Absolutely " Absolute Haven"! [Closed]
Heh, heh, heh, this was the first " food-tasting" I went (please keep it coming), and I was absolutely excited about it!
Thanks very much to Daniel, Ming & xx ( oops, I forgot who was the 3rd partner) of HungryGoWhere. Thanks for making all the arrangements. Not to forget, the kind owner of Absolute Haven and the chef too, for whipping out all these fabulous dishes!
Keke, I'm making this sound like a thank you speech on an award presentation hor?
Walking into the small restaurant, we were greeted chirpy with all the colourful decorations for Xmas. An early Xmas celebration indeed!
Thanks very much to Daniel, Ming & xx ( oops, I forgot who was the 3rd partner) of HungryGoWhere. Thanks for making all the arrangements. Not to forget, the kind owner of Absolute Haven and the chef too, for whipping out all these fabulous dishes!
Keke, I'm making this sound like a thank you speech on an award presentation hor?
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Walking into the small restaurant, we were greeted chirpy with all the colourful decorations for Xmas. An early Xmas celebration indeed!
Playing with my camera, trying out on the different effects with the different white-balance functions. Which one is better?
Tables laid out, welcoming all the "VIPs" from HGW....
And yes, we were the more kiasu ones, being the early few... haha
And yes, we were the more kiasu ones, being the early few... haha
Strawberry WaterRemember in my previous review, I mentioned that the drinking water served had a sweet but light taste of strawberries. This time round, I made sure I took a photo of the whole jug. Dun say I bluff you hor, got evidence!
( Only applicable for ice water.... )
(Hot water you also want? You wanna kill all the vitamins in the strawberries izzit???)
Without too much crap, let's move on to the main highlight => ~*~ Food of coz! ~*~
I almost fell out of my chair when I took a look at the menu on the table. Wa Kao, 5-course dinner leh!! At first, I thought we probably just be getting small serving. But to my pleasant surprise, let me repeat myself, it was a full 5-course dinner. Absolutely generous of "Absolute Haven"!
I almost fell out of my chair when I took a look at the menu on the table. Wa Kao, 5-course dinner leh!! At first, I thought we probably just be getting small serving. But to my pleasant surprise, let me repeat myself, it was a full 5-course dinner. Absolutely generous of "Absolute Haven"!
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Soup
Lobster bisque with prawns & scallops
One look at the soup, disappointing. Dint really look appetizing, I must say. Kinda contrasting as the fragrance of the soup was damn strong. I could smell the aroma even before it was served before me.But remember I mentioned before, dun judge a book by its cover!!
Indeed I was right =) Look!Generous serving of fresh big scallops and lobster in the soup. But the soup itself was not that fantastic, as agreed by many of us. It was light with a weird taste, probably due to the herbs used. According to the chef, it was easy to cook thick creamy lobster soup as found in most menu. But to make it a lighter base, that was the difficult part. Well hearing this, I guess I will appreciate the soup slightly better, but then it still doesnt mean that I have to like it.. Haha
Starter:
Braise baby abalone layered with crispy white bait base on a bed of asparagus and egg tart top with a spoon of artichoke sauce
This was kinda fusion dish, with 3 totally different bites: Chinese abalone, Ang Mo asparagus tart and fried small fishes. I would start with the least favourite, i.e. the baby abalone. Even though the menu said that the abalone was braised, I cant really taste all the goodness in it. The sauce and the abalone tasted like 2 separate strangers. But again, perhaps the abalone was too small to absorb. Well, maybe the chef can consider using bigger ones? I finished my baby abalone in just one mouthful, and without knowing it, it "slided" straight down my throat and into the stomach, how to taste like that??? Keke
I cant really decide which one was better, the asparagus tart or the fried fishes. I like both actually.
The fried fishes were fried to golden crispy, without being cha da ( aka over fried). I think that should be quite difficult, consider the sizes of the fishes. You really got to control the oil temperate etc. The fried fishes would make a great tibit while watching tv!
Next, the asparagus tart. Simply, it was good and definitely healthy. In the soft egg bed, you found tiny cuts of asparagus. A nice touch without feeling too overwhelming, leaving enough stomach space for the main course & of coz, dessert!
Pasta:
Homemade gnocchi with stew spring chicken topped with foie gras
OMG, OMG... This was definitely my favourite! And that explained why there was a "dedicated" editing ( the 3rd photo of pasta) for this dish... I'm trying to bring out the effect that everything else appear colourless beside the pasta... Hohoho... 想太多!
Anyway as usual, I will use Wiki to kindly "educate" the ignorant rest of us the meaning of
Gnocchi (pronounced [ˈɲɔːki] in Italian; singular gnocco) is the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle or dumpling. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, potato, bread crumbs, or other ingredients of a generic disposition.
Thinking aloud: Who the hell can read the alien words and know how to pronounce?
Who care about the pronoun as long as it tastes good? Except that perhaps you might face some trouble trying to order this. No worry, just memorize the spelling and write it down lor! =p
Why was it special ar? Definitely dun taste like your everyday spaghetti, macaroni etc. Rather, I find the closest resemble will be the Hakka dish - Abacus Balls ( 算盘子), or maybe mochi? The texture was kinda starchy, springy & very Q. And probably because of the chicken stew, you could taste sweetness sensation with every chew.
Not to forget, the foie gras. Hmm, I used to have a "bad impression" of foie gras. Dun understand why people treat it like delicacy, willing to spend $ on just a small piece ( & not stomach-filling) of bird liver. Come to think of it, perhaps those that I tried before were simply not good enough.
The foie gras served in this dish was absolutely yummy! It totally melted in your mouth. Tasted like the fatty part of the roasted meat. Oh so sinful but irresistible!
Erm, I see that disapproving frown on your face... Com'on, it was the best description I could think of, and theoretically I'm absolutely correct. Foie gras is fat liver in French okie??
Special verdict for this dish: Exploding combination which urges you for more!
Anyway as usual, I will use Wiki to kindly "educate" the ignorant rest of us the meaning of
"GNOCCHI"
Gnocchi (pronounced [ˈɲɔːki] in Italian; singular gnocco) is the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle or dumpling. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, potato, bread crumbs, or other ingredients of a generic disposition.
Thinking aloud: Who the hell can read the alien words and know how to pronounce?
Who care about the pronoun as long as it tastes good? Except that perhaps you might face some trouble trying to order this. No worry, just memorize the spelling and write it down lor! =p
Why was it special ar? Definitely dun taste like your everyday spaghetti, macaroni etc. Rather, I find the closest resemble will be the Hakka dish - Abacus Balls ( 算盘子), or maybe mochi? The texture was kinda starchy, springy & very Q. And probably because of the chicken stew, you could taste sweetness sensation with every chew.
Not to forget, the foie gras. Hmm, I used to have a "bad impression" of foie gras. Dun understand why people treat it like delicacy, willing to spend $ on just a small piece ( & not stomach-filling) of bird liver. Come to think of it, perhaps those that I tried before were simply not good enough.
The foie gras served in this dish was absolutely yummy! It totally melted in your mouth. Tasted like the fatty part of the roasted meat. Oh so sinful but irresistible!
Erm, I see that disapproving frown on your face... Com'on, it was the best description I could think of, and theoretically I'm absolutely correct. Foie gras is fat liver in French okie??
Special verdict for this dish: Exploding combination which urges you for more!
Main Course:
Mouth watering grain fed beef tenderloin on a bed of temptation "Baked Potatos" glazed with glossy beef & fig sauce
My choice of main course. Again, the size of that tenderloin was generously hugeeee! Wonder whether the serving would shrink if I come on my own.. For now, who cares?
Mine was medium rare, which explained the redness in the centre. Yeah, I'm carnivorous! It was quite tender and chewy, even though the outer layer seems to be slightly charred. Probably the size was too big to control the grilling of the beef? I dunno... But it became "boring" eating the beef after sometime since there was no special sauce, nothing but just beef and more beef.
And hor, it was tough cutting the meat, which they should have given us steak knife instead. I spent time eating the beef, which was converted into energy to cut the remaining beef. Going by this logic, I effectively eaten nothing!! Hahahaha...
Mine was medium rare, which explained the redness in the centre. Yeah, I'm carnivorous! It was quite tender and chewy, even though the outer layer seems to be slightly charred. Probably the size was too big to control the grilling of the beef? I dunno... But it became "boring" eating the beef after sometime since there was no special sauce, nothing but just beef and more beef.
And hor, it was tough cutting the meat, which they should have given us steak knife instead. I spent time eating the beef, which was converted into energy to cut the remaining beef. Going by this logic, I effectively eaten nothing!! Hahahaha...
Oh ya, the yellowish thingy was mashed potato with cheese. A very rich side dish. Would much prefer a small serving, coz it became a bit too much to finish all.
Cod cheek quazetto with braised pricked cabbage, lobster bisque top with a generous portion of bake codfish
No comments coz I never tried this wor... But I think, it is hard for codfish to go wrong, coz codfish is good on its own! Keke.. anyway, I tried codfish at Haven Absolute before, so I have no doubts that this dish should be quite decent! =)
Roasted crown rack of lamb crusted with fresh oreganos, macadamia nuts, serve with a glacey red wine sauce and lemon mint jelly
Well, I dun really fancy lamb, but I decided to get a small piece from my friend just for taste. Perhaps I was more sensitive, but I could taste the weird weird taste of lamb, even for a small piece. Nevertheless, my fren finished her lamb, so I guess it's still up to individuals preferences bah..
Dessert
Authentic tiramisu
Wat can be better, other than ending a full meal with a sweet dessert? And there was still coffee & tea!
Overall, I enjoyed my dinner with some favorites and some passable. But I guess there is no one particular food that is able to satisfy everyone, so I can still "live" with those passable ones. Haha
Just for info, the food tasting was organized as the restaurant is coming up with a new menu. Please visit their website for their new menu if you are keen!!
2 comments:
HGW founders are Dennis, Yung Yih and Hoong An lah. :)
Hi Christian,
Thank you for your support! \^0^/
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