A truly impressive experience.
My partner and I had failed to make a reservation, as we were wandering the city and it was freezing cold, so we had picked at random to try our luck at this fusion asian restaurant.
At first-look, it has from the outside, the look of a rather general, typical bright-red dining area that is used quite often as a 'unique' touch.
The moment we came inside, however, was completely different.
Gentle, warm lighting, subdued hints of gilded and polished tiled flooring that told no lie of class.
(Also, three large paintings of, quite -delightful- art are on the wall at the back of the restaurant! [Side note: Yes, my partner did slap me on the arm for gawking.])
This was a very busy Saturday dinner, and we were greeted by a very friendly lady, who had asked if we had a reservation. Upon informing her we just walked in, we expected to be declined a table, but we were given a table in an area that had a -massive- red lantern, which was a truly fresh and different approach from other fusion restaurants I would normally frequent. We were seated in a circular dining area, and approached by a waiter who straight away made us feel as though we were his friends, giving us a few comedic jibes on our date-night. The charismatic and casual approach of service was absolutely delightful, and the food we saw coming from the kitchen to the other customers around us had our stomachs rumbling like a violent earthquake.
We asked the waiter so much about the menu, and he would constantly inform us on every ingredient, giving us 'juicy tips' (as he worded them) how to eat it properly to experience the full flavour. He would have to constantly give us a quick 'Give me ten seconds!', to attend to others, but was always back very quickly.
We ended up giving into his crazy idea as he said "Have you ever seen that disney movie Aladdin?" and then reaching his hand out to take our menus. "If you trust me, I'll take you on a magic journey!" It was an absolute deal, and we left our order completely up to the waiter, who had NOT let us down, let me explain this! This is where my normal review style comes in so GET READY!
There was a young lad who had a bun who brought us our first course (we had not planned on entrees, but we were so happy), and described everything on the plate. We had crispy-skinned lamb ribs, with a sweet and sour sauce it tasted like, mild even though it had plenty of chilli seeds. The first bite into the crust yielded, and tender, oh so tender meat fell from the bone into my grateful mouth. I turned to my partner and she had already started licking her fingers and giggling, and she is very picky!
I looked up to the kitchen, and I swear one of the chefs, even though it was busy, was looking over all the tables, and saw us, and just gave a small wink. As though he was saying 'Yes, that is what we do.'The next entree was some fried chicken, with what seemed to be fried mint leaves? WHAT?!
Oh but our waiter came running the moment we pulled the leaves to the side, and said 'No no, eat it WITH the leaf, trust me!' Oh my gods this man was right, and we dug in, crunching through the thin mint into the juicy, spiced chicken.
If you have never seen God before, try a bite of this magnificence. It was pure insanity.
Might I also add that the man with the bun who was bringing our food, was just so damned friendly, smiling, and spoke with some sort of latin accent which was unexpected for an asian restaurant, but he was such a gentle fellow we have to mention him again! He laid our main meals out for us, and it was a very interesting pick.
We had squares of pork-belly, with some caramel sauce and some sort of slaw on the top, with a little red bottle of vinegar (it looks quite like soy sauce). We also had some sort of curry, with crispy strips of fried pastry that were crunchy and fresh.
The pork belly, words, no son, words can not place the value of this taste. If you do not eat pork, then hold on because this curry had chicken that was so soft and tender it would make even Betty White cry in love. The chefs here clearly understand more than just generic cooking, you could taste the love and care in the dish.
Once we had gone half-way through our food, our waiter came over, leaned in between us and wriggled his eyebrows saying 'The pork belly, right? Life changing?'
Once we were done, we asked for the bill, and our waiter brought it over with a card-machine in his hand already! Talk about efficiency!
We kept the receipt and took a look at the price. For just over $120 we had an experience that was worth at least triple the money.
Let's break this down!
The service, a special thanks to Matt who gave us the time of our lives, and showed us trusting the selections of experienced staff is worth it. The food, the chefs (and the one who winked at us had a small bun, and a beard) clearly know their food, they do not mess around. They also seem to cater to all dietary needs, and the staff also asked about everything you can or can't eat. Fabulous!
The wine list, it is full of more choices than you can possibly fathom, an impressive list of sakes as well!
The management, they clearly run an incredibly tight ship, I saw at least 2-3 managers walking through the venue with a keen eye, watching the whole busy restaurant (and this is a HUGE place), smiling at everyone, and if our water was even half-empty, they would cruise by, staring with the intensity of a hawk to assure everything was in order. I am so impressed!
* Out of character apology, as the food was too good to describe as much as I normally do with my other reviews. I can not recommend this place enough. Every waiter was thanking us, smiling as we left, and the managers at the door were just so damned lovely we will be coming back.
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