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2015-02-02
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6.5/10 plates emptied!近期在“香港最熱”除了Gordon Ramsey,要數Jamie Oliver。其實他一直都是以快速烹調健 康美食出名, 並且提倡用最新鮮和健康的食材。由於製作方法簡單,很多人跟著他的烹調節目和書學著做也可以把食物做得好吃,因此他曾一度風頭無兩,名聲大噪但同時他也是個毀譽參半的明星廚師,感興趣的朋友上Google一查便知他的主題餐廳在香港落戶後引起了一片風潮,很多食評隨之誕生這家餐廳和他的人一樣——毀譽參半。我們吉碟幫也不落人後,實地追擊了一下這家熱門餐廳。Carly提前一個月在網上預訂了7人檯但我們並沒有抱很大期望因為我們知道Jamie’s出品實質上是簡單的家庭式食品和商業炒作的結合。Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef who is renowned globally for his inspired dishes & homemade cooking; his style traces back to originality, simplicity and healthy cooking of Italian
[Written by Carly in English, Gobay in Chinese]
Starting the meal with a glass of champagne based bellini, Prosecco, a relatively dry taste of Italian sparkling white wine. The spoon of peach puree gave the drink a right kick of sweetness and sourness, not so much fruity but not bad.
Prosecco是意大利氣泡酒,這杯Bellini是由其作基底加上桃子蓉調製成。桃子的甜味較好
地平衡了Prosecco的酸硬,而且使果味馥郁味道還算可口外形靚麗,金黃色的液體上有
一勺大小的粉紅桃子蓉,很清新怡人。
[Starters & Planks] 前菜 &小吃
Carly was feeling skeptical about ordering croquettes at an Italian restaurant but to her surprise, the croquettes were crispy on outside, and quite flavorful with loads of chopped spinach melted together with the taleggio, semi‐soft, smear‐ripened Italian cheese. It was quite chewy on the palate yet not as pungent as it should have been. The extra dip of basil mayo made the croquettes even more flavorsome as the basil herb aroma coped well with this delightful snack.
[Pasta] 意粉
Interestingly, the sausage ragu being grinded into bits and pieces tasted quite like beef rather than pork. Chianti, any wine that is produced from the Chianti area of central Tuscany in Italy created a taste of red wine braised beef cheeks kind of flavor to the dish. Finely shredded Parmesan and pangrattato, the dried type of bread crumbs were sprinkled on top of the pasta for breading and crumbing foods, adding an extra subtle hint of coconut. Everyone thought that the pappardelle looked weird as it was not the usual broad ribbon stripes of pasta you see at other places, Jamie’s Pappardelle were curled up on the side like a caterpillar. Pasta texture was both al dente and too soft, tasted average with a weird combination of braised red wine beef and nutty bread crumbs.
協助我們點餐的侍應推薦了這款意粉,說是用自家製的豬肉腸烹調成肉醬 (Ragu就是肉醬的意思)的肉醬意粉Jamie餐廳的意粉一直是讓人稱道的,因為是鮮製而不是超市裡一包包的乾意粉。可是這裡的Pappardelle有點不同於我們平時看到的寬麵,而是一種類似公仔麵的卷面它的“卷”都是粘在一起的,所以口感有軟又有硬,很奇怪的意粉。從餐牌上得知肉醬是加入了意大利名酒產區Chianti的紅酒烹調的,Chianti紅酒一直是Parmesan芝士的夢幻伴侶可是吃的時候芝士的味道不出,肉醬也偏鹹了,吃起來更像是紅酒燉牛肉,不像是豬肉腸。其中還有一種脆脆的口感,源自加入的炸麵包屑吃起來有點甜麵包塊或餅脆的感覺整體而言,就是一種奇怪的味道,應該會有人歡喜有人愁吧。
One of the most recommended dishes at Jamie’s Italian. Like it or not, the pasta cream sauce had a very buttery taste rather than aromatic truffle flavor which Carly the truffle lover was expecting. It was generous for them to offer fresh foraged black truffles but a thicker truffle paste sauce would be even better as the sauce was too watery for it to be considered a high refined pasta dish.
這道是餐廳著名菜式。先不管味道如何,光頂部那幾片新鮮的黑松露切片就絕對是非一般餐廳會提供的。可惜太小片,吃起來好像被意粉的熱力逼熟了,口感軟爛香味很微弱。Tagliatelle和Fettuccine很類似,都是扁寬麵,口感很不錯,有嚼頭而且把奶油芝士汁都吸收了,雖然碟上的汁不多,但奶味還是挺濃。如果奶油汁的量再多一點質感更稠一點,黑松露的味道更濃一點會更好。
Interesting combination of pumpkin, squash, ricotta and smashed amaretti. Pumpkin was chopped into small cubes, slightly sautéed and served on top of the pasta. The filling squash and ricotta was not so heavily cheese flavored but tasted squash‐based. Chilli and rosemary aroma was so subtle that the smashed amaretti – traditional almond‐flavored biscuit created a sweeter aftertaste as you chew on the pasta; this was interesting but not great.
Panzerotti其實就是方形的Ravioli 意大利餃子。裡面是南瓜蓉,加上Ricotta芝士和少量瓜
類。南瓜的質量不太好,甜味非常淡,而且和Ricotta芝士的調味不太融合,吃起來很膩。雖
然餐牌說是加了辣和迷迭香牛油,但幾乎吃不出來。碟上還撒了碎粒狀的意大利餅乾
Amaretti (餅乾狀態的Macaroon 因為兩者的製作原料幾乎一樣) 和椰絲碎。這樣增加了口
感,但在味道上,如果和Panzerotti一起吃,其實感覺不出來。這個菜不推薦嘗試,味道
如白水般平淡。
Acquerello rice being regarded as one of the best type of risotto rice around the world, the rice is harvested then aged, cultivated using organic farming methods. Acquerello tends to soak up more flavor and stock while staying firm and separate. So the type of the risotto rice is superior but how was it for flavor and texture? Mushroom fragrance was mild as the creamy milk stock snatched the attention, the oozy melted mozzarella tasted pungent. The risotto was overcooked while some bits were undercooked; leaving you a weird feeling of what went wrong with this risotto.
Risotto也是吉碟幫在意大利餐廳必試的菜式,因為夠經典傳統,很難做得好。這裡選用的米是Acquerello陳年米。意大利什麼都喜歡陳年:葡萄酒火腿,醋……連米,都是陳年的好。這個東南亞吃米的國度的傳統觀念是不同的——就算用陳米,也要和新米拌在一起煮,保證口感和口味都沒有缺失目前這種意大利陳年米在市面上多數是陳了7年以上,據說這樣口感會更有好,米味會更濃縮,這也是被譽為Tuscany區最好的用於烹調risotto的米。可廚師烹調技術未到家,過熟過爛的米粒中混雜著一些生米,衍生出些微脆的口感非常的不好而且極度怪異。至於煙燻Mozzarella的味道過於霸道,就算米飯煮好了,也許醬汁的味道都會蓋過而主角之一的蘑菇幾乎一點香味都欠奉。
[Mains] 主菜
The server recommended this and we were not disappointed. The robust tone of herbs created a rather intense well‐seasoned flavor both on the chicken skin and meat. Garlic, rosemary, tomato as regular ingredients, the hint of caper sauce was probably the highlight of the seasoning – Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Italian cuisine, unripened flower buds of Capparis spinosa, native to Mediterranean, small, green herb buds which gives a piquant sour and salty flavor to the sauce. The chicken leg served at the table had a pleasant herb aroma, while the flavorsome essence of chicken was profoundly elaborated by powerful mix of herbs and spices – the only thing that we would complain is the relatively dry white meat, nonetheless, we were all delighted that the server recommended this Free‐range chicken as the flavors were well put‐through by marinating it overnight before grilling.
這個是當日獲得一致好評的菜餚。雖然雞胸肉部分乾了一點,但勝在醃製的味道非常好,而且醃得很入味可能會有部份朋友覺得偏鹹了一點。除了烤蒜和迷迭香等基本香料以外,點睛之處應該在於續隨子醬又稱刺山柑、馬檳榔。一般是醃製來做醬就像醃橄欖一樣也可以用作涼茶。我們平常吃的煙三文魚中的酸味便是來自於續隨子據說是前一天晚上就開始醃製的,因此整個烤焗雞的香草味相當濃烈。
Woah! Sky‐high stacked burger! The staff reminded us that the burger patty might be slightly dry as Jamie’s Italian does not mix fatty meat in the patty, and a healthier choice of lean meat was presented. The burger construction looked nice but was hard to enjoy the whole delicacy in one bite, we had to break it into pieces. “This is what a burger bun should be!”, Gobay delightfully proclaimed. Carly seconded that, as the bun was extraordinarily chargrilled, slightly buttery with a lightness of fluffiness as it dissolves in your palate. Thin slices of schiacciata picante, mildly hot, spicy oil were dripped onto the meat patty which made this even more fingerlicking good. Chargrilled beef patty was not very juicy but the charcoal overtone was profoundly exhibited which impressed everyone at the table. Crispy fried onions were sweet purple type of onion rings, huge sliced pickles, and pickled tomatoes and veggie on the side, a mouthful of sour, salty, mildly heated complex of flavors made this a decent burger to munch on.
Served hot in a bag, assorted seafood and fish of the day – halibut was another highlight of the meal. Arrabbiata for it means “angry” in Italian as the pasta sauce is cooked into a jolly jolt of tomatoes, garlic, red chili peppers cooked in olive oil – goes well with any kind of meat when you can easily spice up the dish, get it well‐seasoned and garnished. Embellished by the sauce, the seafood was just average as we were not able to taste the freshness or marine flavor. We got sand stuck in our teeth after chewing on the mussel and clams. Nonetheless, it was nicely scrumptious for the sauce itself.
由於Gobay看到隔壁桌一位女士點了一整條的比目魚——fish of the day 賣相非常好,大家都對這裡的魚有著一點點的期許。總體而言,用錫紙包著魚肉和海鮮上桌的手法非常的老道,因為海鮮的製作是燜焗,而涼了會有腥味,故用錫紙是最好不過了。海鮮裡除了比目魚,還有蛤蜊青口(淡菜)和醍魚味道稍稍有點辣,還放了茴香和碎麥作香料。魚的質感很堅實,火候有點過了,貝殼類很讓我們傷心地——都有點沙。不過醬汁值得一提:Arrabbiata醬,是意大利常用的做意粉的乾辣椒醬,它在意大利語中表示“憤怒” 通常都是由番茄,紅辣椒和蒜頭等製成。它刺激了我們的味蕾,使得海鮮似乎也在嘴裡變得鮮活起來。
[Sides] 伴菜
Everyone was puzzled why this was one of the recommended dishes at Jamie’s Italian. Undoubtedly, it is not a usual type chips you can find anywhere in Hong Kong. Polenta, cornmeal boiled into porridge, originated from Northern Italy. The deep fried polenta chips were not oily and had a relatively creamy texture due to the gelatinization of starch in the grain. It would have been better if the seasoning of rosemary, salt and cheese was more stunning as the chips tasted bland overall and was not too appealing texture wise on the palate.
即使我們吃了一半都不明白這個為什麼會成為推薦菜式。簡單來說這個就是很原始味道的玉米麵粉芝士方塊。口感很粗糙,口味平淡,咬了之後能感覺到麵粉在舌頭上碎開一粒粒,雖然加了迷迭香和Parmesan芝士,但是基本沒能吃出來。國內陝北高原的玉米面窩窩頭都要比這個好吃得多。
Think Carly has tried a good number of restaurants to judge whether chips/fries at Jamie’s Italian has done potatoes justice. Nicely shredded Parmesan on top, scent of truffle oil, urged you to dig deep into this side dish without any further due. Dark brown russet potatoes in thick cuts, the rough potato skin was not peeled off so you get a more intense taste of starchy potatoes, not so crispy on the crust as it tasted rather like baked instead of deep fried. Some fries were mushy on the inside, Carly’s favorite part, dripping an extra hint of truffle oil could not go wrong. Not the best in town but definitely decent enough to go with the Burger Italiano that aimed high. Truffle mayo would still be the preferred choice of collaborating potatoes with truffle, nevertheless, Carly is not going complain any further.
對於薯條,吉碟幫也是每間西餐必食,只因Carly是薯仔狂熱派。這裡採用的是有濃郁薯仔味道的美國棕皮大薯切成粗壯的薯條上仍看得見些許棕色的皮,這正是美味的奧妙。好吃的炸薯條除了要用優質薯仔之外,它的皮也包含很豐富的營養的香味切的時候可以保留。某些薯條內部甚至呈現了糊狀粉嫩的口感,讓Carly驚喜不已。雖然松露油不是很出彩,但也中規中矩。當然能用松露蛋黃醬自然最好,不過就這樣也達到中上水平了。
[Dessert] 甜品
Dessert time! The Lemon Meringue pie exquisitely demonstrates a beautiful collaboration of fruity, tangy, appetizing pastry from Jamie’s Italian. Loved this and by far one of the best lemon pies Carly had in life, though the pie crust could have been crunchier, the flavor and texture of the lemon custard and meringue were unbeatable. Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy gives a nice decent natural sweetness that blends so well with the reviving lemony custard that ultra‐smooth without being too sweet. Meringue on top was baked till the edges turned slightly golden brown, air‐whipped, slightly bouncy; it has a heavenly marshmallow type of texture, quite an on‐the‐spot delicate piece of pastry indeed. Top that off with crunchy, caramelized pistachio, very nutty and crunchy, it makes an excellent piece of dessert and made Carly real happy.
這個蛋白檸檬派做得十分出色,儘管餅底的部分有點瑕疵,不夠結實鬆化,但檸檬餡口感實在中帶著軟和,恰到好處的酸爽度讓人精神為之一振,但又不會太酸。仔細看餐牌原來是加了Limoncello。意大利南部除了陽光與海灘,還出產最好的檸檬。當地人除了拿來製作沙冰香皂和果汁以外,還會製作成Limoncello這種甜烈酒。Gobay曾遊歷南意的檸檬小鎮Positano,那裡有許多賣特產的店鋪堆滿了金黃檸檬狀的肥皂,還有一瓶瓶如冰酒般細長的Limoncello 不需要喝,光看就覺得清新。它是加了糖汁,喝起來十分爽口和青檸味的Frozen Margarita有得一拼這個派頂部的蛋白糖霜都打得非常好,入口很細滑,烘烤出的點點棕色也非常養眼。推薦必食。
Highly acclaimed for their epic brownie, Carly understood why. Slightly Americanized version of dark chocolate brownie as you can tell, it was made from sweet cocoa based of chocolate chunks, extra white sugar was added. Slightly crunchy on the crust, warm served, heavenly moist with a hint of eggs added to create the fluffiness instead of chewiness for a fudgy brownie. Extra molten dark chocolate cream topped off the brownie which everyone liked very much for its creaminess. Salted caramel gelato, more milk‐based and relatively too much salt was added, nonetheless, Carly has a strong liking for sweet‐savor combos. Caramelized amaretti popcorn was heavily caramel glazed, still maintained the crispiness on the edges of the popcorn. Devilishly good and homey as it reminded Carly of the homebaked overly sugary brownies she used to have back in Canada.
這個也得到大家的一致讚賞,不愧為推介菜式。Carly憑藉著大長今般的舌頭,分辨出這個Brownie是用美國式的大塊朱古力製作的,原料是甜可可豆加白糖邊緣香脆可口,吃著暖暖的,中間非常濕潤但口感又保留著適當的嚼勁加上融化的黑朱古力漿,它的豐富口感達到了一個境界。再有鹹味的焦糖雪糕,簡直是鹹甜苦味於一口,也許這就是人生的味道吧。伴碟的焦糖爆谷也非常鬆脆可口。Carly盛讚此甜品,說Brownie的味道令人回憶起舊時在加國留學的點滴。
Espresso was a strong, bitter, yet aromatic dark roasted coffee bean essence, pouring that over onto the gelato, the vanilla gelato melted quickly as it was a rather heavily milk & cream base type of gelato instead of icy. Flavor‐wise was not bad as it did meet our expectations of an Affogato.
Spot‐on panna cotta! Fruit compote of the day was peeled oranges and thyme, did not add much character to the dessert, yet the panna cotta was extremely smooth, creamy, angelic mind‐blowing with a burst of vanilla scent dissolving on your palate. Irresistible for its milky texture and fresh use of vanilla bean seeds, it seems simple but not quite so when you try to make one at home, this requires one to master the skills of whipping milk, cream, sugar to its optimal state without overdoing it.
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