影片
更多
2014-09-14
6227 瀏覽
I seldom blog on the same restaurant for more than once these few years, but then I could not resist from reviewing Upper Modern Bistro again. I, a loyal fan of Pierre Gagnaire, came here the first time last November for Chef Orrico; the second time for a personal reason; and this time, I was thrilled to come again, for Jeremy Evrard, one of the most renowned Asia's fromagiers.We tried to keep dinner light to save room for the cheese platter, thus we only ordered a hot bite, an appetizer and a m
We tried to keep dinner light to save room for the cheese platter, thus we only ordered a hot bite, an appetizer and a main to share. Bread basket was offered when we were deciding on our courses, warm and fragrant that I gobbled down 2 pieces.
The first to arrive was Brittany Oyster. Served on its half shell, it looked smaller than the more common ones and my boyfriend had it. I guess its flavor was rather balanced.
The next small bite was Foie Gras Creme Brulee, poppy seed. My boyfriend adored this. The sugar surface was lightly seared to offer a caramelized crunchiness to the creme brulee. The creme brulee was super creamy and the foie gras taste was still very distinctive. It went perfect with the small toasts.
We ordered another appetizer of Beef & Tuna Tartare, aromatic tomatoes. I quite like this dish, since tomatoes had always been my favorite. The tomato foam on top of the tartare had a hint of sweetness and light sourness, and was great to balance out the strong flavor of foie gras.
We only had one main to share - Atlantic Cod Teriyaki, garlic mashed potato, nori & cress. Awesome awesome awesome. Such silky smooth and flaky texture that my knife slid without so effort across the meat. The teriyaki sauce complemented the sweet flavor of the fish very well. I could not resist again having more carb intake from the mashed potato, which was devilish yet fragrant.
Leaving our stomach half empty, we were ready for our highlight of the night - Upper Cheese, selected by Jeremy. We asked if Jeremy was there to give us some recommendations. I was ecstatic to check out all the lovely cheese he had, but first I picked some of my favorites and left the rest for him to decide. I saw him walking back to his 'cheese cellar' and started digging out the treasures. I let out silent 'awwwww's when I saw him picking them out one by one and cut them open. We came on Thursday since the shipment of cheeses came in on this day every week.
Originally I thought the cheese platter would only consist of around 5, at most 6 kinds, but was startled that it was a selection of 9, with another plate of sourdough! I am definitely a cheese lover yet no cheese expert, but I'd try to include what Jeremy had explained to us and add in my own thoughts.
Our cheese indulgence began with Brillat Savarin. It was a triple cream cheese of cow milk from Bergundy, very fresh, velvety and creamy! my boy reckoned its texture resembled that of ice-cream!
Then we moved to the second cheese - Anneau du Vic Bilh. It was made from goat milk. I liked it for its souffle texture - creamy and flowy yet refined, even though the goat milk aroma was quite distintive. It was quite balanced on its salt and acidity.
The third one looked very flowy, which was one of the reasons why Jeremy adored it. It was also of goat milk, from Perigord. Loved the flavor of pure milk, while it was inclined to the salty spectrum. One of my favorites out of the 9!
Jeremy had repeated a few times of this cheese before we decided to give it a try, and it was Perail. This was made from Sheep Milk, and yes, it was of very powerful 'farm' and 'animal' flavor. A little too strong for my liking, but I reckoned it did not harm to learn more about cheese.
This was also one of my favorites for the night - Coup de Corne. It was of cow milk, and prepared at monasteries. It was soft and melting with a grassy flavor.
and OMG! Comté 4 years! The last time I had Comté of this quality was at Steirereck, which I totally missed dearly. It stole my heart right away. It was also of cow milk, and since it was aged for this long maturing period, it came out unbelievably aromatic and nutty. You could see crystallines on the pale yellow surface. The buttery and rich flavors lingered in your mouth for a prolonged period of time. One bite of it and you were brought to heaven.
I only had a piece of Comté before I moved onto the next (I always saved the best and savored them at the end of the meal =D). Jeremy introduced to us Coulommiers. It was Brie's brother, possessing characteristics of Brie but was thicker. I liked it as I had always liked Brie.
Epoisses was of my choice. It had been on my favorite list since I took my introductory cheese class last year. Cow milk again, even though it might be a bit pungent, I liked its creamy and chewy texture, with a salty and sweet flavor at the same time.
To end the platter with blue cheese, I chose Roquefort, and Jeremy offered us Roquefort le vieux Berger. It was made from sheep milk, and ripened in caves. I understand that not everyone loves blue cheese, and originally I was not a fan of Roquefort as well, but I gradually developed my appreciation. It was quite salty, yet remarkably stimulating.
I came across this quote from Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin and could not agree more - "A meal without some cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.” Dinner tonight had been very enjoyable, with wonderful cooking from Chef Orrico's team, and Jeremy's friendliness and knowledge in cheese. Food is no math, you could not simply memorize all the portions and ingredients and expect to produce a nice meal. You have add in your own feelings and savor and understand it with 'les sentiments'. I would come back for more food and more cheese!
張貼
