Tetsuya's

Pacific Oysters with Rice Vinegar and Ginger

S and I dined at Tetsuya's almost three months ago. My procrastination may by attributed to a number of things: I have been busy at work, the photos did not turn out well because of the low-lighting in the restaurant, but most of all, when I thought about writing a review of a thirteen course degustation meal, I just didn't know where to begin. 

Of course, it was fantastic. Even though we had very high expectations (that were met), there were still certain elements of the experience that were delightfully surprising. The problem with a thirteen course meal, however, is that no matter how amazing it is, you just can't remember and/or gush about every single element on all the various dishes. It's just too much. You remember you had a wonderfully decadent meal and enjoyed it immensely. But like being at a good rock concert, you are exhilarated throughout the event, and you recall particular favourite moments, but at the end of it, you can't really begin to describe every little detail about the experience. It's a sensory overload that leaves you happy and on a high, but foggy on the details (no, we were not drinking).

Special mention must go to the staff, who were all extremely professional, exceedingly charming, friendly (which is something that is sometimes traded-off in fancy restaurants), and very, very easy on the eyes. Absolutely unparalleled, superb service. I can't wait to return and would love to have the opportunity to host a dinner with a larger group of friends in of the private rooms one day. But there are so many other famous restaurants to visit too........and that's just Sydney!

S and I couldn't stop talking about moving to Sydney after the fantastic time that we had there - especially at Tetsuya's, Zilver and Jersey Boys. Of course that's barely scratching the surface and there's so much more of Sydney to experience, but I think we're already sold.

Now the food: I freely admit that I didn't know what quite a few of the ingredients were, and that was half the fun. Unless otherwise stated, everything was really good and almost everything was novel and interesting. Like I said, I remember how I felt about some dishes and the meal in its entirety, but not the specific details of each dish. I apologise for the poor quality of the photos. You'll notice that I have only uploaded photos of eleven of the thirteen dishes, because the photos of the first and last dishes were just not fit for publishing. My favourite dishes were the Chilled Cucumber Soup with Sheep Yogurt Ice Cream, which I failed to photograph properly unfortunately (the excitement of the first course might have had something to do with that), Tetsuya's signature ocean trout, the lamb and the sorbet of peone grapes. I didn't have the oysters, but S said that she had never had oysters like that - naturally sweet, meaty and very tasty. Her expression when she had the first bite was priceless.

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Sheep Yogurt Ice Cream: Deliciously cool and refreshing. I especially loved the faint sourish zest that the ice cream contributed to the sweetish soup.

Sashimi of Yellow Fin Tuna with Shishito and Garlic Chips

Marinated NZ Scampi with Curd and Jusai

The startling saltiness and the flavour of the scampi really excited my palate and paired nicely with the soft, bland curd. Very nice.

Tetsuya's Signature Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Apple and Celery

There's a reason why he's famous for this dish. Luscious trout topped with a lovely salty layer of seaweed, complemented with the arresting acidity and slight sweetness of green apples. Beautiful.

Steamed Mulloway with Black Bean and Ginger

I was least impressed with this dish. It was tasty and perfectly executed but was just very similar to the steamed fish that is served in normal Chinese restaurants back home. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but I was just expecting something a little more unusual.

Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber and Lotus Root

Pancetta Wrapped Quail Breast with Pine Mushrooms and Chestnut

De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Eggplant and White Miso

Gorgeous. Wonderfully tender, juicy, delicious lamb, paired with the most scrumptious eggplant/white miso thingy that I have ever tasted. Incredible.

Sorbet of Pione Grapes and Tarte Tartin

Loved the sorbet and the soaked grapes. Don't know what they were soaked in (I suspect there was alcohol involved) but the explosion of juice and flavours was deliciously intoxicating. The flavour of the sorbet was also quite unusual and incredibly refreshing.

Genoa Figs with Leatherwood Honey and Fig Leaf Ice Cream

Chocolate Pave with Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Cinnamon Twigs

I thought that this would be a favourite. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly like the cream cheese ice cream and expected the pave to be chilled (not knowing what a pave is or how it is supposed to be served) - probably because it reminded of mousse. Having said that, it was nice and chocolatey. For me, this would have been the dish to end with. The Chai Mochi that followed was also chocolatey and that tipped me over my chocolate limit for the night - I went from 'decadently-full' to 'oh no.... too... much.....'

The menu - Thursday 14 April 2011

Tetsuya's Restaurant
529 Kent Street
Sydney 
NSW 2000
Australia

Pier 24 - etc

It's no secret that I think that Pier 24 is the best, and my favourite, fine dining restaurant in Dunedin. As I often use just about any excuse to go there, my collection of pictures and thoughts about their various dishes is becoming somewhat scattered. Before it gets completely out of hand, here's a post about some random dishes from different visits, as far back as July/August 2010:

  

This was a amuse bouche made with thai green curry paste and spicy kumara (I think?). It had lovely depth, richness complexity. It's nine months later, and I can still remember the taste.

Vanilla and five spice panna cotta, red wine poached pear, raspberry ice-cream and tuille biscuit - This was absolutely stunning. The perfectly balanced flavours and textures with the slightly acidic, tender, grainy flesh of the wine soaked pear, the pleasantly sourish, smooth ice-cream and the sweet, silky, creamy, luscious, delicate, wobbly, clingy panna cotta, topped with the crunchy, sticky sugar glass shard.....it was so incredibly good, that (after 20 minutes) I can't even think of a suitable way to end this sentence.  

Salt and pepper crisp fried squid - This was my favourite reason to visit St Clair for a delicious afternoon snack and to just relax and enjoy the view. It initially caught my eye as a starter on the evening menu but there were always other irresistible starters that edged the squid out, like the pork belly. Eventually, I realised that they had it on the bar menu, and then I couldn't get enough of it. It doesn't get much better than enjoying hot, freshly fried, tasty, lightly battered and crispy squid, with cool ginger beer and and view of the ocean and the blue, blue New Zealand sky. There was also a hint of a spice in the squid (maybe fennel?) that gave it that extra punch. Delicious. 

Unfortunately, the last few times I visited, the salt and pepper squid was not on either menu and the other squid dishes that I've tried since (Crisp fried gremolata crumbed squid starter from the dinner menu and squid rings from the bar menu) have been good, but not as good as the salt and pepper squid. But I've just checked the menus on their site and it looks like it's back on the bar menu!!! 

Grilled farmed venison noisettes with Parma ham, potato & kumara rosti, avocado hummus, red wine and candied onion pan jus - This is their new venison item, which is good, but the sharp saltiness of the Parma ham is a bit jarring and doesn't seem to quite fit with the rest of the plate. As I have highlighted before, I particularly enjoyed how the sweetish accompaniments enhanced the flavour of the meat in the old venison dish (which was such a favourite that even though I always went with the intention to try something else, I would inevitably order the venison) and have been craving it for a while now. Alas.........perhaps I can hope for it to make a comeback like the salt and pepper squid.

The Palms $10 Lunch Menu

Critic Issue 21 - Food Column

Pumpkin Risotto

I have mixed feelings about The Palms Restaurant. Over the years, I’ve had several really good dishes but also several ‘so-so’ meals there. Still, The Palms has stayed on my ‘good’ list. So, when I heard about their $10 lunch menu, the prospect of having posh, cheap lunches was very appealing. My friends and I have lunched there twice and I have….mixed reviews.

Creme Brulee

Fish Cakes

At our first lunch, S had a delicious, elegant, beautifully balanced pumpkin risotto (it has a more elaborate description, but unfortunately, I neglected to record it) which she very generously shared with me because I was very disappointed with my order…and it was my birthday. You know you have a good friend if she’ll offer to swap half of her ‘something delicious’ for half of your ‘something bleh’. I, unluckily, ordered the ‘Fish and potato cakes infused with fennel, maryrose sauce and dressed greens’, which was altogether rather bland. We also indulged in an apricot (I think) crème brûlée with pistachio biscotti and a coconut and pineapple thing (the name escapes me, sorry!). The coconut and pineapple thing wasn’t bad but it was the crème brûlée that we had high hopes for because we once had a fantastic, luxuriously rich and smooth coffee crème brûlée here (for dinner). It (apricot crème brûlée) was pretty good, but not as luscious as that fabulous, coffee flavoured one.

Chicken Tortilla

Coconut and Pineapple Thing

Yesterday, on our second visit, I, thinking I couldn’t go wrong this time, ordered the ‘Rich tomato risotto, spicy chorizo and parmesan puff pastry twist’. I was wrong. I’ve had some amazing risotto in my time and this one was a little one dimensional in comparison. It was okay and wasn’t bland or anything like that but it didn’t have the depth of flavour that a risotto can have. S, two times lucky, had the ‘Chipotle braised chicken tortilla, cheese, capsicum, bean sprout salad and Greek yoghurt’, which was very, very good. The nicely sauced, succulent chicken pieces wrapped up in tortilla were not only incredibly tasty, but also beautifully presented. This time, I was not offered half of the ‘something delicious’!

Tomato Risotto

To be fair, I’m pretty sure I had higher expectations because it was The Palms, as opposed to any other normal restaurant in town with a $10 lunch menu. The portions were mid-sized, which is an understandable trade-off for the quality food and low price, and perfectly fine as an occasional treat. So you may be left wanting more if you only order a main, but that simply means you have room for some dessert after.

The Palms Restaurant

18 Queens Gardens

Dunedin

Pier 24, Again!

As I have previously confessed, after my first visit, I concocted a cunning, selfish plan to use S's birthday as an excuse for another indulgence at Pier 24. Even though I have made my birthday present to her sound purely selfish, I did in fact want her to share my latest, exciting dining discovery - so that we can enthuse and gush about the food together.

Starters

Roasted tomato & fennel puree soup, with monk fish and smoked prawns, mint & lemon mascarpone & parmesan crackers: S's comments - The soup had a smooth tomato flavour, with just a hint of fennel. Was pleasantly surprised at the flavour of fish and smoked prawns, which had good firm texture which made them nice to bite into.

Crisp, slow cooked pork belly pickled ginger & red cabbage slaw with toasted cashews, sweet tomato chilli jam: This was amazing! The pork was succulent, tender, juicy and bursting with flavour and the skin was crispy and savoury. I loved the way that the refreshing, acidic, sweetish-sourish pickled ginger and red cabbage slaw complemented the savoury unctuousness of the pork belly and just elevated the dish to another level. I have had cravings for this ever since! The only, not necessarily critical, thing that came to mind was that, though probably the best executed Western style pork belly that I've had, the skin was still a tiny bit sturdier than what would have made it perfect. I don't know how they do it, but the skin on good Chinese style roast pork back home is very light and crispy and is the highlight of the roast pork eating experience.

Mains

Braised Cadrona merino shank croquette, grilled double lamb cutlet, tomato braised fondant potato, caper & port jus: S's comments - Oh so yummy!!! Well cooked and so flavourful. The best (and most surprising) part of the dish was the lamb shank croquette, which I was aware of because I read it on the menu but totally forgot about until I cut into the croquette. The softest and juiciest lamb shanks I've ever tasted.

Roasted mahi-mahi fillet with crisp potato scales, sautéed green beans & asparagus with rocket aioli dressing: They didn't have mahi-mahi so it was actually kingfish and the potatoes were different too, but I can't recall what they were. This is what happens when you write about something you had two months ago. I really enjoyed this boldly flavoured fish. As soon as I tasted the savoury crusted fish, I felt that the flavours were very familiar but I didn't realise what it was until S pointed it out - it tasted like the southern Indian fried fish that we get back home when we have 'banana leaf rice'. When I order this again next time, I won't start with the pork belly because both dishes have intense flavours and are quite savoury. If I had started with something sweetish and more subtle like the 'prawns in wasabi mayonnaise', I would probably not have noticed the savouriness of the fish quite so much (I only 'noticed' the savouriness of the fish halfway through the dish).

[Edit 8th August 2010: The kingfish is now on the menu with the following description - Roasted King Fish fillet with masala spice dust, sautéed green beans & fennel crisp potato scales with horseradish & lemon cream sauce.]

Mixed leaf salad, parmesan & basil dressing: Loved the taste of the delicious, mellow basil dressing, interspersed with the occasional nutty, fuller flavour of the parmesan shards.

Desserts

Warm dark Belgian chocolate cake served with a tart plum puree, vanilla mascarpone: S's comments - MMmmmmmm :) The cake was so soft, moist, and chocolatey.

Bitter chocolate ganache tartlet, strawberries in burnt honey & raspberry syrup, vanilla bean ice cream: Oh. My. God. This was beyond divine. I don't know why I keep thinking of this but if a gold bar tasted like chocolate, this is what it should taste like. Luscious, silken smooth, soft but solid, decadently rich, seductively shiny and potently chocolate(y?) - this is one of those things that tastes so amazing your brain switches off, you go stupid for a while as you do nothing but savour it and groan with pleasure. A chocolate lover's kryptonite. I don't know what else I can say except, try it.

Verdict: The second visit surpassed the first so I am looking forward to a third visit. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long. I already have a few things in mind that I would like to order.

Pier 24
24 Esplanade
St Clair Beach
Dunedin

Pier 24

Sorry this is long overdue. We visited Pier 24 at the end of March and it's now June. I shall endeavour to write within a couple of weeks of visiting a place from now on, but there are still a few places from months ago (and some from last year) that I haven't written about. Bear with me.

I fortuitously first heard about Pier 24 a week before D's birthday. We were at a pot luck at M and H's (the same potluck for which D made the Triple Choc Brownie) and M, who always makes it a point to tell me about any interesting dining experiences, mentioned that they recently dined at Pier 24 as a large group and it was great. H even said that "the steak was like beef flavoured butter". That settled it.

Ideally located at St Clair Beach, the glass panelled exterior walls of Pier 24 allow patrons to enjoy a view of the esplanade and the water, no matter where they are seated. The interior décor is sleek, modern and polished, as was the service and the food. We ordered the following:

Starters

Mille feuille of prawn in wasabi lemon mayonnaise, with avocado, roasted cherry tomato dressing wonton crisps: Clean tasting, subtle and refreshing. I enjoyed the creamy, faintly wasabi flavoured mayonnaise and the crispy wonton skins but wasn't blown away. This brings to mind something that I've had back home and I think perhaps it would be interesting to serve this mayonnaise with whole, extremely lightly battered, fried prawns, for little extra texture and flavour.

Hummus & green olive tapenade, crostini: D ordered this because he had something before we went to dinner and he wasn't very hungry. He said it was all right.

Mains

Char grilled beef fillet, confit portobello mushroom, purée potatoes with truffle oil, caramelised onion glaze, parmesan & pepper crisp: This was D's main and he was very happy with it. I deciphered this from his nodding and his "wow, that's pretty good," as he savoured the meal, and believe me, that's about the most that I ever get out of him when it comes to commenting about food. I had a bite of the beef and concurred that it was indeed very good.

Grilled venison medallions, roasted garlic butterbean mash, maple roasted pears, pickled ginger and sherry vinegar glaze: This was fantastic. The lovely, melt-in-your-mouth tender venison was perfect, as were the accompaniments. I loved, loved, loved the way the mellow sweetness of the roasted pears and pickled ginger melded with the natural savouriness of the venison and the smooth, subtle mash rounded off the glorious symphony of flavours that was going on in my mouth. There is nothing else to do except make uncouth guttural noises and go "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"!!!

Steamed spring greens, soy & sesame dressing and Roasted seasonal vegetables, honey mustard vinaigrette: Both were well done but I particularly liked the steamed spring greens with the soy and sesame dressing. The green beans were just barely steamed and so were still crunchy and had a raw freshness to them. I really enjoyed the soy and sesame dressing, which was light and faintly savoury, sourish and sweet, all at the same time. That, together with the nutty, smokiness of the sesames, turned plain ol' broccoli and green beans into something quite special.

Desserts

Chocolate fondant, orange poached pear, dark rum & berry coulis, vanilla bean ice cream: D is a chocolate fiend and will usually order the chocolate dessert, no matter how good other desserts sound. This was his. I thought it was good, but he is not a fan of desserts that are served warm.

Ginger & lemon tart, fresh strawberries with limoncello syrup: I am a fan of all things citrus. Although I was expecting a 'tart' to be more dense, not have quite so much height and not be at all creamy, I still liked it. The filling was subtly citrus-y sweet, smooth, creamy and cheesecake-like. If I had no expectations at all of what I had ordered, I would probably have been a little more enthusiastic about it.

Verdict: I was happy enough with the experience to use S's birthday (which was only two weeks after D's) as an excuse to return. My self-serving birthday present to her was a dinner at Pier 24, and it paid off. The meal we had on D's birthday was very good, but the meal we had on S's birthday was amazing. To be continued...

Pier 24

24 Esplanade

St Clair Beach

Dunedin

Table Seven

NB: Sorry, I couldn't take good photos because of the low lighting.

Critic Issue 11 - Num Nums

Barbecued Prawns and Scallops

Table Seven is probably one of the closest posh restaurants to campus. Located above the SBS building on George St, the large windows that surround the restaurant afford a nice elevated view of all the activity on the main street below, without actually having to be a part of it. With three distinct sections – the dining, the bar/sofas and the ‘entertainment’ areas – the overall ambiance is modern, sleek, chic and very appealing. The one thing that I really appreciated (and is a rare find these days) is that the tables were very well spaced so diners had their own private space and were not bumping elbows with the next table or having to squeeze between tables to get by. I also noticed that all the diners received personal attention from the manager Steven, who not only made food and wine recommendations, but also explained the background of particular dishes. It is finer details like these that make Table Seven the sort of place that I would think of going to after work for coffee and drinks and to relax and unwind with friends.

Veal Shanks

We started with the ‘Barbecued Prawns and Scallops’ which were marinated in garlic and lime oil accompanied with a roasted red pepper arancini, which is IMO quite an interesting and unusual combination. According the Steven, they tried to remove this from the menu once and were met with vehement protests from their customers. The prawns were tasty and springy, the scallops were smooth and soft (i.e. not overcooked, which is common when ordering scallops) and the arancini, which is basically an Italian style fried rice ball, had a nice crispy coating and lovely, rich flavoured rice within.

Chicken Breast

We then moved on to our mains - my friend was delighted with her ‘Veal Shanks’ which were beautifully tender, had great natural flavour and were complemented well with the very tasty horseradish mashed potatoes and smoked olive cassoulet. I too enjoyed my succulent ‘Chicken Breast’ stuffed with lovely, yummy, buttery asparagus and Parma ham. The only disappointing item of the whole evening was the risotto that was served with my ‘Chicken Breast’, which was stiff and cake-ish.

Panna Cotta

Even though at that point we were already full, we decided to try some of their desserts and luckily we did, because my dessert was the highlight of my meal. The vanilla and lemon ‘Panna Cotta’ with almond tuilles and poached fruit was luscious, creamy, subtle, smooth and the perfect exclamation point with which to end my meal. I must admit that as I observed my beautifully wobbly ‘Panna Cotta’, all I kept hearing in my head were the words of Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner: “Panna Cotta, when set right, wobbles like a woman’s breast”, so I kept prodding the poor thing just to amuse myself. My friend’s hazelnut and white chocolate ‘Gianduja Semifreddo’ was equally delicious – sweet, smooth and creamy – served with gorgeous hazelnut glass biscuits.

Gianduja Semifreddo

Our entire meal, plus a nice glass of wine, came up to only slightly over $100, which is reasonable (and cheaper than some places) considering the impeccable service, pleasant ambience, good food and larger portions that they serve compared to other posh restaurants. We were both completely stuffed and satisfied and I will definitely be returning for more Panna Cotta (and then some).

Table Seven

Upstairs, Corner of George & Hanover Sts

Dunedin

TC

We went to TC for dinner on Saturday. I forgot to bring the camera, so there are no pictures, but that is no great loss as I was extremely disappointed with the food. The service wasn't that flash either.

For the entree, I had the risotto with the salt and pepper baked (or fried?) quail. The quail was overcooked and tasteless - except for the skin, which tasted only of salt. The risotto wasn't terrible but was flat and boring. The combination of the quail and the risotto was just poorly conceived as the two didn't go together IMO. I've had good risotto, so I know what I'm talking about. A good risotto can have wonderfully complex, complementary flavours that make you go, "OOO" when you have that first taste - this one was just a big blah.

D had the rabbit (can't remember what else it came with). I didn't try it but D said it wasn't great. I would have guessed that just by looking at it because it was crumbed and deep fried and looked like two sticks of fish fingers. Not something you'd expect in a restaurant charging fine dining prices.

For the mains, we both had the rib eye, medium-rare. I had the same thing about 2 months ago and thought I'd give it another shot. It was worse this time. I have never in my life had such a bad cut of meat in a fancy restaurant...TWICE! This is the punishment I get for giving it another chance. The steaks I usually get at fancy restaurants are tender, juicy and 'melt-in-your-mouth' delicious. This place has taken to serving the kind of grisly, fatty meat (not in the marbled Kobe beef kind of way - more like in the 'chunks of fat you have to spit out' kind of way) I had previously thought I would only find at road-side food shacks back home or cheaper "$10 steaks" establishments. The only thing half decent about this meal was the hand cut fries, which were chunky and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I was so annoyed that I didn't want to stay for dessert (the dessert menu did not offer anything interesting IMO anyway) and I will never dine there again. That dismal meal set us back $98, which is expensive for two courses and no drinks, at a "bistro". Having said that, the price wouldn't have mattered if the food was good. Bad food at high prices however, is a double whammy and is inexcusable.

The Palms

For my birthday dinner last week, we went to The Palms. We ended up having the whole restaurant to ourselves, which was really nice, (it was a Tuesday night, but D likes to tell everyone that he booked out the whole restaurant) and which explains how the waitress knew D by name (his was the only reservation) when we walked in.

The food was really good. I would rank The Palms in the top three of the restaurants that I've visited in Dunedin, the other two being Bell Pepper Blues & Two Chefs (This establishment closed when the proprietors decided to take a hiatus and travel Europe. They promised to re-open in a different location in Dunedin the following year. This was two years ago, and I have yet to hear anything of their re-opening anywhere. Good thing we still have The Palms and Bell Pepper Blues).

Here's (pictured below) what we had. Everything was really good, but for me, the STAR was the lemon tart that I had for dessert. You should have seen me. Anyone who knows me knows how I get when I'm having really good food. There's a lot of "MMMMmmm"-ing and lip-smacking and "aaaaaahh"-ing and eye closing. Haha...I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's what good food does for me!

Before we had our starters, the chef sent over some complimentary kumara and leek soup in shot glasses. It was alright, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. So I won't put up a picture of that.

D's entree: Four Mushroom Risotto - Risotto of Arborio rice with a quartet of mushroom garnished with fresh parmesan and avocado oil

[Comment: Had a small bite of this. Good, but personally preferred the duck risotto at Yellow Train. Maybe it's because I don't like too much mushroom or cheese.]

My entree: House Smoked Salmon - Chef’s smoked salmon rested on semi dried tomato and cous cous salad with balsamic reduction and toasted pine nuts

[Comment: This was SO, SO good. I don't usually like smoked salmon but I loved this one because it was so well done. The salmon was delicious, chunky, had a lovely smooth, smokey flavour, was not at all fishy and went beautifully with the balsamic reduction. I also happen to love pinenuts in salads. Not a big fan of cous cous, but that's just a personal taste. I quite enjoyed the cous cous salad here, until about halfway through, then I got a little bored of it. I would have had more of the balsamic reduction sauce all over the salmon and the cous cous if I it had my way.]

D's main: Angus Pure Beef Fillet - Angus pure beef fillet, thyme and smoked cheddar potato whip, caramelised onion, walnut and bacon butter, sticky jus

[Comment: Good steak! Almost ordered this because the "smoked cheddar potato whip" sounded yummy.]

My main: Venison Tenderloin - Totara Hills venison, light aromatic spice rub, crisp polenta, garlic and onion ragout, roast beetroot roullie

[Comment: Good meat, and although the beetroot roullie complemented it well, the sight of bright pink creamy stuff on the meat was a little off-putting. I discovered here that I don't like crisp polenta. Too spongy for my taste.]

D's dessert: Indulge in Chocolate - Decadent chocolate and pecan brownie with hot fudge sauce and smooth white mousse

[Comment: Totally DELICIOUS!!! I much preferred this to the heavy, heavy chocolate tarts that are usually served at these places for their 'chocolate indulgence'. With those, I usually get sick of it half way through, but this one, was nice and chocolatey without being too heavy. We thought the white thing on the top was ice-cream, and thought it was rather peculiar that ice-cream had such a spongy texture, but now I see (the description off the menu again) that it wasn't ice-cream. Still, I've never had spongy mousse (till then!).]

My dessert: Lemon Tart - Lemon tart with fejoa vodka sorbet and berry coulis

[Comment: This was ABSOLUTELY, mouth-wateringly DELICIOUS! Superb. The lemon tart had a nice firm, but soft custardy texture with a lovely, perfect lemony flavour. I say this because, while I am a citrus-freak, I often find that when it comes to citrus desserts (especially sorbets), people tend to go overboard with the intensity of the flavour and it just ruins the whole thing. The berry coulis and the fejoa vodka sorbet (OH, the sorbet!!! *swoon*) complemented the tart so well, I can't find any suitable adjective to describe it. Haha! I think I can safely say that the sorbet was the best that I've ever had. I'm drooling just trying to remember what it tasted like. It was light and tasty and not at all over-powering (as has been my experience with sorbets). I loved it. Like I said, the Lemon Tart was the star of the night.]

Got the descriptions off the menu online. You can check out their website here.

Plato

We went to Plato yesterday for dinner. I would say that it's my second favourite place here, out of all the restaurants that we've tried. The food was good, although I would still rank Two Chefs (which incidentally has closed - They took a hiatus and went to Europe for a holiday during the later part of last year. They're supposed to come back and re-open somewhere else but we haven't seen any sign of them yet.) above Plato (by quite a bit too). Their ambience is quite pleasant, except for the odd entrance to the restaurant. They had closed up the main entrance to make room for more tables, so they made their side door the entrance to their restaurant. I thought that that was really stupid because that meant that, to come in, wait to pay or leave the restaurant, everyone had to squeeze in to that narrow space (about two feet wide) between the payment counter and the kitchen and clog up an area that should be left clear for staff to move through easily and quickly as they work, not to mention the unpleasantness for the customers of having to manoeuver or squeeze to make way for other customers who are coming in/going out or staff that want to get by.

I had the rib eye fillet with mashed potatoes and...something on the top (pictured above). I couldn't really tell what it was, and I hadn't read the description on the menu thoroughly, but it tasted very much like the Lisa's Chunky Dips - Roasted Capsicum, Ricotta, & Pinenuts (or something like that, I can't remember the exact name). I also had a margarita. It was no where near as good as the ones you can get at Lone Star.

Sab had the eye fillet with duck pate and mashed potatoes (pictured above). I tried a bit of the pate. Neither of us really fancied it. Philistines. Haha...

Scott had the venison (pictured above). It came quite rare. I forget, but I think he liked it.

Justine had the lamb (pictured above). I forgot to ask her if it was good.

And the ornamental, salt and pepper shaker pigs on the shelf in front of the payment counter had each other!