Not having steak at a steak house @ Hugo’s~

I seem to have visited a lot of steakhouses in close succession recently and the amount of red meat I have consumed has been off the chart, but that doesn’t mean when Hugo’s comes up as a suggestion for dinner I would decline…

Inside the Hyatt Regency, Hugo’s gives the feeling that you are dining in a room dating back to the medieval times with the timber crossbeams across the ceilings and the iron-wrought chandeliers. The open kitchen is right by the front of the entrance where diners can watch the chefs in action while being serenaded by the guitarist whose lilting strains were quite perfect for the restaurant’s ambiance.

Once shown to our cushy booth, a bread basket was served. Garlic bread, baguettes and a crusty roll, I liked the baguettes ideal for smearing with my butter, but the garlic bread could have done with a little more salt.

Spying Fin de Claire on the menu was something we had to order since they are one of our favourite types~ They were cool and sweet with a textural crunch which can only come from the freshest oyster.

Looking like a fresh garden, our salad of king crab arrived with big chunks of the crustacean centered in the middle while scooped domes of avocado and tomato were arranged as a ring around it. All the ingredients were fresh, but they were some obvious brown spots on the avocado which was not the most attractive.

Steak tartare was served at the table, mixed and seasoned to your taste pending your level of spice tolerance. The raw beef was tender with no hint of gristle and while I enjoyed my first few mouthfuls, the saltiness of the sauce became a little overwhelming. Steak tartare is normally paired with thin crisp pieces of toast or chips, but our toasts were not brought to us until we asked and even then they were too thick to be considered a good pairing with the tartare.

Again prepared by the table was our lobster bisque, watch for the huge flame as the chef  ignites the cognac in the pot and if you want to take a photo better get your camera ready unlike me who was too busy gawking at it and by the time Mr. C reminded me it had gone out =.= The bisque was stomach warmingly hot, but the dollop of cognac cream was a little too much, making it overly creamy.

Yes I ordered fish at a steakhouse which may be blasphemous for you carnivores out there, but I felt like something lighter. Originally wanting cod fish, I had to replace with sea bass since it had sold out. I opted to have it oven cooked rather than grilled as I was after more of a moist mouthful. It was a lovely cut of bass, tender and juicy, but the scattering of tiny prawns outshone it. Really good~ I just pity the person who had to peel them.

Mr. C chose scallops which looked a little plain and dry with angry markings from the grill. Although soft, they could have done with some sauce.

I really recommend the fries, not your shoe string type these were piping hot with a wonderful crunchiness. Served atop a burner, they won’t get cold any time soon.

Peering through the dessert menu, Mr. C pointed out that Hugo’s serve some really traditional French style desserts. With that said he settled for the crepes suzette while I was content with an apple tartin.

Once again the crepes suzette were prepared table side (hi again chef *wave*), with a flaming finish from the pour of Grand Marnier. It wasn’t the most attractive looking dish with the watery sauce and rapidly melting ice-cream, but the crepes were moist and thoroughly drenched in alcohol making for quite a strong mouthful.

My apple tartin was a stunner. It required a short waiting time, but so worth it~ Topped with caramelised apples encased in a light flaky pastry, one bite of this with the vanilla-bean specked ice-cream left me speechless… So good and I loved how Hugo’s were so generous with the ice-cream as there is nothing worse than finishing all the ice-cream and being left with just the tart.

And to end, a smoking bowl of chocolate bon bons as our petite fours~

Service was attentive, a little erratic at times, but at least all our dishes arrived on a timely basis. I know I will want to come back for that amazing apple tartin and having steak next time wouldn’t hurt too 😉

Tasting tasting~@ Flint Grill + Bar

Thank you to Open Rice and Flint Grill + Bar for inviting me to their tasting~

I had previously visited the restaurant once prior to the event, but this post will focus on the actual tasting.

Flint Grill + Bar is up on the fifth floor of the JW Marriott hotel, occupying the space that used to house its predecessor California. Guests are greeted by an open bar area at the entrance where they can enjoy a few pre-meal cocktails which are prepared right in front of you, but even if you were not planning on having a proper lunch/dinner there, they more than welcome you to relax at the bar while having something to nibble on from their bar menu.

We sampled one of their signature cocktails the ‘Distinguished Patron’. A concoction of gin, raspberry and thyme syrup, lemon juice and egg white, it poured out as a pretty coral pink but I found the gin to be quite strong overpowering the rest of the ingredients with the barest hint of sweetness in the aftertaste.

Some snacks from the bar menu were prepared on the adjoining table, an assorted cheese platter all laid out attractively in a criss cross manner and placed next to it was a potted terrine with foie gras. Wooden trays of hand cut slices of Iberian ham seemed very popular while glass jars of marinated olives topped with Cantabrian anchovies looked quite rustic. My favourite however would have to be the cheese and Iberico ham croquettes which were freshly fried, a crunchy shell releasing a warm gush of cheesy goodness when bitten into.

Moving through to the restaurant we passed by the sommelier table. Here the sommelier’s expertise comes into play as he makes recommendations as well as giving advice to guests on wine pairings for particular dishes.

As for the restaurant itself it dominates a big open space seating up to 146 pax. Two private rooms are sectioned off to one side from the general dining area, with two long tables facing the kitchen acting as chef’s tables where a tailor made menu can be organised for guests. Based on the design concept of clean, modern lines the overall tone of the restaurant is classy yet casual. 

Once seated appetisers from the ‘pantry’ were served. Burrata with heirloom tomatoes and arugula salad. Slicing into the burrata released a creamy flow of liquid which is how all good burrata should be. Creamy and soft it had a delicate chew which I adore and if only it was paired with balsamico vinegar it would have been perfect. The tomatoes however did not seem readily in season as they were bland with no real tomato flavour, the green type in particular was immensely hard.

Next was a salad of organic beetroot scattered with crumbled goats cheese. Beetroot and goat’s cheese are a familiar pairing as the sharpness and gamy flavour of the cheese is tempered down by the subtle sweetness of the beetroot. I loved the beetroot here, all rich and juicy, but the goats cheese was surprisingly strong , quite overpowering in fact. Although it is specially imported from Italy, I am not too sure if the flavour would agree with the majority of the local audience.

Tuna tartare was the seasonal crudos served that afternoon. A two layered tower of chopped avocado and finely minced tuna topped with glistening pearls of salmon roe. The avocado was perfectly ripe with a buttery texture, but the tuna unfortunately was not chilled enough.

Thinly sliced cured salmon paired with crisp flaxseed toasts was full of natural fatty oils, melting effortlessly in the mouth. The small spoonful of caviar added a touch of luxury, but the overall dish could have done with a little more salt.

Main courses started arriving beginning with some items which they term as ‘Classic’. A whole Boston lobster cut in half baked Thermidor style. Smothered in a creamy sauce, the lobster meat was firm, sweet and still tender despite being baked in the oven.

A gorgeous looking pot pie was served next~ Pillowy puff pastry covered a steaming stew of veal cheek cooked Osso Bucco style. So tender and immensely flavourful the pieces of veal were a pleasure to eat, yet the best part for me was soaking up the sauce with the buttery pastry and just enjoying the richness of the combination. I highly recommend trying this~!

From the grill, we started with a slab of Nebraskan rib-eye which was aged in-house for 63 days. Cooked to a bloody medium rare it was quite lean, an ideal cut for those that like a slight chew in their steak. Although the natural flavour of the beef was a little bland, the sauce specially made from 32 different herbs and spices helped enhance the overall taste.

Slicing into the black pork chop from Berkshire revealed glistening moisture held within the meat making for a surprisingly juicy mouthful. The pork itself was a little strong in flavour ‘sou’, but the surrounding crust of fennel lent a fragrant touch making it more pleasant.

If meat does not suit you, their option of grilled seafood is a good alternative. A variety of fruits de mer including fish, lobster, scallops, red tiger prawn and mussels, it looked pretty impressive. I was unable to eat much of this, but I can say the scallops were lovely, velvety soft and cooked perfectly.

Side dishes~ I know that meat is always the main event, but sides are where the fun and variety comes in. We had fries, creamed spinach, mushrooms and steamed asparagus. Fries are always a crowd pleaser and we were served a bucketful~ Shoestring style and sprinkled with rosemary and Old Bay seasoning, the ones on top were nicely crunchy, but towards the middle they became disappointingly soggy. My favourite was the creamed spinach. Dark green leafy spinach bathed in a luscious cream sauce, this was heart stopping… So good~

And for desserts…

A twist on an American favourite- Smores~ a marshmallow layer, torched over a chocolate tart paired with graham biscuit ice-cream. Quite chocolatey with a hint of bitterness from the burnt marshmallow.

Key lime cheesecake was the prettiest dessert served. Decorated with assorted fruits and sugar jellies it looked as if it should be served during the throes of Spring. The cheesecake was not cheesy nor tart enough, rather it was quite sweet, but the ice-cream was refreshing leaving a subtle hint of ginger lingering on the tongue.

The banana trifle certainly lay within the zone of comfort food~ Layered with banana rum cake, cream, sliced banana and drizzled with dulche de leche, it was not too sweet and just so easy to eat spoonful after spoonful…

To end, a chocolate souffle~ not the most attractive I have seen, but the flavour was spot on. Paired with a light hazelnut cream, it was dark and seductively rich. The intense cocao flavour would satisfy any chocolate craving.

Thank you once again and I will certainly be back for the veal cheek pot pie~!