picture taken from the restaurant's websiteHaving read quite a bit online about Sage the Restaurant (Robertson Walk, #02-12) after last year's food bloggers' dinner (which I unfortunately missed due to work commitments), I have been wanting to try out the food there. So recently, after a very hectic and stressful week of family affairs, D and I decided to take some time off for ourselves with a dinner for two.
We ordered a 4 course set dinner and an additional 2 ala carte dishes to share out between us. We also ordered the Huia Pinot Noir (Marlborough 2004) which was fantastic.
First up was the escargot and prawns. I was kinda tricked by the description on the menu which read, 'A risotto of Burgundy escargot and tiger prawns flambéed with pastis, Parmesan crusted poached egg and an Italian parsley foam'. I guess 'of' and 'with' makes a whole lot of difference. I, being a risotto fanatic, was hoping for a creamy and starchy start to my meal, was a little surprised the dish came without the rice. No matter, I still liked the dish, especially with the perfectly done poached egg with oozy yolk, though I must add, I was a little put off by the parsley foam. Anything green should not be foamy. Also, I do think that foam is not quite your fashionable garnish these days.
The next dish was the pumpkin soup & foie gras. Veloute of pumpkin and bittersweet chocolate with brioche crouton topped with chilled foie gras confit. The soup was delicious. Velvety rich pumpkin served piping hot. The chocolate left an unusual aftertaste which I quite liked. The foie gras was served cold and arrived pint-sized on a equally pint-sized brioche toast. That I didn't like. Eating foie gras cold is like eating cubes of butter - way too rich and cloying.
Main course was next. D ordered the beef cheek which came with a polenta cake and a 'crispy cannelloni' of butternut pumpkin. The cannelloni was nothing more than a fried spring roll. But I guess cannelloni sounds less tim sum-like. The polenta cake was great, especially the parsley crust on the top, and definitely a better choice of side compared to mash or risotto which would have overloaded the dish entirely. The beef cheek was melt-in-the-mouth tender so no complaints there. D savoured every morsel.
I ordered the smoked duck breast for my main. I enjoyed the couscous which was scented with cumin and studded with raisins and almonds. Very middle-eastern. D felt it was very Indian. He said it tasted like briani. Well, not quite. Overall, the dish worked out fine, except for the 'puree of summer peaches cooked in red wine' that was spread across the plate on the side. It didn't taste at all like peaches. In fact, I thought it was plum sauce till I looked at the menu again at the end of the meal.
Lastly - dessert. We had the lavender-infused creme brulee with dark chocolate mousse and blood orange sorbet. It wasn't bad but it wasn't outstanding either. I could do without it.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed our dinner that night. The food could do with a little tweaking here and there but I liked the fact they stayed true to their take of Modern European without veering into the Asian-fusion or modern Pacific Rim which many restaurants here have done. A little more hearty and a little less fluff (like foams and purees) and this restaurant is a real keeper.
We ordered a 4 course set dinner and an additional 2 ala carte dishes to share out between us. We also ordered the Huia Pinot Noir (Marlborough 2004) which was fantastic.
First up was the escargot and prawns. I was kinda tricked by the description on the menu which read, 'A risotto of Burgundy escargot and tiger prawns flambéed with pastis, Parmesan crusted poached egg and an Italian parsley foam'. I guess 'of' and 'with' makes a whole lot of difference. I, being a risotto fanatic, was hoping for a creamy and starchy start to my meal, was a little surprised the dish came without the rice. No matter, I still liked the dish, especially with the perfectly done poached egg with oozy yolk, though I must add, I was a little put off by the parsley foam. Anything green should not be foamy. Also, I do think that foam is not quite your fashionable garnish these days.
The next dish was the pumpkin soup & foie gras. Veloute of pumpkin and bittersweet chocolate with brioche crouton topped with chilled foie gras confit. The soup was delicious. Velvety rich pumpkin served piping hot. The chocolate left an unusual aftertaste which I quite liked. The foie gras was served cold and arrived pint-sized on a equally pint-sized brioche toast. That I didn't like. Eating foie gras cold is like eating cubes of butter - way too rich and cloying.
Main course was next. D ordered the beef cheek which came with a polenta cake and a 'crispy cannelloni' of butternut pumpkin. The cannelloni was nothing more than a fried spring roll. But I guess cannelloni sounds less tim sum-like. The polenta cake was great, especially the parsley crust on the top, and definitely a better choice of side compared to mash or risotto which would have overloaded the dish entirely. The beef cheek was melt-in-the-mouth tender so no complaints there. D savoured every morsel.
I ordered the smoked duck breast for my main. I enjoyed the couscous which was scented with cumin and studded with raisins and almonds. Very middle-eastern. D felt it was very Indian. He said it tasted like briani. Well, not quite. Overall, the dish worked out fine, except for the 'puree of summer peaches cooked in red wine' that was spread across the plate on the side. It didn't taste at all like peaches. In fact, I thought it was plum sauce till I looked at the menu again at the end of the meal.
Lastly - dessert. We had the lavender-infused creme brulee with dark chocolate mousse and blood orange sorbet. It wasn't bad but it wasn't outstanding either. I could do without it.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed our dinner that night. The food could do with a little tweaking here and there but I liked the fact they stayed true to their take of Modern European without veering into the Asian-fusion or modern Pacific Rim which many restaurants here have done. A little more hearty and a little less fluff (like foams and purees) and this restaurant is a real keeper.
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