of simple pleasures
D is in London this weekend and at his request, we went to Hakkasan last night. As I'd expected, I was totally underwhelmed by the food and the setting to some extent. The decor was dark chinoise, so dark that diners could hardly see their food. The table next to us had to grab the minature hanging lamps to point them directly at their menus and food. (Hmmm, somewhat reminiscent of a new introduction to the London dining scene - Dans le noir - which has received some pretty scathing comments from the critics.) Anyway, we had Crispy Duck Roll, Crispy Beancurd Puff with Venison in XO sauce to start. For mains, we shared Deep Fried Silver Cod in XO Sauce, Corn Fed Poussin in Lemon Sauce, Tofu Claypot, Braised Lamp with Chestnuts and Chinese Dates and Dou Miao in Garlic Sauce. Throughout dinner, I couldn't help but keep thinking that Magic Wok, my neighbourhod Chinese restaurant, would probably be serving the same dishes, albeit in less fancy plates, but with a whole lot less MSG!! The other thing about Hakkasan, is the speed of the service. It was amazing coz our first dish appeared 5 mins after we'd ordered. I remember having read somewhere that part of the secret to Hakkasan's success is its ability to do 3 sittings a night! At their sister restaurant, Yautcha, you only get 1.5 hours to have your meal.
Last night's underwhelming experience at Hakkasan made me think a little more about trendy/"it" restaurants in London. I must confess that I have not been to too many of them as I am afraid of bein underwhelmed by the experience and then feeling horribly cheated at the end of the meal for having paid s much for a good-but-not-amazing meal. Hence I have mostly limited my high-end gastronomic experiences in London to deal closing dinners or similar meals on corporate account. What I have tried so far makes me glad that it wasn't me paying for those meals!!
My favourite restaurants in London tend to be "hole-in-the-wall" establishments or just comfortable places with a good standard of food which leave me feeling so much more satisfied. There's the Lebanese takeaway on Westbourne Grove that makes my favourite juice combo on Saturday mornings and has really fresh mezzes. There's GBK which makes amazing burgers - don't get tempted by all the fancy-smancy toppings (e.g. garlic mayo, blue cheese etc), stick with the Classic and appreciate how amazing the burger is. I always love going to Le pain Quotidien - freshly baked bread makes me happy. And then there's Leon, where you get the feeling that the food you're eating is a labour of love.
For some reason, I find that the best meals I've had recently have all been on holiday. Long lazy Sunday lunch in wine country with half of Lebanon and M in Eltville, the menu dia at the Mercat, Cal pep and that simple but amazing pumpkin ravioli in Barcelona with tinymich and the fresh tomato soup with lots of bread, butter and jam with S in Amsterdam. Maybe it was the fact that I was on holiday which made everything taste better.
Hmmm...well, now that I've decided to spend more time and effort on cooking at home, plus I've managed to persuade BJ to join me on my culinary efforts (and buy a blowtorch for creme brulee), looking forward to eating at home more often! oh oh, and there's that Gourmet tour of Piedmont at the end of May - I'm pysched!
Last night's underwhelming experience at Hakkasan made me think a little more about trendy/"it" restaurants in London. I must confess that I have not been to too many of them as I am afraid of bein underwhelmed by the experience and then feeling horribly cheated at the end of the meal for having paid s much for a good-but-not-amazing meal. Hence I have mostly limited my high-end gastronomic experiences in London to deal closing dinners or similar meals on corporate account. What I have tried so far makes me glad that it wasn't me paying for those meals!!
My favourite restaurants in London tend to be "hole-in-the-wall" establishments or just comfortable places with a good standard of food which leave me feeling so much more satisfied. There's the Lebanese takeaway on Westbourne Grove that makes my favourite juice combo on Saturday mornings and has really fresh mezzes. There's GBK which makes amazing burgers - don't get tempted by all the fancy-smancy toppings (e.g. garlic mayo, blue cheese etc), stick with the Classic and appreciate how amazing the burger is. I always love going to Le pain Quotidien - freshly baked bread makes me happy. And then there's Leon, where you get the feeling that the food you're eating is a labour of love.
For some reason, I find that the best meals I've had recently have all been on holiday. Long lazy Sunday lunch in wine country with half of Lebanon and M in Eltville, the menu dia at the Mercat, Cal pep and that simple but amazing pumpkin ravioli in Barcelona with tinymich and the fresh tomato soup with lots of bread, butter and jam with S in Amsterdam. Maybe it was the fact that I was on holiday which made everything taste better.
Hmmm...well, now that I've decided to spend more time and effort on cooking at home, plus I've managed to persuade BJ to join me on my culinary efforts (and buy a blowtorch for creme brulee), looking forward to eating at home more often! oh oh, and there's that Gourmet tour of Piedmont at the end of May - I'm pysched!