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Showing posts with label Highgate Eatery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highgate Eatery. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2011

Bites: Birthday Date @ Jacksons, Highgate.

On my birthday, the little darling brought me to Jacksons.  When we stepped in, we did not know what to expect from one of Australia’s finest establishments except a large price tag.   Seated at one of the more private corners, the restaurant looked rather classy but spared the clutter which was to me a good thing.  One disturbing thing though, was the silver bull head ornament that was glaring at us the whole night from the wall beside our table.  Scary! Enough said :)! Looking through the menu, Jacksons have an impressive list of culinary delights which had me drooling for a bit.  But deciding what to have was not easy so we decided to go for Jacksons degustation which spanned 7-course long.  See what we had below!

 

Complementary bread basket.

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Consisting of house made bread rolls, lavosh & cheese sticks the ‘free things’ actually made us quite full even before we started.  I guess strict family upbringing didn’t quite allow me to waste food :P!  Moving on, one of the best things about the bread basket was the butter which accompanied the savoury pastries.  I cannot distinguish origins of a slab of butter but the lescure sea salted butter from France as mentioned on the menu website was absolutely yummy.  To a certain extent, it tasted slightly like cheese!  Bread rolls with some pink salt and butter was perfect chemistry.  Perhaps a slightly warmer bread roll would be welcomed!

 

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Next was the complementary amuse bouche which was what I can say one of the best tasting starters of all time.  A crisp cone filled with some gazpacho sorbet, fetta mouse and did I hear asparagus foam too? To finish it was a small serve of red onions.  As advised by the waitress, I had it in one shot and wow! It was really good.  The taste was a mix of saltiness, and sweetness with that necessary addition of red onions finishing it off on a delightful note.

 

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Next was the chilli squid, compressed watermelon, Thai salad and a small serve of peanut to add texture. Chilli squid was cooked to perfection without any hint of rubbery texture. The Thai salad on the other hand had all the necessary acidity which brought out the flavours of the squid with the peanuts providing a slight crunchiness which was already present in the fresh salad. To finish off, the sweet melon provided a soothing finish that kills of any spiciness that might be present. This was easily the best appetizer that night. As darling is partially allergic to seafood, the courteous crew at Jackson’s reinterpreted this dish using tofu to replace the squid and to darling’s delight, it was flawlessly recreated!

 

The next course was the  Cambinata yabbies, spring onion pancake & tomato.

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For most parts of this dish, it was good.  But spectacular? Perhaps not quite so!  Yabbies were fresh, and the accompanying sauce was good.  Could not really tell what sauce was used but it spelt seafood.   Moving on,the truffled eggs did not quite have that truffle taste but it was every bit satisfying in terms of texture and taste.  But the name might be a little deceiving to some.  For me the downfall of this dish was the spring onion cake which tended to be annoyingly sticky on my tooth at all times.  It did not turn out to be as crunchy as I expected it to be.  Taste is not its strong point either.  But regardless of its flaw, I’d reckon that  this dish was still good. Perhaps a distinction?

 

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Seeing the dish itself made me giggly, especially the part with the Chinese sausage.  For the little darling, yabbies were a big no-no! Instead she had a crispy skin pork belly with seared scallop and Chinese sausage.  In my honest opinion, the crackling was divine and darling did agree.  Chinese sausage was Chinese sausage. Asked about the scallops and darling says she forgot. I guess it was alright?  But unfortunately, the pork belly meat tended to have a little porky smell which was fine to me but not so much to her.

 

Next was a dish we were both fine with, the fish dish.

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The fish of the day was the cod fillet encrusted with a shark bay crab crust served with nicoise salad.  I tell you OMG. I have been known to be particularly fussy about my fish.  While the fish here was really good, quail egg was yums,and  the sauce was no different either, the smell of the entire dish was horrible.  I had to put the anchovy aside.  The nicoise salad was not really my type of salad but I had it anyways.  This was definitely the lowest rated dish of the night.  I felt like the salad did not really complement the fish enough.  I am honestly not as expert and the chef at Jackson’s should know more but those are just my thoughts :)!

 

The second complementary dish was a beautiful lamb roast served with pickled radish and root vegetables on a carrot puree.

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Is it just me or are the complementary courses really kick ass at Jackson’s?  Even darling who strays from lamb because of its gamey odour thought that it was really nice.  The attentive kitchen crew even carved out the vegetables to maintain its original shape! For me, tender lamb was all the rave but perfectly cooked vegetables definitely help this dish triumph over its former course of fish.

 

The last appetizer for the night was the hare & mushroom Empandilla, red wine & chocolate sauce with runner beans. 

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The Malaysians have the curry puff, the Italians the Calzone, Indians the Samosa and the Spanish the Empanada.  Unfortunately, Jacksons reinterpretation of the little Empanada or Empanadilla did not quite satisfy us.  The mixture of hare and mushroom did not quite excite my senses as it felt rather blend.  Beans were just for show but sauce on the other hand rather special.  Also, I did like the crisp pastry coating the outside of the Empanadilla but as I started chewing through it, hmm was it undercooked?  Or perhaps it was intentional?  Overall this was OK but not mind blowing.

 

At this time I was already stuffed to the brim but our mains have yet to arrive. For me I had Jackson’s surf n turf.

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Looking at Jackson’s plating and style of surf n turf definitely strikes you as something unlike conventional surf and turf which usually sports a large steak topped with creamy garlic prawns.  At Jackson’s its a travel through a cow.  Funny term. But you get a small piece of sirloin, a tongue steak and a beef cheek. As for the prawns, the chefs decided to ditch the garlic and was instead cooked with an orange infused cream sauce.  The crusted beef cheek was tender with a tasty marinade.  Somewhat reminds me of my date with the little darling at Nine Fine Food where the lamb and scallop served was flawless.  The tongue steak was equally satisfying.  Unlike Japanese restaurants that serve tongue steak slightly chewy, the tongue steak came with a melt-in-your-mouth feel giving it a creamy texture.  And the sirloin itself was cooked medium and fared well with it being tender in each bite.  Tiger prawns was ok but it was the sauce that tasted brilliant. Much kudos to that. 

 

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The darling on the other hand had the pheasant stuffed with foie gras served with sauerkraut, ham hock, and carrots carrots.  The game bird was exceptionally tender and soft.  Makes me wonder how it was cooked.  Foie gras had minimal effect on taste but it added texture to the dish.  Sauerkraut was a lot nicer than conventional German ones which is a lot more sour.  I guess it is a good thing that it is less sour :D!  Overall, darling thought it was nice. 

 

After resting a bit, the wait staff brought out our next course, a savoury dessert.

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Right of from their website, Boise la tradition with a black pepper & white balsamic vinegar strawberry salad and crumbs for texture.  Over all, darling and I felt that it was decent but tasted rather mature and we could not quite appreciate anything on that plate.  Darling herself is not quite a fan of pepper.  As for me I did like the cheese and strawberries but the pungent taste from the herbs and spices were quite unwelcoming.  But I believe though that it was actually good for other people and think that it is a question of personal preference.

 

Next was the third complementary dish, a dessert which consisted of biscuit bits and lemon curd topped with a rosemary meringue.

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Seriously, this dish was another give me five or what?!  Darling thought that the meringue bit was a little too sweet but for me, the whole dessert was just spot on.  It really amazes me how the rosemary played an important role in toning down the sweetness making the dessert delicious.  The lemon curd itself was smooth throughout and everything really worked well together.  I liked this a lot!

 

As for the next dessert course, we had:

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For dessert we had tea and coconut brulee with a violet macaron, lavender ice cream and honeycomb.  Darling says it was good but this differs significant from her preferred dessert which usually sits around a combination of berries, chocolates and ice cream rather than herbs. For me, I thought it was a little weird at first but after a few spoon too many, I got hooked and ended up really enjoying the dessert.  Brulee  was refreshing, ice cream felt light and texture wise, creamy in every spoon.  Very entertaining dessert.  I liked it :)!

 

After finishing the dessert, I thought we were finally done.  Jeans were already starting to feel tight and home was nearby.  Couldn’t wait to jump in and snooze of.. and just when you thought you were done, the waitress offered us drinks and brought us little things to accompany our hot drinks and to end our night.

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Two truffles were the ‘things’ that night.  One was a white chocolate truffle with blood peach and raspberries while the other was a milk chocolate ganache.  Both were the direct opposite when it came to taste.  The white chocolate truffle felt refreshing with a hint of fruitiness from the fruits which were served in a jelly like form.  Very nicely done.  That was darling’s favourite that night.  The chocolate truffle on the other hand was served slightly melted so that once in your mouth, all you get is that delicious sensation of chocolate.  To me both was equally good but given the state we were in after so much food, I reckon the white truffle with blood peach and raspberries prevailed the better of the two.

 

By the end of the meal, I was definitely stuffed but at the same time was really happy.  1 year older but tonnes happier.  Good to have finally graduated as well.  It was all a very good feeling yet slightly mixed.  Jackson’s for one is definitely a memorable dining experience. Could make it a yearly occasion as I believe it is truly deserving.  Impeccable service paired with top notch food will satisfy even the fussiest eaters around.  There was little to fault with. If anything I had to complain about, it would probably be the garnishing which seems to be a little repetitive but acceptable anyways.  Other than that, perhaps the fish could do with a little more improvement? Before we leaving, the little darling and I gave the waiter a little tip believing that it was well earned.  She provided us with explanation for every food detail and where hygiene is concerned, all staff at Jacksons wear white gloves which gives it a classy look but at times can look slightly intimidating as the gloves look no different from the ones used in the medical field?

 

WenY

Jackson's Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Bites: Nine Fine Food @ Highgate

It’s that time of the year again! Little darling now turns 20 and I was going to bring her to a different place to celebrate.  Scouting around, I found Nine Fine Food which is a combination of Japanese and European cuisine.  Looking at various food blogs, I must admit that personally, my taste buds were dying from its curiosity.  Nevertheless, my choice of venue was not just for me as the intimate lighting at the venue made this place perfect for dates and despite having a crowd, it was not unacceptably noisy.
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Nine Fine Food.

Looking around the menu, Nine Fine Food has some good offerings which seems really tempting.  Spoiled for choices, we decided to go for the ‘OSOSUME’ which translates into a 4 course meal.  While it might seems rather posh, the 4 course meal is actually a lot of value for your money! For starters, we ordered:
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the Goose Mousse is a  foie gras mousse topped with soy infused Tobico caviar, broccolini with Chocochujan spiced miso.  While I have never been keen on fancy food such as caviar or foie gras, this one was definitely a “WOW” to me.  While I was skeptical about the taste after having smelt it at first, my first taste of it had me wanting more.  The whole thing was actually superb.  Crispy lotus roots topped with the miso and foie gras – caviar was absolutely yummy!  Even darling, who would never EVER touch such ‘exotic’ food said it was really good.

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Foie Gras take 2!!

While I was happily eating my starter, the little darling herself was busy enjoying her sashimi platter
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The Sashimi 9 would normally consist of 9 types of sashimi but the little darling decided to omit the prawn and squid sashimi as she is allergic to those type of seafoods.  Nevertheless, she had extra serves of salmon, kingfish, snapper and tuna.  Funnily enough though, would half cooked tuna be considered as sashimi?  Not that is matters considering darling says this dish ticks all the boxes as a good sashimi appetizer!

After finishing our first appetizer, the waiters gladly cleared our table for the second course of appetizer.  This time we had:
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Beef Tataki was my choice for the next appetizer which had lightly grilled tenderloin beef fillets top with a truffle mixed Yakumi condiments, and finished with a chilli lemon soy dressing!  Yummy! This was good, meat well cooked but somewhat a little too thick for my liking.  I would rather thinly sliced beef.  Also, Yakumi or healthy condiments were getting a little bland at this stage because I had the same ‘cucumber’ condiments for the Goose Mousse.  Instead, I would have liked to have finely shaved onions in addition to the cucumbers for that extra flavour which goes so very well with beef tataki! Nonetheless, it was still good but just not THAT GOOD.
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This next appetizer that the little darling ordered was an absolute winner.  Called the lamb and scallops, this appetizer as its name and looks suggests has lamb and scallops.  To be exact, marinated grilled sliced lamb round steak, blended spiced miso braised lamb shoulder, seared scallop with balsamic, soy & truffle oil dressing.  Outcome? Mind blowing.  This was so good I woke up the next day wanting to have it for breakfast.  Despite its very small size, I would be far too keen to trade this dish for my Beef Tataki.  Lamb meat was very, very tender.  It literally crumbled under the weight of the fork without effort.  For awhile, I though that the meat was actually pulled before being shaped but could not really tell.  Putting that aside, the meat was superbly marinated and extremely tasty.  Add that sweetness of the scallops and õmg!  This dish to me was very well constructed in terms of texture and flavour.  Not like I can tell superb textures from good ones like pros can but this was simply just fantabulous.

After finishing two courses, it was time for our mains.  With the appetizers setting such standards, it was only normal that the little darling and I have high hopes for the next course.  And here we go starting with my very lousy photo, the Oceans East:
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The Oceans East was a representation of the seafood in the East.  Did it represent it well enough? Well, with scallops, eel (unagi), fish and soft shell crabs, I’d have to say that Nine Fine Food was close.. pretty close.  Also, by having fruits as part of the main dish, it had a sense of freshness that lifted the heaviness of the fried soft-shelled crabs.  The fish which was part of the dish was super yummy!  Scallops were ok but again, cucumber was all over it, so errr not really that good?  The unagi, presumably cooked with teriyaki sauce was scary as it always is for me who never liked eel.  After just one piece, I decided to abort mission and left 3 other pieces for the bin! Oops!  Things were all quite decent for Oceans East.  Other than the eel, I reckon that the only thing that did not really appeal to me were the wasabi mayo and that other red chilli sauce.  I guess the sauces just did not quite appealed to me as something felt lacking!!

For the darling, she had the tenderloin steak.
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Along with the well marinated steak was some sautéed mixed Asian mushrooms, dukkah spiced mash, fresh greens, garlic & olive oil infused creamy sake rice wine reduction.  As a steak should be well marinated and tasty on its own, this was just spot on.  Even without the mushroom sauce, the steak was a pleaser.  Mash was decent but sauce was really salty.  In essence, the sauce would go well with the mash.  But problem as it lies was that the sauce was just too much for the mash.  Even the sautéed mushrooms were  a little saltier than the little darling’s tolerance.  For me, I thought it was salty but I liked it anyway because I come from a family that prefers salt over sugar any day!  Over all, this would have easily been called delicious considering the number of places that cannot really cook a good steak.  Perhaps a little control of salt would have make this a superb dish?

Having finished our three course, it was time for our desserts.  With the clock ticking minutes away from 9 and a stomach that is filled to the brim, it was time to sit back.  While waiting for the dessert to be served, the little darling and I had time to share an intimate talk as there was just one other couple besides us.  This means a really private space which of course, is a privilege in any popular restaurant!!

After a while, the desserts were served. We both ordered the same thing:
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The Mattcha Brulee! The light torched green tea custard brulee was smooth with a hint of refreshing green tea taste.  I also liked the way the green tea controls the sweetness in way that is delightful.  Also, unlike some places which tend to have a bitter layer of green tea syrup, this was one just fine.  Not too concentrated.  As a whole, this was perfection.  In fact, I reckon green tea suits Crème Brulee a lot better than berries do although I believe that the little darling will  have a lot to say on that statement of mine!

At the end of the night, we were really satisfied with the restaurant.  The food was in my opinion, a different experience as it was in fact quite special.  It was like going in and coming out a different person.  Probably just an illusion to the mind although I’m pretty sure I came out fatter hehe!  Every thing went well that night, food was good and the waiter/-tress were keen to serve.  Just last night the little darling and I were talking about our meal here and she told me that she really liked it.  Therefore, in my honest opinion, Nine Fine Food is a good restaurant.  So good that I would not mind coming here over and over again!

WenY
Nine Fine Food on Urbanspoon