It's the time of the year again for my wallet to suffer a heavy blow -- Blamer's birthday!
My choice of dinner venue. Have you guys guess it yet?
Yup yup, this is the place. Spotted a great offer for their five course set dinner on the internet and decided to give it a shot, since Blamer had already tried Morton's before (w/o me).
Dun be mistaken, I didn't booked the whole restaurant for a private moment together. Seemed like we were a tad too early even at 7.30pm.
The standard serving of bread to munch on while waiting for our food. I like the onion rolls the best (round ones in the foreground)
Here comes our appetizer, I believe this was salmon confit, anyway it's cold Japanese pasta, seaweed and the black stuff on top was supposed to be caviar. I find the pasta a little bland, salmon ok, caviar ok.
Next up was the Hokkaido scallops served with apple puree and black truffle vinaigrette. I think the Chef was trying to preserve the bona fide taste of the scallop but to me they weren't as fantastic or tasty as the ones I had at Zambuca.
Next came the Foamy Jerusalem artichoke with braised duck and croutons. Initially, I thought it was just a creamy soup with a fancy name, a check with wiki produces : "Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also called the sunroot or sunchoke or earth apple or topinambur, is a species of sunflower native to the eastern United States, from Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas Jerusalem artichokes have 650 mg. potassium per 1 cup (150g) serving. They are also high in iron, and contain 10-12% of the US RDA of fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper."
Well at least now I know I drank something healthy.
Blamer's main -- Slow-cooked squab breast with duck "foie gras" raspberry and walnut vinaigrette. She was immediately sold when the words "foie gras" flashed in front of her. Although I told her we should try their steak which was what they are really famous for. In the end the foie gras didn't live up to her expectations since it came from a duck and in-between inverted commas. I think it lacked the punch and the richer flavour of a goose liver. Also I find the duck a little under-cooked with bits of red still visible near the bone.
I had it medium rare, in order to preserve the juice and texture of the meat. Gordon lived up to their name. The beef fillet was nicely done. Although not as prime a cut as tenderloins, it yields easily to the bite. Moist and tender on the inside, slightly charred on the outside, heavenly... ...
The braised Wagyu cheek? You can easily pry it apart with just your fork, literally disintegrates in your mouth with a flick of your tongue. Wonderful! Got my money's worth from this dish alone.
Special mention to this cute little vegetable which I reckon is a baby onion? Nice touch to leave the bit of green on the top.
Next up is every girl's favourite -- Desserts! I had the soft-baked Grand Cru chocolate mousse with coconut ice cream. Not a screamer, tasted just like any chocolate mousse you can find at any decent restaurant.
On the other hand, Blamer's Marinated forest berries, sherry vinegar and orange scented ice cream was the complete contrast to my insipid, run of the mill dessert. The blend of vinegar and berries brought a refreshing sensation to the palate. The feathery sweetness of the orange ice cream tops it up leaving you feeling satisfied. I tried hard to swap dessert with Blamer but my oh my, she was actually willing to relinquish her chocolate craving.
The helpful waiter kindly took a pic for us. Service was impeccable and very attentive. The choice of wine recommended by him greatly complements the steak. Kudos to that. If you are like me, not a wine expert, it pays to ask for their recommendation.
Blamer wanted me to take a pic of the sugar stick they use instead of the normal sachet or sugar cubes since it was the first time she has seen them.
Time for prezzies! As of tradition, a handmade card from Blamer with a msg, for my eyes only.
My Christmas prezzie for her, since it's coming up anyway, thought of giving her early.
And her anniversary prezzie, a personalized 2010 calendar to put on her desk. See, it features her 2010 new hairstyle on the cover.
Such a coincidence that I had a pic of wall-e and eva in my calendar too. Telepathy???ps: In case you guys are wondering, I have given her, her birthday present way in advance. So this year she got three prezzies instead of the usual one. 哇！赚到！
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