Dinner @ Sage

It had been almost a year since I had first/last walked into Sage. This was a dinner that I've been looking forward to do for quite some time, courtesy of fatpig.

A bit has changed in the past year at Sage. There doesn't seem to be lunch anymore which I thought was a pity because what they did was good. Dinner only has a la carte where there used to be sets previously. Those aside, the food still lived up to how I remembered it. The photos here do not do justice to the actual food. The restaurant was "romantically lit" and only so much image quality can be squeezed out with 2 megapixels. Thanks Adrian, for the extra lighting.

complimentary amuse bouche

I'm not sure what this was so I can only describe it by taste. The fuschia layer at the top was tangy and reminded me of berries or tomatoes. Couldn't put my finger onto what it was. At the bottom was a pudding of sorts the colour of oatmeal. That seemed to taste like pate.

Seared King Scallops on a Salad of Homemade Squid Ink Capellini, Marinated Ocean Trout and Avruga Caviar, Braised Scallop Lips and Leek & Potato Vichyssoise

I found the seared scallop very enjoyable. The sweetness of the it was resonant. There was some salty Avruga caviar with smoky morsels of scallop "wings" at the top and squid ink capellini at the bottom. At the base was a leek and potato vichyssoise which was delicious - to the point that most of us were rummaging the bread basket for remnants to mop up all the remaining vichyssoise. The marinated trout simply tasted like salty salmon flakes.

Pan Seared Duck Foie Gras with Pistachio Crust and Fig Compote, Granny Smith Apple Puree and a dressing of Red Grape Mustard Vinegar

This foie gras was widely praised. Probably one of the best I've had so far. Those cliche descriptions of crispy skin and quivery soft insides that disintegrates in your mouth lending their rich buttery flavours...it's all true. There's more. I had particularly enjoyed the pistachio crust which provided an additional nutty fragrance. That was definitely not just window dressing. Wait - there's even more; the Granny Smith apple puree was worth mentioning because it was so smooth that it was almost creamy. It introduced a citrus balance to the duck liver which was already heart clogging good.

Caramelized Black Angus Beef Cheek topped with Melted Foie Gras Mousse and a Fricassee of Mushrooms, Compote of Butternut Squash and White Onions

I picked the beef over the fish for the main. Almost regretted it because I tried the cod. The abhorred 'melt in your mouth' description would be very appropriate there. As much as I prefer to avoid that phrase, it was true for the fish.

Back to the beef cheek. Quite what I had expected. Not so interesting. There were some saving graces led by a light hint of that caramelized bitter over the sweet and savoury cheeks which were fork tender. The beef cheek sat in the sweet jus which was made richer by the foie gras mousse. Not much to the mushrooms but I liked the butternut squash compote.

Lemon & Triple Cheese Bavarian

For dessert, I landed myself this mascarpone, ricotta, cream cheese and Meyer lemon Bavarian with peanut butter ice-cream and baked honeyed-lemon filo. I was thinking as I tasted the pudding that all three cheese were individually lost in translation. It tasted like a curdled lemon yoghurt. Pretty enjoyable with the sweet filo pastry but was overwhelmed by the creamy peanut butter ice cream which was also really good with bits of crushed nuts on the side.

This place would definitely be for re-visits.