Vanbrosia: Octopus Garden

February 6, 2015

Bluefin tuna Chu-toro - 3

J's comment > extremely tender, fresh, perfectly cut, not a single tendon

Tamago nigiri - 2+

J's comment > excellent tamago but a touch dry and rice fell apart upon picking up :( ; would have liked a smidgen more rice still

Pate Pate foie gras w rice galette - 2+

J's comment > insanely crisp (and a touch hard) rice galette; very creamy foie, strong foie flavor; you need to be really generous in slathering the foie on the rice galettes to use up all the foie; or ask for more galettes :D

Foie Gras (Quebec foie gras & mango) - 2+

J's comment > not bad; good foie, subtle flavor, but a touch dry; mango sadly MIA; I swear the portion of foie is getting larger...

Waru (butterfish) - 2+

J's comment > waru 'creamy' but not rich, it's actually quite light in flavor; would have liked it a touch more 'aburi-ed'

BBQ red prawn - 2+

J's comment > very flavorful, juicy and fresh prawn; you can really taste the grill flavor

Anago nigiri - 2+

J's comment > very tender and flavorful; not as salty as unagi is sometimes

Shiitake mushroom tempura nigiri - 2+

J's comment > perfectly thinly crisped shiitake yet juicy and moist; needed just a touch more sauce

Avocado Maki - 2

J's comment > not bad; the perfect palate cleanser in between some of the richer flavored items, eg. the foie gras and wagyu; creamy and ripe avocado

Saba battera - 2

J's comment > not bad; not 'fishy' at all today (it's infamous for its fishiness); a touch salty though, but otherwise very good, texture perfectly firm yet bouncy

Takowasa - 2+

J's comment > loved the duo of both raw and cooked octopus; fabulous texture, firm yet juicy; excellent balance of the wasabi dressing, spicy but not unbearable

Deep fried crispy spot prawn heads - 2

J's comment > not bad; lots of batter; loved the crispiness of the legs and the whiskers, but eating the brain part still kinda makes me squeamish (and yet I can inhale chicken feet... go figure)

Agedashi Tofu (regular) - 1

J's comment > tofu bland and a touch dry; batter too thick; despite dipping the tofu pieces in the sauce, it was still not very flavorful

Complimentary dessert platter - 2

J's comment > big hugs to Sada-san for the complimentary desserts! (wasn't my bday, was my dining partner's, but resos were under my name and hence the slight confusion);

Matcha Tiramisu still a fav, very soft and moist, excellent amt of cream;

Salted Chocolate Ganache had 9 layers (very impressed given its slightly short height) and not too sweet (nor salty actually), a touch on the firm side w some crispiness;

Passion Fruit Cream Brulee w Mango had well balanced citrus flavor, not too sour; a bit on the watery side;

Maple cheesecake passable, but would have appreciated a stronger maple flavor and a firmer/crisper crust;

Macaron good, lightly crisp w generous amt of filling