This restaurant is located in Pacific Place, of contemporary decor and with separate bar and dining sections, as well as a nice outdoor garden terrace. The setting is rather spacious but offering a cozy intimate atmosphere, reminding me of some of the best European grand cafe I visited before.
Ordering the dinner set menu ($588 each), I have chosen Grilled Artichoke & Roquefort Cheese to start. The salad is beautifully presented, with finely diced cucumber, peppers, onion, accompanying the artichoke with an oregano-walnut vinaigrette dressing. The sweetness of the fresh vegetable enhances the rich flavors of the cheese, which got a nice saltiness to season the salad, changing the perceived blandness to a wonderful array of flavors.
The next course was Wild Asparagus Corzetti Pasta. This pasta is something I haven't tried before, essentially thin slices of circular shape with a stamped pattern. The pasta is home-made with a good texture, and the dish has the ricotta cheese to add to the taste, along with some morels. The wild asparagus is also interesting, very different than the commonly available asparagus, with a slightly crunchy texture which is also new for me. The pasta is prepared with a lemon verbena honey sauce and is a really innovative dish.
The main course I have chosen French Sea Bass & Patty Pan Squash en Papillote. The fish filet is wrapped in a parchment to cook, retaining the juice and keeping the flesh moist and tender, and inside there are also the finely diced patty pan squash giving a complement and nice contrast in texture. There is also an olive tapenade and preserved lemon butter sauce to accompany, bringing out the delicate flavors of the sea bass. The dish is good but I would like the fish to be seasoned a bit more which would make it even more phenomenal.
The dessert is Chocolate & Raspberry-Rose Tart, along with a Raspberry Ice-cream. The tart is really nice, with the rich and sweet chocolate balanced by the tartness of the raspberry, with each one of them filled with raspberry sauce which demonstrated the attention to details of the chef. It is a nice finish for the meal.
In fact the menu offers a choice for each course, and on the night my wife ordered the other choices.
With a bottle of water, the total bill on the night was $1,360 which was quite reasonable. Given the restaurant is located in such prime location, no wonder it was packed on the night, even just a normal Wed evening. Service is also decent, but like so many restaurants that I have commented in my review they failed to come and introduce each dish which I still believe is a critical element for any great restaurant, and is one of the best ways to let the customers understand the hard works and creativity of the team in the kitchen.
Having said that, overall, this is still a nice restaurant which I recommend.
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