My first visit to Ember was back in 06. Pretty much about the time Small Potatoes budded and through all that time after that, this pleasant little restaurant sheathed into an angular corner of a boutique hotel located in a former red light district on the fringes of Chinatown had constantly slipped my radar. I remember being interested in coming back again, but that never happened until this year. Time really flies.
The menu has changed some from that time. Some of the stuff that I had back then are still in the menu. They've become (or had remained?) signature dishes at Ember.
The scallops, which have shrunk considerably still tasted pretty good. For all the years that people have been talking about their sea bass and me not noticing it, I've also had them for the first time this round and I wished I had not forgotten about them for the past 7-8 years. Very nice. Wished there was more punch from the yuzu component, but still made me wipe my plate clean. With bread, mind you. Miso cod was okay, but it was overshadowed noticeably by the sea bass. The foie gras with hour cooked egg and maitake mushrooms were outstanding as well. Good for returns. I'm sure the truffle helped, but I think the egg and maitake takes equal credit along with the nicely done sear on the foie.
How I feel about the food today is probably different from how I felt about it back in the first visit. The approach to the dishes are deceptively simple. It doesn't overwhelm with too much, gives enough of it and whatever there is, it's done well.
Service still deserves thumbs up. Here's to hoping that they stay the same after April.
pan seared foie gras with caramelised apple and clove port and raspberry glaze
pan roasted scallops with Parma ham, citrus and tarragon vinaigrette
pan roasted foie gras with 1-hour poached egg, truffle salt and maitake mushrooms
pan seared Chilean seabass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout, truffle yuzu butter sauce
marinated cod with black miso
crispy caramelized pear tart with home made Bailey's ice cream
spiced fig cake with Grand Marnier ice cream
mystery diner "A"
1 comment:
The food and presentations look wonderful.
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