Happy Mothers Day Yo!- Au Jardin Les Amis
And so Happy Mothers Day, for yesterday, to all you Mothers out there! As much as I think the whole Mothers Day concept is a complete load of bollocks, much like Valentines Day and Christmas Day (everyone knows that Steak & Blowjob Day is the only true day worth celebrating), I guess Mothers do have a pretty tough job and as such deserve some sort of an international shout out. Especially if they've had anything to do with raising a rotten little shit like me. So thanks Mom!!! *muacks*
But seeing as my own biological mother isn't here, not that I would celebrate the day anyway, I'm tagging along to the lunch Erica organised for her mumsy instead. Erica booked lunch at Au Jardin Les Amis which is a French Restaurant located in the Botanical Gardens. I have no idea what Au Jardin Les Amis translates too, suffice to say that the "Les" part is just a tad misleading. Where is this Amy I ask and am I going to get to see her making out with a girl?
Au Jardin is a somewhat unique concept (to me anyway) in that it's kinda like a semi-buffet. You have like a buffet of entrees, but also then select from an egg course (since it was a brunch set), a main, and a dessert. In fact it's a brilliant concept. It's almost like ordering a "half & half" down at that dodgy place with the discrete rear entrance and the tinted windows. You get the best of both worlds! You get to enjoy a buffet, and yet, an ala carte menu selection! Booyah!
The downside? If you're a glutton like me, you'll end up tanking out on the buffet and leaving almost no room for the mains. Which I don't regret in retrospect because my main was kinda average.
Au Jardin Les Amis
The House on the Hill
Quaint drawing of the said house...
Happy Mother(in-law)'s Day!
The Semi-Buffet Menu
The quality of the buffet was pretty good I have to say, what with it being like gourmet finger foods and all. See, what can't more high teas be like this? Instead of all those high teas that women seem to flock to of which only comprise of pretentious looking finger sandwiches, sugary chocolatey desserts, and a ridiculously disproportionate price tag, they should be serving this spread right here as a high tea buffet! You instead get pretentious looking stuff that actually tastes as fancy as it looks! Woo! So someone please run with that suggestion!
Oh and I almost forgot the bread, the white crusty slices of country bread here was sensational. It was one of the crustiest breads I've ever eaten! Now my criteria for bread is almost as simple as my criteria for women (heartbeat and no penis), it has to be crispy and light. And this bread nailed it on both counts. It was one of the lightest and crustiest loafs I've ever eaten.
I could try to describe all the funky buffet items but there's just too many. So I'll simply say that if it looked good, it tasted good... except for the pizza tart thing... that was rather average.
Assorted Goodies
Sea Snails, Duck Rillete, and Salmon Gravalax
Prawn roll things
Table all raped and pillaged
There's a couple of gripes I have to mention about this place. One is the slow rate of which they refill the buffet table, which in my books is a big no no because a buffet is meant to be food on tap, and the second is also the rate at which they serve your ala carte selections. They took sooooo damn long to bring out the egg, and then just as long to bring out the mains. I'm normally quite a patient man, but the wait was just excruciating. I say excruciating because you're sitting there, right next to a buffet spread, torn between pigging out on more or saving your gutspace for the mains. Those frog munching gut teasing bastards....
It turned out though that neither the Eggs Benedict nor Cocotte were anything to write home about. Both very simple, both very homely. It's something though you may give yourself a pat on the back about at home (only because it looks pretty), but definitely a bit disappointed at something coming out of a restaurant kitchen at restaurant prices. But then, that may be a bit unfair as sometimes the best dishes are those that are homely.... but I'm Singaporean and not French so in the end the "Dammit not fancy enough!" reasoning won out. Take heed Au Jardin!
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Cocotte
Purdy table decor
By the time the mains came, I could probably have finished knitting a sweater for a no armed man from start to finish. By then the food in my tummy has had much time to expand and mutiny against the current reigning government. "No more food!" they cried out, but I then decreed them to be enemies of the state and crushed them by force with a line of big meaty tanks. I couldn't take more than a few mouthfuls of roasted and cheek before calling off the assault and waving the white flag.
Apart from the lamb which was pretty tasty, I thought the rest of the mains too were quite on the average side which was a bit of a surprise. I really did expect better. If I come back, I'm just going to hoe down on the buffet and be content with that.
Baked Threadfin Fillet, Tomatoes, Dry Romesco,
Coastel Mussel Jus
Roasted Spring Lamb, Braised Shank Ragout
Seafood Risotto with Saffron, Kaffir Lime Emulsion
Roasted Beef with Crispy Beef Cheeks, Celeriac Puree
The desserts however picked up the notch a bit. The buffet dessert selection only comprised of the Chocolate Praline Cake which was surprisingly good, and some Pineapple Cake thing. The ala carte desserts that came were also quite good. The sorbet and granita was refreshing, and the toasted brioche interesting. It had these things on it that popped in your mouth like pop rocks, if you remember them from your youth.
Chocolate Cake with a Praline Centre
Carrot Sorbet, Carrot Cake Crumple, Clementine Granita
Brioche Pain Perdu, Goat's Milk Ice Cream
Petit Fours
All up, a very enjoyable meal with the buffet selection pulling up the average score for the rest of the place. I liken it to a girl that unfortunately has a pretty rank face but yet has a body built for sin. She's not perfect, but yet still enjoyable and you'd be happy to tell your friends about her :)
Hot damn I can be an obnoxious pig sometimes....
But seeing as my own biological mother isn't here, not that I would celebrate the day anyway, I'm tagging along to the lunch Erica organised for her mumsy instead. Erica booked lunch at Au Jardin Les Amis which is a French Restaurant located in the Botanical Gardens. I have no idea what Au Jardin Les Amis translates too, suffice to say that the "Les" part is just a tad misleading. Where is this Amy I ask and am I going to get to see her making out with a girl?
Au Jardin is a somewhat unique concept (to me anyway) in that it's kinda like a semi-buffet. You have like a buffet of entrees, but also then select from an egg course (since it was a brunch set), a main, and a dessert. In fact it's a brilliant concept. It's almost like ordering a "half & half" down at that dodgy place with the discrete rear entrance and the tinted windows. You get the best of both worlds! You get to enjoy a buffet, and yet, an ala carte menu selection! Booyah!
The downside? If you're a glutton like me, you'll end up tanking out on the buffet and leaving almost no room for the mains. Which I don't regret in retrospect because my main was kinda average.
Au Jardin Les Amis
The House on the Hill
Quaint drawing of the said house...
Happy Mother(in-law)'s Day!
The Semi-Buffet Menu
The quality of the buffet was pretty good I have to say, what with it being like gourmet finger foods and all. See, what can't more high teas be like this? Instead of all those high teas that women seem to flock to of which only comprise of pretentious looking finger sandwiches, sugary chocolatey desserts, and a ridiculously disproportionate price tag, they should be serving this spread right here as a high tea buffet! You instead get pretentious looking stuff that actually tastes as fancy as it looks! Woo! So someone please run with that suggestion!
Oh and I almost forgot the bread, the white crusty slices of country bread here was sensational. It was one of the crustiest breads I've ever eaten! Now my criteria for bread is almost as simple as my criteria for women (heartbeat and no penis), it has to be crispy and light. And this bread nailed it on both counts. It was one of the lightest and crustiest loafs I've ever eaten.
I could try to describe all the funky buffet items but there's just too many. So I'll simply say that if it looked good, it tasted good... except for the pizza tart thing... that was rather average.
Assorted Goodies
Sea Snails, Duck Rillete, and Salmon Gravalax
Prawn roll things
Table all raped and pillaged
There's a couple of gripes I have to mention about this place. One is the slow rate of which they refill the buffet table, which in my books is a big no no because a buffet is meant to be food on tap, and the second is also the rate at which they serve your ala carte selections. They took sooooo damn long to bring out the egg, and then just as long to bring out the mains. I'm normally quite a patient man, but the wait was just excruciating. I say excruciating because you're sitting there, right next to a buffet spread, torn between pigging out on more or saving your gutspace for the mains. Those frog munching gut teasing bastards....
It turned out though that neither the Eggs Benedict nor Cocotte were anything to write home about. Both very simple, both very homely. It's something though you may give yourself a pat on the back about at home (only because it looks pretty), but definitely a bit disappointed at something coming out of a restaurant kitchen at restaurant prices. But then, that may be a bit unfair as sometimes the best dishes are those that are homely.... but I'm Singaporean and not French so in the end the "Dammit not fancy enough!" reasoning won out. Take heed Au Jardin!
Eggs Benedict
Eggs Cocotte
Purdy table decor
By the time the mains came, I could probably have finished knitting a sweater for a no armed man from start to finish. By then the food in my tummy has had much time to expand and mutiny against the current reigning government. "No more food!" they cried out, but I then decreed them to be enemies of the state and crushed them by force with a line of big meaty tanks. I couldn't take more than a few mouthfuls of roasted and cheek before calling off the assault and waving the white flag.
Apart from the lamb which was pretty tasty, I thought the rest of the mains too were quite on the average side which was a bit of a surprise. I really did expect better. If I come back, I'm just going to hoe down on the buffet and be content with that.
Baked Threadfin Fillet, Tomatoes, Dry Romesco,
Coastel Mussel Jus
Roasted Spring Lamb, Braised Shank Ragout
Seafood Risotto with Saffron, Kaffir Lime Emulsion
Roasted Beef with Crispy Beef Cheeks, Celeriac Puree
The desserts however picked up the notch a bit. The buffet dessert selection only comprised of the Chocolate Praline Cake which was surprisingly good, and some Pineapple Cake thing. The ala carte desserts that came were also quite good. The sorbet and granita was refreshing, and the toasted brioche interesting. It had these things on it that popped in your mouth like pop rocks, if you remember them from your youth.
Chocolate Cake with a Praline Centre
Carrot Sorbet, Carrot Cake Crumple, Clementine Granita
Brioche Pain Perdu, Goat's Milk Ice Cream
Petit Fours
All up, a very enjoyable meal with the buffet selection pulling up the average score for the rest of the place. I liken it to a girl that unfortunately has a pretty rank face but yet has a body built for sin. She's not perfect, but yet still enjoyable and you'd be happy to tell your friends about her :)
Hot damn I can be an obnoxious pig sometimes....