Came here for dinner. Ambiance was calm and relaxing. Service was professional and clean. We got the tea pairing, which was really interesting and eye-opening to the amount of variety and complexity in tea. Highly recommend. Rundown of the dishes:
* Amuse-bouche: watermelon with rockfish flakes, carrot cup with herbs and cashew, buffalo meatball with pineapple spoon – great start to the meal. Refreshing and tasty. * Kagoshima Fukamushi Chiran Sincha: one of the most unique teas I’ve had. Grassy and vegetal aromas, with an extremely intense, long-lasting, savoury and umami finish. Paired beautifully with the dumpling. * Chicken dumpling: beautiful presentation. Wrapper was nice and chewy, the chicken had an interesting almost jerky-like texture with some peanuts. Great flavour. * Alishan oolong tea: smooth, buttery texture, hints of honey, wildflowers, and kombu. Nice contrast to the crab. * Crab tart with yellow curry paste: very nice textures and vibrant flavours. The sweetness of the crab went well with the crunchy bell peppers and smooth, creamy curry paste. * Coconut soup with sockeye salmon: my favourite dish of the night. The broth was absolutely delicious – rich, citrusy, tangy, sweet, complex, and herbal. The salmon had an interesting texture somewhat like bacon bits. The tuile on top added a nice crunch and subtle buttery taste. * Pandan lemongrass palate cleanser: nutty, refreshing, citrusy. Very nice. I appreciated the pandan rose on the side highlighting the unique aromas of this plant. * Fujian Qi Lan Wuyi oolong: lingering umami finish, woodsy, toasty aromas, hints of honey, malt. Fruity aromatic body. Complemented the scallops and sauce well. * Scallop with herbs: perfect texture. The sauce was rich, sweet, and tangy, but a little overpowering. I liked the radish and cucumber on the side to help cut through the richness of the sauce. * Lao Phongsaly Hong Cha: intense honey-sweet aroma, earthy, roasted notes, cocoa, hint of licorice. Complemented the earthy tamarind and tangy flavours well of the next dish. * Pad Thai: beautiful presentation. Noodles were perfectly chewy and springy. I would’ve liked a bit more acidity and citrus, and felt that the portion size was a bit too big. * Yunnan Da Ye tea: earthy, light malted and toasty notes. Hints of sandalwood. Delicate and floral finish, with a well-rounded light body. * Tenderloin with red curry: the most tender beef I’ve ever had. Fall-apart tender without the greasy aftertaste of heavily marbled meat. The purple rice was delicious, chewy, and coconutty. Curry was well-balanced with a bit of heat. Perfect portion size. * Lemon popsicle palate cleanser: simple and refreshing. * Kagoshima karigane Hoji bocha: my favourite tea of the day. Toasty, caramelized, nutty notes, with a sweet cereal aroma. Hints of praline and a smooth, nutty finish. * Kabocha squash, egg custard, smoked coconut ice cream: delicious. The smoked coconut was really unique and paired deliciously with the toasted flavours of the tea. The squash was beautifully and intricately carved into a sunflower shape. * Assorted fruit: simple and delicious. Loved the playfulness of the mung bean chili.
Overall a delicious, creative, and well-balanced meal. Would come again.
1 Comment
Came here for dinner. Ambiance was calm and relaxing. Service was professional and clean. We got the tea pairing, which was really interesting and eye-opening to the amount of variety and complexity in tea. Highly recommend. Rundown of the dishes:
* Amuse-bouche: watermelon with rockfish flakes, carrot cup with herbs and cashew, buffalo meatball with pineapple spoon – great start to the meal. Refreshing and tasty.
* Kagoshima Fukamushi Chiran Sincha: one of the most unique teas I’ve had. Grassy and vegetal aromas, with an extremely intense, long-lasting, savoury and umami finish. Paired beautifully with the dumpling.
* Chicken dumpling: beautiful presentation. Wrapper was nice and chewy, the chicken had an interesting almost jerky-like texture with some peanuts. Great flavour.
* Alishan oolong tea: smooth, buttery texture, hints of honey, wildflowers, and kombu. Nice contrast to the crab.
* Crab tart with yellow curry paste: very nice textures and vibrant flavours. The sweetness of the crab went well with the crunchy bell peppers and smooth, creamy curry paste.
* Coconut soup with sockeye salmon: my favourite dish of the night. The broth was absolutely delicious – rich, citrusy, tangy, sweet, complex, and herbal. The salmon had an interesting texture somewhat like bacon bits. The tuile on top added a nice crunch and subtle buttery taste.
* Pandan lemongrass palate cleanser: nutty, refreshing, citrusy. Very nice. I appreciated the pandan rose on the side highlighting the unique aromas of this plant.
* Fujian Qi Lan Wuyi oolong: lingering umami finish, woodsy, toasty aromas, hints of honey, malt. Fruity aromatic body. Complemented the scallops and sauce well.
* Scallop with herbs: perfect texture. The sauce was rich, sweet, and tangy, but a little overpowering. I liked the radish and cucumber on the side to help cut through the richness of the sauce.
* Lao Phongsaly Hong Cha: intense honey-sweet aroma, earthy, roasted notes, cocoa, hint of licorice. Complemented the earthy tamarind and tangy flavours well of the next dish.
* Pad Thai: beautiful presentation. Noodles were perfectly chewy and springy. I would’ve liked a bit more acidity and citrus, and felt that the portion size was a bit too big.
* Yunnan Da Ye tea: earthy, light malted and toasty notes. Hints of sandalwood. Delicate and floral finish, with a well-rounded light body.
* Tenderloin with red curry: the most tender beef I’ve ever had. Fall-apart tender without the greasy aftertaste of heavily marbled meat. The purple rice was delicious, chewy, and coconutty. Curry was well-balanced with a bit of heat. Perfect portion size.
* Lemon popsicle palate cleanser: simple and refreshing.
* Kagoshima karigane Hoji bocha: my favourite tea of the day. Toasty, caramelized, nutty notes, with a sweet cereal aroma. Hints of praline and a smooth, nutty finish.
* Kabocha squash, egg custard, smoked coconut ice cream: delicious. The smoked coconut was really unique and paired deliciously with the toasted flavours of the tea. The squash was beautifully and intricately carved into a sunflower shape.
* Assorted fruit: simple and delicious. Loved the playfulness of the mung bean chili.
Overall a delicious, creative, and well-balanced meal. Would come again.