marvin lowe photography

Jazzfoodie: I was so excited when Marv revealed he was bringing me to Kaisan for my birthday dinner treat, and we had the omakase. When Marv called to make reservations for counter seats, Chef Thomas was curious, explaining that only his regular customers would request for those seats. We told him we’ve only been there once previously for lunch, and this time, would like to ‘watch him in action’. We had an enjoyable and ‘educational’ meal, put utterly at ease with Chef Thomas’s chatter and elaboration of the dishes and the origin of the produce (fresh Japanese imports).

Steamed Sweet Corn

J: This dish thoroughly surprised me as I’m not a big corn fan. We wondered about the flavour as we were told a single cob costs $12.00! This was the sweetest corn I’ve ever tasted and it was totally unmarinated and unsalted.

V: On the other hand, I am a really BIG corn fan!! I even like the music they make. That’s how much the humble corn has influenced me.=p Well, this corn apparently comes from hokkaido, if I remember correctly. I have to say that this is the one of the best corn that I have eaten. It has a sweetness which rivals the purest honey.

Sliced Momotaro Tomato

J: The freshness was delightful, with a hint of sweetness and no sourish tartness that sometimes ‘bites the tongue’.

V: Momotaro means Peach in Japanese i think. This freshly sliced tomato dish sure had some peachy qualities. It was refreshingly juicy and there was a sweetness to it. It sure did help to whet our appetites for the dishes to come

J: I think “peach” is “momo” in Japanese!

Sashimi Moriwase

J: The delectable slices were huge; the toro meltingly tender and the scallops sweet.

V: The sashimi platter consisted a selection of white fishes like Sea Bream, Snapper, scallops and Toro being the only red fish on the plate. The white fishes had a mild sweetness while the scallops were both juicy and sweet as well. On the other hand, the toro had a wonderful melt-in-your mouth oily texture.

Stir-fried Beef with Shitake Mushrooms

J: While competently executed, the tender cubes of beef were not exceptionally in the typical marinade of (probably) soy sauce, mirin and brown sugar or honey, while the accompanying shitake was plump and ‘juicy’ enough.

V: Although this dish wasn’t exactly a knockout, it was still rather tasty. Although done in a simple manner, it is still able to highlight the juices of the beef and the mushrooms.

Steamed Bamboo Clams with Mentaiko Mayonaise Dressing

J: This was our first time eating this and we savoured every morsel lovingly. The clam steamed to perfection was laced with the rich creamy taste of mentaiko mayo and together with some chopped spring onions adding a subtle zing, produced a simple but amazing dish.

V: After reading about it in so many other blogs, the Bamboo Clams was something that i really wanted to try. We were in luck on the day we went and there was fresh Bamboo Clams available. I loved how the mentaiko mayo complimented the clams. It defintely lived up to the hype and expectations.

Grilled Hamachi

J: I love the occasional grilled fish cheek, simple with minimal marination and some grated daikon on the side. Here, the fish was not over-cooked, yielding flaky mouthfuls of tender meat.

V: This was a simple dish and at first glance, I did not think much about it. I thought it would be like the usual Grilled Saba we usually get at medicore places. However, this was no mackeral but Yellow Tail. It was done in a simple manner which brought out the best in the fish.

Uni Sushi

J: I like how the uni did not have the overpowering metallic taste, and instead had a slight tasty creaminess to it.

V: The uni served had a rich creamy intense flavour and had lightly sweet fragrance. It went well with the seaweed laver, the salt in the seaweed accentuated the sweetness of the uni, making it sweeter and very delightful.

Anago Sushi

J: This was probably my 1st time tasting the sea eel, and it was quite delicious with just a little sweet sauce despite being presented in a ‘drier’ form than the more commonly served unagi.

V: Anago, unlike it fresh water cousin, the unagi, is a salt water eel. It is slightly dry as compared to unagi but is still as tender and sweet. Here at kaisan, they use the anago to wrap around the rice. This gives us a general helping of the eel which was brushed with a sweet sauce as well.

Toro Sushi

J: Toro, toro. Nothing else to say except for lingering memories of delightful mouth-watering fat.

V: Tororgasmic. Simply fantastic. Chef Thomas generously gave us double servings of this. This doubled the fun and it really made our day.

Ikura Sushi

J: I’ve always loved how the marinated salmon eggs pop juicy and slightly salty into my mouth, and this time was no exception.

V: It was such a delight to have it pop like bubbles and the juices squirt in my mouth.

Inaniwa Udon Soup

J: The noodles were very smooth and palatable, rounding off the meal nicely.

V: The broth was light but strong in flavour. The noodles were slightly al dente and springy, making it very delectable. It was a nice and hearty manner to end the meal.

Matcha Ice-Cream

J: In all, I enjoyed the omakase experience at Kaisan tremendously and would look forward eagerly to future visits.

V: The Matcha Ice-Cream was very smooth and had a slight bitter tannin which tampered with the overall sweetness, making it a very enjoyable rendition.

The entire Omakase has been an eye-opener, Chef Thomas’s careful planning allowed us to try a large variety of items. Besides preparing these items with excellent execution, his affable character made us feel at ease and made the whole experience very enjoyable. Kaisan is defintely a place that I will be looking forward to return.

VinnytheMarv: This is yet another back-dated post. We visited Akane to celebrate my mom’s birthday and to bid farewell to my sister. Akane is a very esteemed Japanese restaurant opened by the godfather of sushi in Singapore, Nogawa-san. Many of his disciples have gone on to open their own successful Japanese restaurants, such Shiro at Greenwood. Although he has two other restaurants, he frequently comes into Akane. Maybe because it’s located right in the Japanese Association and he feels more at home here. Lately, there has been rumours that he would returning home to Japan and retire. Whatever the case, he has done much to raise the standards of Japanese Food in Singapore. So…Thank You Nogawa-san!

Otoshi

Jazzfoodie: This appetizer was crunchy and tasty enough albeit a little dry. The lime juice squeezed over provided a nice zesty flavour to the dish.

V: This was a very simple dish. I believe squid was lightly grilled with salt, hence it was a little crunchy and dry. It was just ok.

Spring Vegetable Salad

J: This was pleasant enough although it tasted almost like a western salad.
V: I am not a big fan of salads and this did not really win me over. One thing unique about this salad was that there were tempura bits in it. Apparently, one half of the vegetables were made in to a salad while the other was made in to a vegetable tempura. Crumbs from the tempura were added into this salad so as to give it more bite and flavour.

Tempura Spring Vegetable

J: The batter was light and not too oily, while the vegatables gave a nice crunch.
V: I love tempura and this tempura batter was good. It was light and not overtly oily. The vegetables were not your regular vegetables too. Some of these greens are unique to Japan which made it rather interesting.

Sashimi Platter

J: The sashimi of premium quality was sliced rather generously and was smooth and delectable.
V: This has to be one of the highlights. The fishes on the platter were of the highest quality and fresh as well. There was Salmon, Otoro(Tuna Belly), Amaebi(sweet prawns), scallops, Aji(horse mackeral) and Tai( Sea Bream). My favourite has to be the Otoro. It was rich in flavours and it had nice soft flavour as it melted in my mouth.Truly wonderful!

Yari Ika or Teriyaki grilled squid with egg

J: I love squid, so naturally I like this dish. While the sauce was decent, the dish wasn’t exceptional.

V: I love squid too. This was a fascinating dish because hidden in the squid was a nice runny egg. The egg oozed out when i took a bite and it was really good. The egg went really well with the squid.

Tuna Belly Soup or Otoro Negi Ma Nabe

J: This is the BEST soup I’ve ever had! I love soups, but this was really, really good! The broth was lightly flavoured with vegatables, while the otoro was lightly poached (as seen on the outside), but meltingly fabulous on the inside.

V: This was an amazing soup! It tasted really surreal. When the waitress brought it over to cook by the table, it looked like an ordinary unassuming dish. There was just ordinary vegetable stock or so it seemed. Then she added the Otoro and that must have been when the magic happened. The soup was rich with flavours but light on the tongue, while the Otoro still preserved its melt in your mouth kind of flavour which was really magical.

Mushimono or Hokkaido Crab

J: The crabmeat was extracted onto individual plates for us, and its sweetness was contrasted nicely with the salty and lightly tangy ponzu dip.

V: The crab was nice and fresh. I believe it was simply steamed before serving. The crab meat was firm and sweet and went well with the sauce or even on its own.

Mebaru or Grilled Snapper

J: The fish was fresh and the dish was nice, but not particulary ‘wow’.

V: This was just ok for me. The fish was fresh and went well with the sauce too.

Kobe Usui Yaki

J: The juicy and tender thinly sliced beef encased the crunchy asparagus, creating something truly yummy.

V: The beef used here is Kobe Beef and it was awesome. There’s minced garlic in the beef wrap and this made it even tastier. The Asparagus had a hint of sweetness and this complemented the juicy beef and fragrant garlic.

Yasai Inaniwa

J: The noodles were so smooth, and together with the vegetable broth, they were a fitting end to the savoury part of the meal.

V: A very simple dish with a very elegant taste. The noodles were smooth and very slurp-worthy while the broth was light and fragrant. There were juicy mushroom bits that made this dish nicer too.

Macha Ice-cream

J: Dessert was quite ordinary, but overall, it was a great 1st dining experience at Akane.
V: I wonder why Japanese deserts are so boring. Either you get fruits or Matcha Ice-Cream. They seem to lack creativity in the desserts department. Still, this was an awesome meal and there’s no doubt I would be coming back here again.

Jazzfoodie: Terrified of making a complete fool of myself while planning this ambitious dinner (9 courses for 10 people), I struggled with the menu for days, even weeks, tweaking the menu right up to the very last moment. I would do diligent research on the internet and go through my cookbooks so many times that the crisp new pages would look ‘koyak’ by the time I’m done.

I try to cook dishes with the particular group of diners in mind, and would do ‘preliminary testing’ on my parents with new dishes, which they would be so “kind” about. I always have this panic thingy going whenever I cook a special meal a week or so before the event, thinking “I can’t do this”, “this is too ambitious”. I almost had a heart attack on the day of the dinner itself when Marv called from Mediya supermarket that they have no Swordfish Sashimi in stock (bought on the day itself for freshness), so Maguro (tuna) it was for the amuse bouche. To organise things, I wrote (and re-wrote) every single recipe needed on an A5 piece of paper and stuck it onto the fridge for easy reference, and started preparations the day before. Thankfully in the end, with lots of prayer, I managed to pull it off eventually (or so I think)..

Vinny: Well, before all of you had the chance of enjoying this meal, Mich did indeed put in alot of hard work in fine-tuning the menu. Countless test sessions were conducted and countless guinea pigs sacrificed. I was one of the few survivors. Cooking has always been in Mich’s blood but she has always been in denial of it. I remember the time before she left for Perth, when she was insisting that she will never cook. Now, she’s cooking up a feast for everyone to eat.

VinnytheMarv: Well, put your hands up if you love our Shuying….and so Joseph’s hands goes up instantly. This was a meal done specially for Shuying by Mich just before Shuying left for studies overseas.

J: The last time I cooked for my girlfriends was more than 2 years ago, and I’ve been wanting to bless them since (especially since I’ve not really been around for the past 4 years, missing out on their birthday celebrations and presents). So Marv and I decided to host this special going-away dinner party for Shuying.

It was definitely a great night of catching up- I was so glad everyone had a great time eating, laughing and ’spilling secrets’ over food and wine (half the guests brought wine, so we had a lot; thanks bets and jasmine for getting soft drinks!). And I decided that Taboo:Singapore edition might as well be renamed Truth or Dare:Spill your friends’ secrets. Such great bonding indeed, wahahah.. They were at my place for 7.5 hours, but it was a truely great time!

Tuna Tataki on Cold Soba in Matsuhisa Dressing

J: The partially seared tuna cubes in this dish was inspired by a similar dish I had many years ago at One-Ninety Restaurant. The half cooked tuna gave it an ‘aburi feel’, almost, (but minus the blowtorch); the quick searing allows the flavour of the tuna to intensify a little. The dressing is from the great recipe book Nobu West by Nobu Matsuhisa that Ber and Shuying got me last Christmas. I love this dish and would even serve it as a main course in the future; the fragrant and ‘earthy’ dressing with accents of mustard to spice things up a little, went well with the fresh tuna. For fans of non-raw food, poached prawns were used instead.

V: The first dish of the night! When Jaime and Janice arrived, I was still arranging this dish, proving that I did help out for the dinner. I really enjoyed twirling the noodles and making them look pretty. I loved the freshness of this dish, the taste was bright and refreshing. The sesame oil made it really fragrant and went well with the tuna and soba noodles. The noodles were chilled before being served and this made it a more dynamic dish.

Tuna, Oyster Mushrooms and Tunghoon Patties in Ginger and Sweet-soy Dressing

J: I am rather proud of this dish, created after feeling indignant over the overpriced and ok tasting crab cakes from Food by Christopher Hiller (see review on separate post). This should be something simple that everyone can make themselves, using whatever ingredients they so desire.
V: I thought it would have been better if crab meat was used. I felt that it was a tuna overkill, with the last dish being a tuna one as well. Nonetheless, it was pretty tasty. I liked the crisp and crunchy feel it had while the dressing enhanced the flavours of this dish.

Makes 24 (depending on size of patties)

Tuna Patties
3 (375g) cans   Tuna chunks
1 small bundle   Tanghoon (palmsized), softened in hot water
1 pkt                Fresh Oyster Mushrooms, shredded
7 tb                 Self-Raising Flour
3 pc                 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp                Minced garlic, sauteed briefly
5 tb                 Soy sauce
3                     Eggs, beaten
                       Cooking Oil

Ginger & Sweet-soy Dressing
2 tb         Ginger juice
1 tb         Honey
1 tb         Soy Sauce
5 tb         Sweet Sauce
3 tb         Olive Oil

1. Mix all the tuna patty ingredients and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Combine all the ingredients of the dressing, stirring while you
    add each new ingredient.
3. Shape the chilled tuna mixture into round patties and
    fry the individual patties.
4. Serve the freshly-fried patties with drizzled dressing.

Chilled Vichyssoise with Ham

J: This is quite the traditional potato and leek soup- boiled, pureed and chilled. Pieces of ham and spring onions were used as garnish and for a slight meaty/crunchy flavour.

V: I love potato and leek soup, especially cold/chilled ones! This was pretty well done. It was thick and creamy. The subtle sweetness of the leek can be tasted throughout the soup which made it even better.

Trio of Chicken: Roast Chicken Wrap,
Steamed Thai Pandan Chicken &
Breaded Salt, Chili Chicken

J: My moist and juicy roast chicken wrap (see recipe in separate post) has been rehashed many times before, unfortunately, this was not its finest outing. Having been prepared and wrapped slightly earlier, it was heated in the oven a tad too long, resulting in a dry and sad popiah.

The steamed pandan chicken, paired with a reduced sweet and spicy vinegar dipping sauce, came out fine. This dish is based on the lovely deep-fried pandan wrapped chicken bites, but I modified it by steaming the chicken with the marinating mix and omitting the deep-frying bit. I like the resulting blend of flavours from the marinade of coconut milk, fish sauce and oyster sauce, and the sweet, sour and fiery dip. 

The salt, chili chicken (see deep-fried salt, chili prawn recipe) here was ok, and was crispier than normal as I used Panko breadcrumbs instead of a regular flour batter.

V: nuff said. I don’t think there’s much to add. I tasted better wraps from her. Between the other two, I prefered the Pandan chicken.

Steamed Thai Pandan Chicken (serves 10)

500g   Chicken thigh, cut into cubes
2 tb    Garlic, minced
2 tb    Coconut Milk
2 tb    Oyster sauce
1 tb    Fish sauce
1 tb    Sesame Oil
1 tb    Ginger, sliced
          Pandan leaves, shredded
          White pepper

Dipping Sauce

15 tb  Rice Vinegar
  6 tb  Brown Sugar
  6 pc  Chili Padi, sliced

1. Marinade the chicken pieces with all the ingredients
    listed, and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Line the plate used for steaming with some fresh pandan leaves,
    placing the chicken with the marinade for steaming.
3. Combine the vinegar and sugar, bring to boil,
    then reduce to half its volume.
4. Add the chili padi into the dip, and serve with the steamed chicken.

Beef and Enoki Roll with Sweet Potato and Galangal Mash

J: Having tasted this dish in various places, from a simple and tasty version from Sushi Tei to a deliciously luxe Wagyu version from Akane (blogpost coming soon!), I wanted to re-create the same meltingly tender sensation on the tongue. However, the beef, which was pan-seared, was slightly overcooked and tough when reheated in the oven. The time lapse allowed the beef to be (more than) well-rested, but the juicyness was glaringly absent- quite disappointing. 

The sweet potato and galangal mash was inspired by my Perth housemate Xinyi, (who’s a great, and VERY precise baker) who once wanted to try a sweet potato pie online recipe. We ran out of ginger at that time and I suggested using galangal (same rhizome family as the ginger), which she hesitated at 1st, but only a small bit was needed, so she decided to try it. The result was astonishing (for me at least). The simple pie now had greater depth because of the flavour of the galangal. I’ve yet to find back that recipe, so I came up with my own for this dish, assimilating ingredients and steps used by Stef (an earlier Perth housemate in Perth) who loved making baked mash potatoes (this was the carbs that made me put on weight!!!) Ok, I’m digressing majorly; thankfully, I’m quite pleased with the end result of the mash, although I think not everyone took to it!

V: The mash really took most of the attention away from the beef. As mentioned, the beef was overdone and over-stuffed with enoki mushroom. It was darn chewy and hard to eat. I thought the mash was outstanding though.

J: It was not THAT bad lah!! Just not perfect what!

Sweet Potato and Galangal Mash (Serves 10; Side dish portion)

4         Sweet Potatoes (medium-sized), peeled, boiled and mashed
2 tsp    Minced Galangal
2 tb     Minced Garlic
2 tb     Chopped Chives
3 tb     Honey
3 tb     Unsalted Butter
1/4cup Evaporated Milk
           Freshly ground Black Pepper
           Salt

1. Saute the galangal and garlic in some butter briefly.
2. Mix all the ingredients together with the sweet potatoes.
3. Do add more of any ingredients you like to suit your tastebuds:
    more milk to make it creamier, more salt for some. You may substitute
    spring onions for chives, or brown sugar for honey if you wish.

Watermelon, Lime and Mint Granita

J: Simple and refreshing. I combined ingredients from various recipes found online. Really great as a palate cleanser, which I loved serving it in my mum’s teacups.

V: I love granitas. It was sweet and a tad tart which made it perfect.

Spicy Asian Seafood Bolognaise with Farfelle

J: Shuying loves chiili crab, but I wanted to add my own twist on the dish, so I added a can of tomato juice, and 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes to tone down the spiciness and for better pairing with the pasta. I made the rempah from scratch though, chopping and blending the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies etc, and I added a little chicken stock. I was quite pleased with this dish, although depending on whether you’re a conservative pasta lover or strict Chili Crab supporter, you might find the taste too ‘fusion-ised’. Nobody finished this dish though; it was too large a main course especially after being stuffed with 7 (albeit bite-sized) courses before this.

V: I felt that the test version of this was better. In the test version, there was egg and the sauce tasted more like the chilli crab sauce, which was what I liked. This sauce was more watery rather than thick. It tasted different from the test version which had a stronger Chilli Crab taste. I didn’t like it as much as I liked the test version.

Spicy Seafood Pasta (Serves 10)
1 pkt        Pasta
800g        Prawns
500g        Crabmeat
15           Shallots, sliced
1 inch      Ginger, sliced
6             Garlic cloves, sliced
8 pc        Chilies, chopped
10g         Dried Chilies, chopped
750ml      Stock (chicken or prawn is fine, I used a mixture)
3 tb         Ketchup
3 tb         Soy sauce
2 tb         Oyster sauce
2 tb         Fish sauce 
2 tb         Sugar
1 tb         Sweet chili sauce
3 tb         Rice Vinegar
1 can       Whole peeled tomatoes
1 can       Tomato juice
               Cooking oil
2             Eggs, beaten (optional)

1. Process the shallots, ginger, garlic and chilies in a blender.
2. Fry the rempah paste in a little oil, and add the sauces. 
3. Add the juice and whole peeled tomatoes,
    while mashing the tomatoes.
4. Add the stock bit by bit until desired consistency (some
    people prefer it thicker, some more soup-like).
5. Add the prawns and crabmeat.
6. To make it more ‘chili-crab’ sauce-like, add the beaten eggs
    while stirring the boiling sauce; if you prefer it more
    pasta sauce-like, omit the eggs.
7. Boil the pasta till al dente, and serve with the sauce.

If the rempah is not blended to a fine puree, you may choose to strain the sauce before step 3. You may also add chili flakes if you wish to have a spicier sauce.

*There was also a side of salad consisting of butterhead lettuce, red cabbage, raisins, almonds and apple cubes, with a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. This is not pictured due to Marv’s contempt for anything less than meat.

V: Salad sucks!

Pear Strudel with Creme Anglaise and Chestnut Cream

J: This was the main source of terror. I have never made desserts, (being less inclined towards sweet stuff), let alone from scratch. The exceptions (attempted in Perth) would be lava chocolate cake, which I messed up when water entered the bowl in which I was melting the chocs in; and lime sorbet, which was pulpy and never set, so we never got to eat it. So you see, savory food is my security blanket- it’s what I (think I) know. But my girlfriends loved desserts, so I thought I’ll venture into the unknown.

And silly, ambitious me flipped through my French Laundry by Thomas Keller cookbook and thought, “This looks nice”. However, it has sooo many steps, and because sometimes I cook by feel, and baking is so precise, the recipe intimidated yet intrigued me.

To summarise, I had to make the Creme anglaise, wine-poached pears (more like stewed) and Chestnut Cream a day in advance as instructed by the cookbook, and I assembled it all on the day of the dinner. (Marv ’sugared’ the puff pastry and assembled the pastry and pears!!) Of course I cheated by buying shelled, roasted chestnuts (I don’t have the vat to roast the ‘gao-luck’ myself!), and substituted expensive Vanilla pods with Vanilla essence. Thankfully, my fretting had not gone to nought, most of them liked it. But I’m definitely not attempting it again anytime soon.

V: Yes, I assembled this desert.muahaha. It took me quite a while to get it right. The pastry skins were frozen at first, but as it started to condense, the pastry dough got really gooey and a little disgusting. I felt the dessert went well with the sauce. The pear was well poached, absorbing all the essence of the wine too.

J: To all who came and made my day: Thanks, you were great guests! (Now, who’s the next to host us?! haha..)

This is a long overdue post…

Jazzfoodie: I first heard about this place from a Perth-based blog. So when Marv visited me during Winter break, we made this 1 of our culinary priorities- and our 1st-time there was definitely delightful. The service was warm and prompt, yet not intrusive- so unlike those waiters who skulk around your table, refilling your every sip. We were ushered to a rather private booth near the back of the restaurant, having made an early reservation. It had an elegant feel, and it was kinda romantic. We were greeted by a basket of warm bread, a cute assortment of herbed rolls and sesame grissini (breadsticks).

We wanted the 9-course Tasting Dego (Oz’s Degustation), and opted for the “Big Dego” which included an extra 3 courses chosen by chef Neal Jackson. Although the place was rather full that night, it didn’t stop the wonderful chef from stuffing us with 3 more complimentary dishes. The only ’interesting’ thing (or maybe a trademark of theirs) was having the table set with the cutlery for the entire dinner, meaning our elbows were each flanked by 20+ forks and knives at the start of the meal.

Cornet of Salmon Tartare with Pea Ice Cream

J: I immediately thought of a similar recipe I saw in my French Laundry cookbook which I’ve yet to attempt. The smooth clean taste of the pea ice-cream contrasted refreshingly with the savory tartare and the earthy sesame wafer.
V: Similarly, I also thought of the French Laundry’s signature dish. The Pea ice-cream was creamy and sweet. I thought it really went well with the salmon tartare and the cornet. This was a good sign that more good things to come.

Ocean Trout Tataki

J: The trout was nicely paired with the slivers of seaweed and the juicy salmon roe full of bursting flavour, but was not a ‘wow’ dish.
V: For me, this dish was just ok. The trout was fresh and the seaweed and slamon roe did its job of complementing the trout. It brought out a slight hint of sweetness in the trout.

Tuna Tartare

J: I like my seafood, but the fish tartare dishes have become almost repetitive at lots of restaurants. I think the accompaniment was some cucumber-mint sauce, which did go nicely with the tender fish and crunchy pea shoots.
V:The Tuna Tartare isn’t the most creative dish but they did a good job here. The sauce was slightly tart yet it was complementing to the tartare which was really quite fresh too.With the first dish having a tartare already, this wasn’t really too special.

Icefish, Fennel & Orange

J: The orange sauce went well with the icefish, while the fennel was too subtle, being overpowered by the tiny olives at the side. This is the 1st time i’ve tasted icefish, and it was rather tasty, its firm flesh which was more tender than lobster/crayfish meat, and made the dish a delectable tempura roll.
V:This was a very interesting dish. I have never had icefish before either. The orange sauce was not too sharp and it went well with the fish. The icefish was wrapped with seaweed and fried tempura style. Despite this, the icefish remained much in focus with its fresh and firm flesh. I wasn’t too big a fan of olives so that didn’t bother me.

Scallop, Black Pudding, Pork Belly and Chick peas

J: The scallop was lightly and nicely seared, while I profess to still be unable to appreciate black pudding (pig’s blood and oatmeal i think) which was like some strange-tasting dense bread. I like the different textures used in this dish, from the soft scallop to the firm and slightly crunchy pork belly cubes. However, I felt the flavours were not integrated enough, resulting in a confusing ‘chinese pork belly’ contrasting with the indian-inspired chickpea dahl, and the ‘irish’ black pudding.

V:I was deeply fascinated by this dish. I wanted to see how irish black pudding would defer from our chinese pork blood cubes. It was a really interesting combination to have Scallops with a typical English breakfast accompaniment. The chickpeas added an asian touch, making this dish truly multi-cultural. The pork belly were slightly overdone and the black pudding had a rather maltish taste.

Scrambled eggs with truffles, caviar and toast.

J: This was simple, smooth and delectable.
V: This was a complementary dish again. This was yet another breakfast item that seem really understated. The scrambled eggs were very elegantly done, carrying hints of truffle and the bursts of caviar were brillant.

Foie Gras stuffed Pigeon with Truffled Leeks

J: The pigeon ’steak’ was soft, tasty and not overcooked, and went well with the simple braised truffled leeks. The fried pigeon ‘dumplings’ (far end of picture) were only alright though.
V: The Foie Gras stuffed pigeon was tender. The Foie Gras was rich but not overwhelming, allowing the pigeon meat to shine. I am a sucker for leeks and it was nice and sweet.

Marron and Fish in Oxtail Jus

J: The fresh fish was well paired with the firm-fleshed marron, but I felt both were too delicate to be paired with the heavy but tasty oxtail jus. The potato crisp at the top was a nice touch.
V:I found this pairing really special. Marron together with fish, 2 seafood together accompanied by a meat sauce. This may seem weird but it actually went quite well with one another. The potato crisp was just like a very delicate potato chip.

Vegetarian Springroll with Tandoori Chicken with Crayfish stuffings

J: This was an unexpected dish. Tastewise, the springroll was crisp, but nothing special, and the chicken was a little dry. However, I like the unusual pairing of the indian-inspired meat and the japanese-inspired seafood.
V: This was another dish that had a unique pairing. The vegetarian springroll was pretty normal. However the uniqueness comes in the pairing of the tandoori chicken with Crayfish. The chicken had strong flavors of spices but the freshness and sweetness of the crayfish complemented it nicely.

Rabbit with Beetroot Risotto & Horseradish

J: I’ve heard others gush about this dish, which I consider to be interesting but not neccessarily amazing. The rabbit was nice and tender, and the risotto was creamy, but other than a beautiful deep hue, I didn’t think the beetroot enhanced the taste of the risotto.
V: I have never eaten rabbit meat before, so this was a first. The rabbit was really tender. The beetroot risotto on the other hand was average. The beetroot’s sweetness did not set into the risotto although it was creamy.

Pumpkin soup

J: Instead of a palate-cleansing sorbet, we were served this lightly-spiced creamy pumpkin shot as the mid-course ‘filler’. It was simple and heart-warming, as a winter dish should.
V: This was a very simple yet heart-warming soup. It breaks the tradition of a cold palate cleansing sorbet.

Braised Beef Cheek & Mushrooms

J: This was a beautiful winter dish. The wild mushrooms infused a earthy flavour to the jus and complemented the beef cheek wonderfully. The beef cheek was tender and the soft chunks flaked so nicely it could be eaten with a spoon.
V: The beef was braised to perfection. It was extremely tender and flavourful.

Cheese Plate

J: This was one of the most interesting dishes I have ever had. Usually, cheese courses are plated with croutons or biscuits, but this was something else. The complex flavours and textures of 3 types of cheeses, sweet juliennes of fruit, crunchy walnuts, crisp pea shoots, soft beetroot slices and a tangy vinegrette blended perfectly and tantalised the tastebuds.
V: This cheese plate was really special. It was more like a salad where fruits, nuts and vegetables complemented the 3 different kinds of cheese. There was sweet pear,beetroot and walnuts which strangely complemented the variety of cheeses with their different taste and texture.

Blueberry Mini-Milkshake with Millefeuille

J: I have to admit that the mini-milkshake was rather adorable, it was creamy, and the millefeuille was light, flakey and yummy.
V: I liked this simply because this was really really cute. They came in tiny cups with the millefeuille. The blueberry milkshake had a nice berry flavour.

Trio of Apple: Custard with pashmak, caramelised slices with apple jelly, and sorbet.

J: This would have been a nice ending to the meal. The cool green apple sorbet, and apple jelly were nice, but nothing great. The soft custard went well with the candy-floss-like pashmak.
V: I have never tried pashmak before but Mich was raving about it when it was served. It’s indeed like candy floss but with an asian twist I guess. This desert trio was nicely done, accentuating the flavours of apple, mixing it up with different textures.
J: Hey! I wasn’t raving about it- it was more of a “I’ve heard about this” AND I don’t think it’s asian at all!

 

Strawberry Jelly with passionfruit, and Hazelnut Cream Rolls

J: The hazelnut cream rolls were great, but the strawberry shot was too tangy for me.
V: This was the last free dessert for the night. It was a pleasant surprise and a nice way to end the evening.

J: I was very impressed with this place overall; great value for the number of courses we had. Most of the dishes were excellent, not the best I’ve had, but I would say it’s one of the most innovative in pairing ingredients together.
V: This restaurant really surprised me. Especially, coming off the tail of our visit to Tetsuya’s. I loved the creativity displayed through their dishes. I would not mind coming back again. They were very generous in giving complimentary courses which makes me really happy. A very satisfying meal indeed. Thumbs up for Jackson’s!

Jackson’s Restaurant
483 Beaufort St
Highgate, WA 6003
Perth, Australia
+61-8-93281177
http://www.jacksonsrestaurant.com.au/ 

1st Dinner Date… 

Jazzfoodie: It’s always a joy to hang out and spend time with good old friends that I’ve not seen in a while. Here’s photos from our Christmas Dinner (with 2 boys included), and Jacklyn’s 25th Birthday Dinner.

For our Christmas Dinner ‘06 we went to Ember Restaurant in Hotel 1929. We had the Table d’Hote, 8 dishes from the Chef’s Special for the day. As the whole table needed to have the same menu, we requested no cheese and no raw food to accomodate our dear momo.

Top L-R: Soft-shell Crab with Wasabi Sauce, Deep-fried Oysters, 6 different dressings for the oysters, Bacon-wrapped Scallops & salad, Poached Foie Gras & Mushrooms with Mirin
Bottom L-R: Seafood Linguini in Creamy Herb Sauce, Sakura Ebi Angel Hair Pasta, Pan-fried Cod with Mushrooms, Roasted Lamb, Dessert Platter for sharing

VinnytheMarv: I was quite excited to try Ember at first, having heard so much about them. I learnt how the chef actually went to apprentice at Gordan Ramsey’s, so I was really keen to try them out. The meal that night was a real disappointment. I really expected so much more from someone who has learnt from Gordan Ramsey. It was really a meal of hits and misses and that does not make it a great meal.

First faux pas of the evening was the evidently missing amuse bouche. I did not find that amusing. An amuse bouche is usually given with compliments from the chef. It is usually given at fine dining establishments to clients so as to tease the tastebuds and prepare them for the meal proper. When the first appetiser came without any amuse bouche being served, a big red minus mark sign came to my mind.

Second mistake was serving 2 fried seafood appetisers back to back. A deep fried soft shell crab and deep fried oysters doesn’t make the best of starts for a meal. For a while, i felt like I was in a chip shop. I was silently hoping they weren’t gonna serve fried calamari next. Thank God they didn’t. The next course was a slight improvement. Bacon and scallops were a nice combination and that helped restore some credibility.

Foie gras was next, poached and done to perfection. Easily the most outstanding dish of the night. This was followed by 2 poorly executed pastas although I nearly finished the first. The first was deemed to saaalltieee. While the second, the angel hair sakura ebi felt like a pasta showered with crispy hae bee.It was so so and bleah bleah maybe. They were really nice to change the pasta though. This was followed by the cod, which was really a saving grace for them. It was fresh, rich in flavour and a tad bit buttery.It was nicely done. Next came the lamb, which was ok but not very memorable. It was just ok.

The last boo boo of the night was serving the dessert platter to share. What were they thinking?? As much as it increases interactivity, it was just plain shoddy to do so in such an establishment. Can’t they serve it individually? Especially when the deserts on the plate melts. It makes things really messy and sloppy. As much as it tasted good, it was sloppy and shoddily served.

Overall, Ember was a dissapointment. This was concurred by friends who have visited them recently too. If Ramseys was here, he would have thrown a hissy fit. I don’t think I will want to go back there anytime soon until they buck up again.

J: Well, I did not feel as strongly (negatively) about the food as Marv did, probably because I didn’t know what to expect. I thought the starters were not that interesting, and the scallops were cooked well but were overwhelmed by the salty bacon slice. The pastas and dessert were so-so, but the cod was cooked to tender perfection.

Then there was the little problem. There were 9 dishes instead of 8 (if you counted), because of the apparent liberal ’salting’ of the seafood linguini. The dish was sent back to the kitchen by the entire table; only Marv who almost finished his portion thought the Sakura Ebi pasta was saltier. So, we got the latter pasta as a replacement, but I can’t say it was any tastier.

And then, there was the Foie Gras, I guess I was impressed because besides being cooked perfectly, this is the 1st time I had a mirin reduction with the liver, and it was simply gorgeous. Finally, a different and tasty sauce apart from the usual port/balsamic reduction sauces with cameralised apple slices! If I were to go to Ember again, it’ll just be for this dish..

Top Left: Jasmine, Janice, Shuying, Bettina, Jaime and Me
Bottom Right: Marvin and Joseph

J: In case you were wondering, yes, we were probably the most overdressed table at Ember, but it was fun. Check out the dresses! (Pssst.. Check out the sweet couple in photo- and I’m not talking ’bout Marv and me…hehe)

2nd Dinner Date: 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAC!!

For Jac’s birthday dinner, we went to Hog’s Breath at Chijmes.

 

Left front to back: Berinda, Jaime and Janice
Right front to back: Birthday girl, Bettina, Shuying and me
(Photo courtesy of Bets)

J: This was strictly girlfriends only (too bad Marv- the steaks were good). All girlfriends were present, and we had a great time. Jac even ‘modelled’ the dresses we got for her birthday, which momo, Janice and Bets helped her shop for earlier in the day. Foodwise, I was pleasantly surprised at how tender and juicy my steak was (I had it medium rare), as I had been disappointed previously at the Perth ‘branch’. The Chocolate Banana cake from Cedele (Raffles City) was yummy too.

 
Top: Candle Blowing in session
Middle: Special Birthday Prayer for Jac
Bottom: ‘Happy’ shot with Ber trying to eat Bets, and Jan & I doing the “ta-daa”!
(Photos courtesy of Jac and Bets)

Simply love you girls!! And Jac- hope you had fun! =)