Happy 31

It was Peter's BIG 31 last Monday. I wanted to give him a special birthday by treating him a 3 course lunch at a proper restaurant since I have an off day from work. After alot of online research, I have chosen DISH of the Delicious group as there are many good reviews about their food. They are famous for its steaks, wines and cheeses, but also the relaxing and surreal ambiance of the restaurant. I would like to think that the factors determining a first class dining experience is not just good food, but also good environment. Oh, not forgetting good companion as well.  

Well, it turns out quite ok, the food didn't really blown us away, but it was quite a nice experience overall. This was the first time I had a 3 course western meal by a proper chef. In fact its not just some other chef,  its Consultant Chef Steve Allen. There’s been a buzz about DISH ever since chef Steve Allen took over and rolled out a new menu. The British chef is used to be head chef with famous Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in London.

Check out Gordon and his team (see 4, Steve Allen)

Previously I wasn't a big fan of Gordon Ramsay because I think his personality and foul words and bigger than his cooking, but after watching his latest show Ultimate Cookery Course on Channel 4, it sort of changed my perspective, in fact I like most of his recipe as it has a well balance ingredients with added Asian twist. Anyway, go watch the show if you like to cook at home, highly recommended.

Gordon Ramsay's ultimate cookery course

Anyway, back to the food. Here comes the menu. 

We started with some of the complements from the restaurant, which consisting of fried aubergine with dipping sauce, watermelon with feta cheese, and crispy Ciabbata bread with herb-ish butter, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I enjoyed the fried aubergine tremendously, great texture, great flavors.  

Next is our starters. Avocado tempura, crab mayonnaise and apple dressing for Peter. Cured Halibut Carpaccio, pickled  cucumber and mascarpone for me. The Crispy avocado tempura was our favourite, no wonder the Chinese called them the "butter fruit" because its has the richness of butter and the freshness taste of a fruit. Halibut has a very creamy texture but I would still preferred beef / pork carpaccio over fish. 

Here comes our main, braised wagyu beef cheek, horseradish mashed potatoes, fricasee of mushroom for Peter, and sauteed fillet of salmon, truffle gnocchi and red wine fish sauce for me. Wagyu beef cheek was so tender and it nearly melted in the mouth, mashed potatoes was very creamy but we didn't get the hint of the horseradish. My salmon was alright, nothing special but the portion was seriously over generous.

Last but not least, our desert cheeseplatter and the passion fruit creme brule with a cup of coffee/tea. Unfortunately the dessert was a huge let down. The cheese platter comes with 4 type of cheese along with some other small bites like apple, raisins, walnut, crackers. According to the waiter the cheese are consisting of bree, cheddar, goat and cabot (or something sound like that) cheese. For some reason, the cheese doesn't goes well with our Asian pallet at all. I mean I've tried cheddar and goat cheese before, but it wasn't as bad as what the DISH served. There is this cheese in the platter which has a very pungent and stagnant smell which makes me felt like throwing up. To make it worse, it started to attract bugs! And I cant help but feel sorry for Peter for having such a bad ending to a great meal for his birthday. 

My creme brule have the perfect crisp outside, softy inside texture but it was a slight too sweet. The passion fruit taste was very evident in the creme brule but it was out-shined by the bitter chocolate ice cream. 

All in all, i think it was an good meal (taking the cheese platter aside). We enjoyed the atmosphere there and the overall dining experience.   

Last but not least, another pictures of the man himself, happy 31! Hope we have a great year ahead.