March 7, 2015
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Lamb Duo: Lamb belly and lamb loin with turmeric and lentil puree, dried lemon foam, potato pave and potato chips - 3
J's comment > incredible flavors and technique! absolutely floored w this dish! lamb was perfectly tender throughout, not chewy at all in the slightest; turmeric and lentil puree was a refreshing deviation from the standard lamb + lamb jus-of-some-sort; puree was creamy w good balance of both turmeric and lentil flavors; potatoes perfect of course, chips completely crisp and pave lightly crisped on the outside and soft in the center;
FYI, note the duality of this dish? Protein: lamb belly & lamb loin, Sauce: turmeric & lentil, Starch: chip and pave;
And the colors!! A beautiful palate of yellow |
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Olovieah Salad: Egg salad with tarragon and cilantro, sous-vide chicken, freeze-dried corn and peas, crispy chicken skin - 3
J's comment > OMG... seriously the best chicken salad I have ever had! Chicken was perfectly tender w the perfect balance amt of egg; loved the bits of chicken skin that stayed crispy despite the moisture from the other ingredients in the salad, really it was better than bacon bits (*gasp!*) no, really it was |
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Bread Salad: Crumbled bread with mint/tarragon/parsley, shaved walnuts, persian cucumber, feta powder - 2+
J's comment > another win for the salad team; another unusual flavor and texture pairing; bread bits were soft but firm enough that it wasn't just mush; loved the feta (I think there were actual chunks of it in the salad, and not just a sprinkle of powder |
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Halva and Foie: Aerated foie gras, sesame paste, candied almonds, dried figs - 2+
J's comment > as a lover of foie gras, this was no exception to my collection of beloved foies; nonetheless, this version of aerated foie definitely earned its chops (haha); the sesame paste gave the foie an extra oomph; excellent ratio and portion of the candied almonds and dried figs, neither of which were too sweet, but contrasted just enough w the savory foie to enhance each others' flavors |
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Koo Koo Sabzi and Sablefish: Saffron, pistachio, mint, tarragon, bar berries and egg mixture with sunchoke puree and chips, pan-seared sablefish - 2
J's comment > not bad; beautifully cooked fish; koo koo sabzi (the cube) was intriguing, a touch of sour note ( probably from the berries), a bit stiff for my liking |
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Romaine and Gastrique: Romaine ice, condensed romaine hearts, apple cider vinegar gastrique - 2
J's comment > not bad; very crisp and juicy (yes juicy!) romaine hearts; apple cider vinegar made this amuse insanely fresh |
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Kaskea Badem Joon: Eggplant/ kashkea puree in a gluten-free pita - 2
J's comment > not bad; very creamy puree in the crisp pita chip; loved the play on an otherwise avg 'pita + dip' scenario |
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Squab and Pomegranate: Squab breast with pomegranate/walnut puree, kale chips, shaved walnuts - 2
J's comment > a decently cooked piece of squab breast, tender and juicy; not dry or stringy in the least like the Asian roasted squab version (I always eat around the breast and try to grab the leg instead); this was reminiscent of duck actually (well they are both fowl...); flavors OK; tartness of the pomegranate and the nuttiness of the walnut didn't work as well as I think it sounds in theory;
FYI, I'd much rather have this one bite of tasty squab than the half squab from 3 star Michelin resto Jean-Georges in NYC (I'm still confused why it has 3 stars...) |
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Octopus and Eggplant Puree: Octopus a la plancha, tomato/eggplant marmelade, burnt eggplant/squid ink/garlic puree, squid ink/rice cracker (round 2) - 2
J's comment > see comment on octopus first below and come back to this one;
lobster cooked perfectly, but didn't go as well with the flavors as octopus should; FYI, I wonder why/how Secret Location had some spare lobster lying around since the other dishes didn't have lobster in them |
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Octopus and Eggplant Puree: Octopus a la plancha, tomato/eggplant marmelade, burnt eggplant/squid ink/garlic puree, squid ink/rice cracker (round 1) - 2
J's comment > octopus was dry and overcooked, a bit stringy; puree OK; quite disappointed in this, after all, this is Secret Location, and there are standards to maintain; we sent the octopus dish back and got the lobster above (I suspect something went wrong w the octopus station in the kitchen...);
Mini Rant
Sadly, service was chaotic tonight. After the foie dish (5 out of 11) we waited half an hour for this octopus dish, only to be disappointed w the sub-par quality. After sending the octopus back, the lobster version took another 30 mins, so that's 1 hr for the same dish (technically) that were both less than stellar. My partner and I almost, almost walked out, but were glad we didn't as we were phenomenally impressed w the following dishes, esp the lamb. The Lamb! |
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Rice Pudding and Sorbet: Rice pudding w toasted pistachios and quince sorbet - 2
J's comment > not bad; very good flavors, mild rice notes w a good crunch from the saffron chips and a bit of tartness from the quince sorbet; rice pudding wasn't too mushy either, w actual grains of rice still plump and in whole form; my dining partner who hates rice pudding actually didn't mind this version; I was more impressed w the saffron from the saffron chips that didn't bother me as it usually would (not a fan of saffron) |
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Akbar Mashti Ice Cream Sandwich: Saffron/rosewater/pistachio ice cream served as a sandwich - 2
J's comment > not bad; another strong saffron flavored dessert, another exception of saffron that I actually didn't mind; great melding of the rosewater and pistachio flavors to the saffron; a decent ice cream sandwich, but I generally like every other dessert before ice cream |
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Complimentary drink #1 - 2
J's comment > not bad; lovely fizz and rose water; most memorable item was actually the ice chips which were the perfect nibblet sizes; excellent attention to detail |
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Complimentary drink #1 - 2
J's comment > didn't remember much of this one but it was OK |
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Complimentary drink #3 - 2
J's comment > a very jammy Pinot Noir; FYI, these were on the house to apologize for the 1 hr wait |
Extra Comment
Secret Location is running a 'Dining Journey' from January 5th to March 21st, showcasing/featuring Spain, Italy, France, Asia, Persia, and South America cuisines (each cuisine taking center stage for two weeks). 10 courses for $95 per person, including paired drinks. FYI, the last two drinks on this post were not included in the $95. More info @ www.secretlocation.ca/journey
Previous Posts
Feb 13, 2015 (France)
Jan 16, 2015 (Spain)
Nov 20, 2014 (desserts)
Sep 17, 2014 (desserts)
Aug 24, 2014 (brunch)
Apr 5, 2014 (desserts)
Feb 11, 2014 (Tasting Menu)
Feb 6, 2014 (Tasting Menu)
Nov 22, 2013 (desserts)
Apr 2, 2013 (meal)
Labels: event, gastown, moderniste cuisine, tapas
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