Dining @ The Kitchen (Macau)

The last time I was here, it was to taste a very special gala dinner prepared by Chef Kishida all the way from Tokyo Quintessence. This time, I wanted to appreciate The Kitchen in it’s own one star glory. Known for it’s selection of beef, just glimpsing the glorious cuts of bovine showcased at the entrance and admiring the different grades of marbling you can choose, meat lovers you know you are in for a treat! Those that are not inclined towards the cow, don’t worry as you are catered for with seafood (fresh fish live from the tank) otherwise there is pork, poultry and lamb for your choices.

Starting with bread that is made fresh in the open kitchen when you arrive. Two types, a chocolate chip brioche (yes choc chip!) and a gorgeous crusty country loaf. No picture as we were too busy tearing into the fresh bread, but let me tell you it was worth allocating stomach space to, especially when there is mango butter to be spread with it.

For appetisers, Mr. C started with grilled abalones. Stealing a bite, I had a pang of food envy. Perfectly cooked and utterly tender paired with a tasty vegetable salsa, crispy ham and a drizzle of chicken jus.

When in Macau, I can’t go past the traditional Caldo Verde. A lovely creamy vegetable soup served in a toasted bread bowl with bites of grilled chorizo on the side.

We originally wanted to order the bone-in-ribeye to be shared between two, but we lucked out as it was all gone. Instead Mr. C decided to go with a 14oz New York sirloin. Grilled to a medium rare with nice char marks, and his sides of sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and a little cup of tomato egg custard?

Since Mr. C ordered steak I decided to choose something different. Fish. Grilled sea bass to exact. They give you a choice of being served a whole fish or if you don’t feel like working for your meal, they can also de-bone it for you. I chose the whole fish and it certainly looks intimidating. Some parts were tender, some parts a little chewy, being grilled does take away some of the juices in the flesh and that is where your choice of sauce will come in handy. Lemon butter sauce is recommended for fish and it added a little zest to the dish.

Apple tarte tartin and creme brulee for dessert.

Presentation of the tarte tartin was pretty, but the actual tartin did not look like I imagined… I was hoping for a big puff pastry with sticky caramelised braised apple slices, but here it looked like a mass made version. Flavour was decent, hints of cinnamon, but a little disappointing.

What makes a creme brulee special is a thick, full bodied creamy custard fragrant with vanilla and coated in a thick caramelised sugar layer that shatters with a satisfying thwack with the back of the spoon. The version served here was a little lackluster, just a thin sugar layer that gave way when a spoon was dipped into it and the custard a little liquidy. Tasted like creme brulee, but it was missing what a few key elements.

I will definitely order steak next time and the bone-in-ribeye has our name on it!

Address:

3/F, Grand Lisboa

Carne means steak um… awful means awful.

Friday night with no prior dinner bookings can be a little daunting since most places would be full house. So when I called Carnevino and was able to easily secure a seating for two at 8.30 despite calling just 10 minutes beforehand I was pleasantly surprised, but little did we know…

Carnevino, one of Mario Batali’s ventures and from the name already announces what it serves- carne meaning meat and vino (you guessed it!) wine with an Italian touch.

Starting with some bread. A slice of white crusty bread extra thin and because it is a steakhouse as well as being an American thing, a miniature popover. Nothing really special, just empty carbohydrates to nibble on while waiting for your appetisers, the butter was decent, but the lardo was pretty nasty. Although infused with herbs, it could not fully disguise the overwhelming stale fat odour that lingered on the tongue afterwards.

I am having a ‘thing’ with bone marrow at the moment and seeing it on the menu meant I had to order it. One bone split into two, it was beautifully roasted and the marrow wonderfully fatty. They scattered preserved lemon over it which was to help with easing the palate from all the oiliness, but it did detract me from concentrating on the rich flavours of the marrow. The accompanying white bread was lack luster as well, more of the crusty white bread, but this time toasted.

The octopus was a decent serving of tentacles, but I would debate the freshness of the octopus used as I detected a slight fishiness. Maybe that was why they had to cover the dish in a strong sweet and sour sauce which was not unlike something you could order at a cha chaan teng just with an Italian twist from the limoncello.

They had two selections for their dry-aged steaks and we chose to share the 18oz New York strip. Asking it to be cooked to a medium rare, you can see that it was seared to a rare and not only that the heart of the steak was cool to the touch. We asked for it to be further cooked and in the mean time we occupied ourselves with the side of creamed corn, which if not for the slight popping of the fresh kernels I would have assumed was poured straight out of a can.

Upon return it looked slightly better, at least it was warm this time. The exterior is quite charred, with the layer of carbon lending its flavour to the steak. One word to describe this steak, chewy. And not just slightly. If you are in need of a jaw muscle workout I would highly recommend you in tackling this piece of steak.

No dessert as our jaws were already too tired.

Carnevino was definitely an experience. One that I happily will not repeat.

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~!

Dinner @ Ruth’s Chris Steak house

Hearing that the old Ruth’s Chris had undergone a renovation in East TST, Mr. C and I decided to pay them a visit for steak night~

Located on the first floor in the TST Centre, Ruth’s Chris occupies quite a large space. The front area showcases their display of wine and off to the side they have a bar for those wanting pre-dinner drinks. The main dining room is to the back of the restaurant and while it is mainly outfitted in wood the bareness in decor expresses a no-fuss, no nonsense sort of atmosphere.

The menu is not huge in selection, but that did not really matter since we were mainly interested in satisfying ourselves with a hearty cut of protein although that did not mean we neglected our appetisers and sides :p

While waiting for our appetisers, we were served bread and whipped butter. Bland white loaf, although flavourless was at least warm and toasty and the airiness of the whipped butter would be better off for spreading on pancakes. I would give this a pass unless you were supremely hungry or just love bread. (I am the latter unfortunately)

Our appetisers soon arrived~ Jumbo shrimp cocktail, crab cakes and seared jumbo scallops.

The shrimp cocktail was nicely chilled, large in size where each bite was pleasantly meaty. The cocktail sauce had a slight kick from the addition of horseradish which made the taste more interesting.

Crab cakes arrived as two sizable portions, sizzling on an immensely hot plate. Not one of your typical black hot plates, this one is innocently white so please remember not to grab it, even though I am sure your server will remind you several times. Chunky pieces of white crab meat, delicately seasoned with a light shower of black pepper and of course the hot plate kept it at marvelous temperature.

The scallops came as a portion of three pieces and while not really that ‘jumbo’ in size, there were cooked perfectly to a tender velvety texture which melted easily on the tongue. I did find they lacked a little seasoning on their own, but eaten together with the bits of capsicum in the butter sauce improved the flavour.

It was not long till the star of the evening arrived. A huge cut of Australian Wagyu Porterhouse for two (actually could have easily fed 3-4 people) sizzling in all its buttery glory. They had pre-cut it for us to make it more manageable and like a T-bone, one side was filet while the other was sirloin. Mr. C had asked for it to be seared to a medium rare since he knew the plate was going to be immensely hot so it would not end up being too tough. We were served the filet first and it was amazingly good! Slightly more marbled, the aroma of melting fats filled our senses with each buttery mouthful. The sirloin was admittedly more tough in nature, but there was a much stronger beefy flavour which is ideal for those that like more gaminess in their meat.

For such a meaty main of course vegetables as side dishes were a necessity. Sauteed spinach won over our usual order of creamed spinach, its garlicky flavour giving us some respite from the heaviness of the beef. Mr. C and I both love Lyonnaise potatoes and seeing this on the menu meant it was a must order. Pan-fried potatoes with softly caramlised onions. The ones that are still crunchy are always the best~ 🙂

Definitely ended up in a beef coma, but it was so worth it~

Dinner~@ The Grand Hyatt Steakhouse

The Grand Hyatt Steakhouse has always been on my wishlist of restaurants to try, and my wish came true when Mr. C decided he had a hankering for steak one Sunday evening~

We did not make a reservation since it was a spur of the moment kind of decision, so when we asked the hostess for a table for two we were informed politely that only bar seats were left. We did take up the offer of sitting at the bar, but were later moved to a proper table when one became available. 

The menu does not have a huge variety for selection, but for a steakhouse variety is not the most important, rather the focus being on providing high quality cuts of meat is. Choosing mains was quite a no-brainer for us since Mr. C was already focused on having steak, he asked the manager who was taking our order to recommend a cut with more of a meaty texture so there would be something for him to chew while I zeroed in on the Barossa Valley lamb rack. It took us a longer time to choose what we wanted as appetisers as there were quite a few things we wanted to try, in the end we chose half a dozen oysters, three different types of appetisers that the manager agreed to serve us in minature portions as well as lobster bisque for Mr. C and french onion soup for myself. Something worth a mention is the famed Steakhouse salad bar which you can opt to have as an appetiser or as a main course if you feel the need to fill up on greens. Not only were there a number of different salad combinations to choose from, there was freshly shaved jambon, smoked salmon, foie gras terrine as well as a stand by chef ready to toss-up a Caesar salad at your request. All in all a meal in itself, so even though the name of the restaurant signifies a place for carnivours to gather, vegetarians, there is no need to worry as you are well-catered for~

Before our meal began, four thickly sliced rolls of garlic bread were served to us. Perfectly toasted and warm from the oven, this was deliciously crunchy with the fragrant garlic butter spread generously on both sides. Yummy~

Oysters~ We had three different types, Gilardeau, Fin de Claire and one more that I could not recall the name of =.= All three were fresh with a wonderfully briny taste that only needed a squeeze of lemon juice to enhance. The Gilardeau was my favourite, creamy with a slight crunchy texture.

Our trio of appetisers consisted of pan-fried diver scallops, pan-seared Maryland crab cakes and steak tartare. The scallop was seared to a beautiful golden brown on the outside while remaining softly tender inside, I adored the crab cake was which packed full of sweet bits of crab flesh, while I could not comment on the steak tartare since I am not that partial to beef, but Mr. C seemed to like it.

The lobster bisque arrived as two components, a bowl containing cream and lobster meat while the bisque itself was poured at the table. I had a spoonful, and found it to be extremely creamy with a smooth lobster flavour. I was pleasantly surprised that the bisque was not too salty which was a pleasant change from some of the overly seasoned lobster bisque I have had at other establishments, but it would have been more enjoyable if it was served at a higher temperature.

My onion soup was really good, so fragrant from the abundance of onions used, it was served piping hot with the melted cheese on top of the soup soaked toast still wonderfully soft and gooey.

Finally to our mains~ Mr. C was served a cut of US strip loin perfectly grilled to a blushing medium rare. He seemed to enjoy it as he finished it, commenting that it had a stronger beef flavour than normal cuts which was what he was after that night.

My lamb rack was nicely tender cooked to a pinky medium, with a wonderful char-grilled flavour. It was slightly gamy which gave more character to the meat and of course I remembered to eat it with generous amounts of my favourite mint jelly~ 🙂

We did not specifically order dessert that night, but the manager did give me a small portion of their vanilla soft-serve to try which was thick and creamy with a delicate milky flavour. Not too heavy, it did satisfy the inner sweet tooth and was quite a good palate cleanser to such a heavy meal 😉