjoyed watching him making it and torching the brown sugar on top. Almost like what they do with the sugar on a Creme Brulee.
After having this amazing dining experience with Super sophisticated cocktails and refined food, I would happily ditch other French restaurants for this little one for a change! Entourage is much cheaper in comparison but for the high quality food they serve, it is really a great deal! If they can keep up with their consistency, I am sure this new restaurant/lounge/club (downstairs) will be the new HOT SPOT in town in no time!Post
