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2016-07-06
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This Cantonese restaurant is located inside Gold Coast Hotel, and arriving on a Wed night we were seated at a soft table, comfortable and cozy, in a bright environment of elegance and nice setting. Famous for both traditional Cantonese dishes as well as some with modern elements, we decided to try the 'head chef recommendation' menu with 8 courses.The first is Mullet Roe with Taiwan Sausage. Mullet roe is obviously a famous Taiwanese delicacy, essentially the dried roe of mullet, which is a type
This Cantonese restaurant is located inside Gold Coast Hotel, and arriving on a Wed night we were seated at a soft table, comfortable and cozy, in a bright environment of elegance and nice setting. Famous for both traditional Cantonese dishes as well as some with modern elements, we decided to try the 'head chef recommendation' menu with 8 courses.
The first is Mullet Roe with Taiwan Sausage. Mullet roe is obviously a famous Taiwanese delicacy, essentially the dried roe of mullet, which is a type of fish. Paired with a small piece of leek, it got a savory salty taste which for westerners may be a bit too strong. But for me it was very tasty and the sausage also was nicely grilled, with a piece of garlic to supplement the good mix of lean and fat meat inside.
The second is a Stewed Conch Soup with Truffle in Puff Pastry. An interesting concept, with the stewed soup being prepared in traditional style with chicken, lean meat, conch, dried tangerine skin and ginger stewed in broth, but also adding several pieces of truffle to add that signature aroma, and the soup wrapped by puff pastry for cover. The soup was very tasty and clear, light in body but full of flavors, with the truffle note enhancing but not overpowering the original taste. The puff can also be eaten as well.
The third is originally a beef dish but since I don't eat beef, we changed to another signature dish of Aged Vinegar Pork Loin with Spiced Salt Tofu. The vinegar has become sweet after ageing and paired well with the pork, and the tofu got a crispy surface while still soft inside, allowing a big contrast in texture. Another good dish that I finished in no time.
The fourth is a Grilled Giant Grouper Steak with Soy Sauce. Prepared in a western way as a fish steak, this dish is served with fork and knife, but the special element comes from the molecular cooking of using a membrane to hold the soy sauce, and upon cutting it the soy sauce then spread to the fish. The fish was nice and grilled perfectly, with the skin providing a chewy texture. The soy sauce is not salty and did not mask any of the flavors, with the deep fried ginger shreds and spring onion giving the flavors like the traditional steamed version with an interesting twist.
The fifth is White Jade Roll with Abalone, which is a strip of abalone, shiitake mushroom and asparagus wrapped by a thin winter melon peel tied with chive, in a clear broth sauce. The presentation is very appealing, but honestly this is my biggest disappointment on the night, with the taste overall rather strange. All the different components did not demonstrate its proper flavors. I am not sure whether this is due to the ingredients or the cooking method.
The sixth is Baked Rice with Scallop and Cheese. Served on a shell, the rice is a special type which I don't know its name, but it is flat instead of the normal rice we are familiar with. Coated with cheese and with shrimp and scallop, the rice is tasty and filling, a good wrap-up of the meal before dessert.
Finally comes the dessert, with Fresh Fruit Platter and Sweet Dumplings in Ginger Soup. The quality of fruit is not particularly good and I only managed to finish the water melon because they are chilled well. The other fruit either are too sour or bland.
As to the dumplings, they are nice with the sesame fillings not too sweet and the skin of the dumpling chewy and smooth. However, the ginger soup is simply too sweet, and there is also no ginger flavor. There is quite a bit of improvement to be made on the dessert area and the whole meal would be even at a more terrific level.But overall I still like the restaurant very much, especially considering the price is only $1210 for two persons. Frankly with such setting, environment, service, and food this price got a very high value / price ratio. I would certainly come again to try the other signature dishes, but that would mean I need to get more friends along to have sufficient people to order. Are you interested to join?
My overall rating is 70/100.
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