Aqua (已搬遷) 新店位置

Item: Aqua
Rating: 4
Author: poly.rahman

3.5

530 食評

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衛生

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59292

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$401-800

日本菜意大利菜海鮮壽司/刺身 Fine Dining

262

poly.rahman

等級1

Generally when dining out I rarely choose (a) salad(s) as a main meal as there can be a tendency for salads to be boring (i.e. bunch of leaves, veggies and some form of tasteless protein usually in the form of chicken or fish/seafood). I was therefore intrigued and even sceptical of Aqua’s salad tasting menu (of which there were 4) – would it leave me feeling hungry (after all it’s just salads)? Will there be flavour enough to satisfy my taste buds?Before answering the first question, I will con

). So, back to answering the question – I was so full after the second salad, that technically I did not need to eat any more. But, those of us who enjoy good food do not base our eating habits on technicality.

Salad 1: Orbetello sea bass carpaccio salad served with avocado, crunchy vegetables, toasted hazelnuts and lemon foam

My initial thought when presented with this salad was that it was “oh so beautiful” – I mean it was a work of art on a plate and the best thing was that you can eat it.

It is a very delicate salad where only the freshest ingredients will do – and in that respect it did not disappoint.

Flavour wise, I first thought that it was a little bland as I personally prefer a salad that packs a flavour punch. However, once I had devoured all four salads (except the last 2 mouthfuls– I was that full!) I began to appreciate the “naked” flavour and quality of the ingredient. It is certainly a salad where the ingredients speak for themselves – this is the perfect salad for those who have a palate for delicate food. The sea bass carpaccio was so delicate and beautiful it would have been a sin to mask that flavour with a strong dressing – the lemon foam was indeed the perfect (and only) accompaniment needed as far as dressing goes.

It made perfect sense for the most delicate salad to be served first. I paired it with a white crisp wine recommended by the sommelier – wish I could remember what it was as it was paired perfectly.

Salad 2: Aqua’s Parma ham and arugula salad served with Burrata cheese, artichoke and aged balsamic caviar:

This salad was an absolute contrast to the sea bass carpaccio salad – there was a flavour party dancing all over my taste buds! The combination of creamy burrata, salty parma ham, tartness from the balsamic caviar and the peppery taste of the arugula was an amazing combination. This is definitely my kind of salad – big flavours (but complementary). Again, the flavour of the salad came from the ingredients themselves.

Out of the four, if I had to pick my favourite salad, this would be the one. While I love parma ham I often don’t order it in restaurants and instead prefer to buy it from the supermarket only after tasting it. I don’t know if it is just me but I find that there is often a smell found in parma ham that really puts me off, really hard to describe it but those of you who know what I am talking about when I say “(drinking) glass smell” might have an indication – it’s not the same smell but that’s the best analogy I can offer.

This parma ham smelt and tasted awesome – superb quality. As you can tell by my lengthy description of parma ham smell – when it comes to food I seem to be blessed/cursed with an acute sense of smell.

One additional point that I must mention is the edible Aqua logo around the salad which was made with ground (dried) black olives which added a delightful contrasting crunchy texture.
It was a good looking robust salad – and I really enjoyed it.

Salad 3: Farro and Bronte pistachio lobster salad, served with sweetly glazed sweetbreads and homemade bell pepper jam

Decadent, unorthodox is how I would describe this salad. I would even go as far as to say that can be considered a main meal, both lobster and sweetbread portion was generous.
The balance of flavour in this salad leaned more towards the sweet side of the palate so, if you have a sweet tooth this salad is absolutely ideal. I personally found it a little too sweet as I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth (I say that but I did eat most of the dessert – but more about that later on).

The lobster and faro combination was fantastic – it was the sweet bread which I found it to be tipping the balance for me personally (I suppose it could also be because I am not very fond of the taste of sweet bread).

As far as presentation goes this salad was aesthetically spot on.

Salad 4: Crab and quinoa salad, served on a bed of fresh cucumber and caviar relish

I liked the simplicity and the freshness of this salad. I thoroughly enjoyed the slightly lemony flavour dressing which worked well with the delicate flavour of the crab and the occasional saltiness from the caviar/fish roe.

By the time I arrived to tasting the fourth salad I was very full but did eat it all except last 2 mouthfuls – there simply was no room. I think because I was so full I felt a tad indifferent and so I am going to say something I don’t generally say – the portions could have been a wee bit smaller (especially if you want to save some room for dessert).

Desserts

Before I go on to desserts I have to mention the best palate cleanser I think I have ever had. It was in drink form - I am sure exactly what it is called but it had prosecco, vodka and lemon sorbet. The taste – lemony bubbles, and it cleansed the palate beautifully.

I have had desserts at Aqua before and I love it – what I love about it is that it is light and not sickly sweet (I am not a big fan of excessive sweet food – and this includes desserts).
On to the dessert platter:

Lemon sorbet - served in a lemon, had right balance of tang and sweet which is what I particularly look for in a sorbet.

Vanilla ice cream – by the taste of the ice cream you can tell it was most definitely made using good quality vanilla beans, very aromatic.

Molten lava chocolate cake – I must confess that I am not a huge fan of this cake at Aqua. To me it smells very eggy – I know cakes contain eggs but as I said earlier there are some smells that I am not particularly fond of (and I do eat eggs) – the smell of this cake is very close to the “(drinking) glass smell”. I would prefer a chocolate cake to smell more chocolatey than eggy. The eggy smell was very overwhelming for me to taste the cake.

Tiramisu – I am a self-confessed tiramisu snob. I feel I have earned the right to be so as I have practised and perfected an old colleague’s grandmother’s family (Italian) tiramisu recipe over the last 8 years. I therefore never order tiramisu in restaurants because on the occasions that I have, I have been disappointed – and it is always because my expectations are super high.

At Aqua I ate all of my tiramisu – I therefore cannot deny that I didn’t like it. This was a twist on the classic – a lighter version of it if you like. Just as well – as there was just no more room!