Coquette Brasserie

So as many of you might know (if you read this blog regularly), we were in France last year.  I don't believe that we have dined on French food since then (at least from what I can remember).  So I was quite excited to try Coquette Brasserie where Gramercy Grill used to be located.  Met up with Steph for this one and we were greeted to a truly French experience with French staff and true brasserie-like feel, except with more space.  After going over the menu, we went ham with the dishes.

We started with the Tartare de Bison with gribiche sauce and egg yolk jam.  We also found some pickled shallots on top and caperberries.  Despite being lean, the bison was fairly buttery and tender.  I found the seasoning a bit weak, so the shallots and caperberries had to do the heavy lifting in terms of acidity and saltiness.  The side of crostinis were light, airy and crispy.  They were the perfect compliment to the tartare.

Next, we had La Jambon Persillé with cornichons, grainy mustard and toasted baguette.  Upon digging into the terrine, it resembled more of a ham hock rillette rather than a terrine.  No matter though as it ate quite well with a meatiness that was also tender and full-flavoured.  The tanginess of the pickles and mustard went a long way into keeping things bright and balanced.  Wished there was more baguette, but I'm sure you could ask for more.

However, we didn't need to ask for more bread because we ordered La Corbeille de Pain featuring bread from Bad Dog Bakery with foie gras butter.  The best small plate we had was the Tartelette à L’échalotes.  To me, it looked and ate more like an onion tart, but it really didn't matter as the tart was caramelized, sweet and aromatic.  Despite being broken, the tart shell was nicely textured being soft and firm at the same time.  On the side we found a frisée salad and goat cheese.

Despite it being categorized as a main course, we got the Moules Frites as another appetizer.  This consisted of 1lb of PEI mussels in a marinière sauce.  All the mussels were open and cooked just right maintaining a briny butteriness.  As for the sauce, there was only a bit of it on the bottom of the pot.  It was aromatic and sweet with the brininess of mussel nectar.  The side of frites were thin but and mostly crispy.

The best main dish we had was Le Canard sporting a confit leg, pomme purée, beets and whole grainy mustard & orange sauce.  The duck leg itself was fall-apart tender with crispy rendered skin.  The meat itself was only salty enough, so that the sweet and tangy sauce was able to compliment.  Buttery and smooth, the pomme purée was great with the shreds of duck meat while the beets added a sweet earthiness.

When we were deciding what to order, there was no hesitation to add Le Burger to the list.  Turns out it was a good decision as the Wagyu beef patty was moist and juicy (well, actually fatty, but tasty!).  It had a good sear and was dressed in a caramelized onion jam. gruyère, burger sauce and arugula.  As a whole, the burger was delicious where the bun was toasted properly and things go messy.  This had savoury, sweet and umaminess.

Our last main dish was the Steak Frites sporting 6oz flat iron prepared medium rare.  In general, the steak was good being tender with a nice char on the outside.  It was could've been salted a bit more though.  It came with the same frites and a side salad.  I liked the fact that the steak was medium rare by default.  For me personally, that is the way to go with moist steaks.  Since the steak was well-rested, there was no pools of steak juice leaking onto the plate.

Onto dessert, we didn't mess around and ordered all of them!  The Tarte Tartin was pretty good with a flaky and buttery crust.  Inside, the apple was tender and sweet with some background tang.   Nice caramelization throughout.  It came with buttermilk ice cream and drizzles of salted caramel.  The Crème Brûlée was one of the best versions we've had in quite some time.  It was a fairly large portion served in a shallow oval ramekin.  The custard was creamy and light while being semi-sweet and aromatic from the vanilla.  On top, the sugar was evenly torched creating a smoky and sweet crunch.  Delicious.

The other 2 desserts were the Mousse au Chocolat and Panna Cotta aux Fruits de la Passion.  These were also solid with the mousse having some body, yet still light and airy.  It was purposefully sweet with background chocolate bitterness.  As for the panna cotta, it was on the firmer side but not heavy.  Naturally, it was refreshing with fruitiness and tangy sweetness.  Overall, we thought the meal at Coquette was good with some highlights.  It did remind me of my time in Paris last year down to the ambiance and the "Frenchness" of the place.

The Good:

- Above average

- Nice ambiance

- Authentic experience

The Bad:

- Definite highlights, but some other dishes were just okay

The Good Thief

Oh, the Good Thief again???  Hasn't it only been a little over a month?  Well, Mijune was invited to try the place out and seeing that she was wanting me to join her, I just couldn't say no.  Besides, my first visit was pretty good, so I was looking forward in trying the rest of the menu (despite me already ordering a lot of dishes already the first time!).  If I have to remind everyone, the Good Thief is the 2nd restaurant from the owners of Anh & Chi, which is next door.

One of the most impressive things about my initial visit was their vast and unique cocktail menu.  Therefore, we got a few including the Six Inch Yellow, Pom Pom Punch and Phở Dặc Biệt.  I've had the Pom Pom before (so read it in the previous post) while the Six Inch Yellow was something completely different.  Although it was fruity and refreshing like the Pom Pom, it was also more bold due to the Chartreuse and Rye.  To top it off, the spicy foam really provided a kick.  As for the Phở Dặc Biệt, it really did taste like the broth and the usual flavourings, including a star anise finish.  Strangely, they were able to emulate the subtle flavour of rice noodles.  This was a rather savoury and heavy cocktail, where the pickled bean sprouts was definitely needed to provide balance.

Onto the food, we had the Oysters first and despite not looking like much, they were fantastic!  These sunseekers were topped with a coconut chili foam which was super impactful, light and aromatic.  Of course there was a bite to them too, but just enough, so that the sweet brininess of the liquor came through.  We also had the Whelk atop crispy forbidden rice.  This was a study of textures with the tender, yet chewy whelk contrasting with the crunch of the rice.  Even though the rice looked heavy, it was actually soft and airy on the inside.  The combination of sauces as well as the Vietnamese coriander allowed for tangy, sweet and herbaceousness.

Believe it or not, I've not actually had Balut before.  Well, given that they have the quail's egg version on the menu, it was as good as any other time to take the dive.  Besides being firmer, these resembled boiled eggs but just with a bit more egginess and/or gaminess.  Sitting in a spicy tamarind sauce, it did add plenty of impact and lessened the egginess.  To top it all, literally and figuratively, we found rau răm that provided an unmistakable coriander essence as well as a level of mustiness.  Some peanuts added crunch and of course nuttiness. 

To lighten things up a bit, we got the Pomelo & Lotus Root.  It was truly refreshing with the pops of sweetness and bitterness from the pomelo and also the saltines from the crunchy cured lotus root.  With mint and coriander, there was no shortage of herbal notes either.  What brought it all together was the calamansi vinaigrette as it offered up the usual tart citrus flavours.  Perfect to go with our drinks, the Charcoal Skewers featuring lamb and pork were smoky and perfectly grilled.  Due to the char, there was some nuttiness and caramelization.  Some flakes of salt helped bring out the natural meat flavours.  Inside, the meat was tender and juicy.

I think my favourite small plate had to be the Frog Legs in Mẹ’s fish sauce glaze.  Everyone seems to want to do chicken wings in some form of fish sauce caramel these days, but by virtue of using frog legs, this became a very different, yet familiar dish.  Sure, frog legs do resemble chicken but they do taste different.  There is a certain fishiness to them without actually being fishy.  The ones here were mild-tasting while super tender.  Outside, they were crispy and complete glazed.  The intense sweet brininess was addictive and we really couldn't stop eating these!

One featured item that we tried was the Charcoal-Grilled Octopus with kaffir lime and paprika atop jicama, Asian pear and radicchio salad.  Since the octopus was sous-vide first, its texture was tender while still retaining a bit of chew.  The caramelized fish sauce glaze was sweet and briny while completely charred by the grilling.  Hence there was intense smokiness and caramel notes.  The salad underneath was the perfect accompaniment since it added freshness and crunch.

So far, the meal was going swimmingly and those cocktails, so good!  However, the Escargots was the most ordinary of the dishes we had.  It wasn't bad, but just didn't compare well with the rest.  It was prepared like a vol-au-vent with a puff pastry shell.  Well, the menu description was "Bánh Patê Sô" which is a pasty pie, but really, it was a vol-au-vent.  The escargots were prepared with brandy, garlic, chili oil and butter.  This was plenty aromatic, yet somehow, it was a bit underseasoned.  Again, nothing wrong with the dish, just the least impactful.

One dish I was eyeing the last time, but didn't end up ordering, was the Winter Squash.  Fortunately, we got to try it this time and man, it was delicious!  The delicata squash was perfectly roasted where it was sweet and caramelized while not being mushy.  It had the essence of five-spice and completely complimented by the Thai red curry.  The combination of aromatics, spice and creaminess really elevated the dish.  Add in the firm radicchio and we had some textural contrast.

One dish I absolutely loved and wanted to have again was the Oxtail.  They took all the trouble out of eating oxtail by shredding the meat and reforming it with caul fat.  The result was a tender fall apart meat with its usual gelatinous and fatty texture.  The pho demi-glace was so rich and silky with star anise notes.  This time around, the carrots were roasted, which made them more flavourful and texturally-appealing.  The confit daikon was tender while the carrot puree provided creamy earthy sweetness to go with the demi-glace.

Last time, I had ordered the steak, but was indifferent about it.  Well, they have changed it to a AAA Striploin (instead of sliced ribeye) with bone marrow butter, Sauce a la Royale and pho chimichurri.  Prepared perfectly medium-rare, the meat was juicy and well-rested.  The meat was tender with appealing meatiness.  It was well-seasoned while paired well with the chimichurri.  It had the pho herbs going on there with brightness and pungency.  The sauce a la royale was rich and possibly a little over-reduced being a bit salty.

As a treat of sorts, we were served another off-menu item in the Smoked Beef Rib with sweet & sour glaze and palm sugar.  The meat on the bone was like candy being sweet and sticky.  It was super tender while still maintaining a gelatinous meat quality.  Nice smokiness in smell and taste.  On the side, we had the Pomme Frites with Thai green chili aioli.  Unlike the last time, the large frites were uniformly crispy with soft potato inside.  Nice aroma from the fried curry leaves.

Our first dessert was something mysterious in the Forbidden Rice Pudding.  The rice was hidden underneath a coconut yogurt gelee disc.  About that disc, it was a bit too firm for our liking and although aromatic, was somewhat bland.  I loved the rice underneath as it had an al dente chew and some sweetness.  The best part was the toasted rice ice cream as it certainly lived up to its billing.  Aromatic and nutty, the ice cream was also just sweet enough.

The second dessert was something I've had before in the Mung Bean.  If I needed a word to describe this dessert, it would be interesting.  It sat on a base of almondine cake which was moist and quite good.  The mung bean on top was rather heavy and with condensed milk, this ate pretty sweet.  I think this needs have something else in terms of texture to give some contrast.  Overall, this was another great meal at the Good Thief.  I got to try all of the small plates and the majority were excellent.  The cocktails were great just like the previous meal.   I believe the Good Thief should be on anyone's list who want to grab some drinks with some delicious food to go with it.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Large cocktail menu that is truly unique
- Great little bites
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Of course the menu is a work in progress, but things that need tweaks are already changing 

Broli Kitchen

At first glance, Broli Kitchen appears to be another restaurant in a strip mall in Richmond.  However, there is more than meets the eye here (and I'm not talking about Transformers either...).  The cuisine is a mix of traditional French, Italian and West Coast fused with Asian influences.  Now before you begin to prejudge this place, consider the head chef is a Red Seal certified.  Chef Zhuang Li has been the sous-chef at the Downtown Sheraton Wall Centre for 10 years and another 5 years of experience in French cuisine.  Pretty unexpected at a little non-decript bistro.  Jackie, Jacqueline, Andrew and myself were invited to try out some of their newest and most popular items from their menu.

We began with a pair of soups in the Lobster Bisque and the Wild Mushroom Soup.  These looked legit and were exactly what we expected.  The bisque was creamy and rich with a balanced amount of lobster aroma.  It was lightly sweet and properly seasoned.  Some herb oil on the top finished off the soup.  As for the wild mushroom, it was also creamy and full-flavoured with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  With some truffle oil added to the mix, it was aromatic and even more earthy.

Next, we had the Pan-Seared Scallops with pea puree and crispy prosciutto.  This was a well-prepared dish where the scallops were beautifully seared while the middle was slightly rare.  Hence, the texture was on point being buttery soft.  The scallop itself was properly seasoned while exhibiting a natural sweetness.  On top, the crispy prosciutto added crunch and saltiness.  Silky smooth and sweet, the pea puree helped bring the saltiness down a notch.

Our last appie was the Truffle Mushroom Risotto Ball (aka Arancini) with a onion tomato sauce. This was a huge portion of 6 large risotto balls that were somewhat crispy.  This is because the onion tomato sauce was drizzled atop all of the risotto balls, resulting in them become soft and a bit crumbly.  The aborio rice seemed to be fairly al dente, but with all the sauce, it was hard to tell.  Loved the sauce as it was sweet and tangy.  Maybe they should either put it on the side or plate the balls atop the sauce on the plate.

Maybe the most interesting and delicious thing we had was the Durian Pizza.  Yah, this could be pretty polarizing due to the main ingredient.  Durian is extremely pungent and isn't for everyone.  However, in my opinion, they did a good job with incorporating it onto a pizza.  They used a cream cheese base and combined with the sweet durian and mozzarella, this became reminiscent of a Chinese custard bun, except on a pizza.  So this almost ate like a dessert and that was a good thing as the durian was definitely there, but not in a way that was overwhelming.  All of the components sat atop a pizza crust that was somewhat similar to Domino's (which is a good thing as well).

Onto the bigger dishes, we had the Confit Duck Leg with rice, veggies and duck sauce.  The duck leg meat fell apart easily and was rather tender.  It was on the saltier side, but did go well with the rice.  With the addition of some Asian spices, the duck had a different flavour than a regular duck confit.  Nice twist on this dish to make it unique.  There was a bevy of perfectly-cooked asparagus, broccolini, carrots and zucchini.  They were vibrant and still had texture.

Classic in its preparation, the Roasted Rack of Lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  It was crusted with dijon herb bread crumbs and served with Lyonnaise potatoes, veggies and lamb jus.  I was pretty impressed with the lamb as it was slow-roasted which resulted in succulent meat.  It was well-seasoned and the jus was meaty enough without being salty.  Veggies were great like the previous dish while the potatoes were tender with buttery onions.  I would've liked it to be a bit more buttery though.

One of the most surprising dishes was the Bolognese Strozzapreti.  It was super legit and could be served at an Italian restaurant.  The rich bolognese featured a mix of veal, beef and pork that was super tender.  There was a nice balance of tomato and creaminess that made this lightly sweet, aromatic and full of umaminess.   The choice of pasta was also key to making this a good dish as it captured bits of meat and sauce.  It was also al dente, yet not in an overly firm manner.

We had two of their fish dishes staring with the Ginger Miso Glazed Salmon.  Presented as a fairly large piece of salmon, this was a good portion of food.  Although the salmon was a bit over, it was still moist and not dry at all.  I found the salmon to be mildly-seasoned with some ginger flavour and miso saltiness.  Underneath, the miso cream sauce was really good with depth and a balanced flavour.  It was a nice compliment to the fish and also added extra moisture.

The other fish dish was the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with potato, seasonal veg and tomato pepper sauce.  This was another large portion that was also prepared properly.  The fish had a slightly crispy sear while the meat was flaky and moist.  Being ling cod, it had a slightly firmer texture but it was still tender.  I found it be well-seasoned and really didn't need the sauce.  Although the tomato pepper sauce was pleasant enough, a lobster bisque sauce or dashi would've been a better match for the whitefish. 

Onto dessert, we had the Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream.  We really appreciated that they prepared this from scratch and baked-to-order.  Many other places unfortunately use a microwave!  This was more like a chocolate souffle than a basic lava cake.  It was light and fluffy with a crispy exterior.  Inside, the molten centre was silky and purposefully sweet.  It was gave even more souffle vibes as it had the sauce built into it (rather than poured into it).

Lastly, we had the Caramel Macchiato Pot de Crème with pecan graham crumble and fresh whipped cream.  It was rich and creamy with smoky caramel notes intermittently interrupted by coffee.  The crumble on top added a nice crunch.  I quite enjoyed this dessert.  In fact, I enjoyed the meal as a whole.  Lots of highlights including the lamb, scallop, durian pizza and pasta.  Portions were large and proteins were mostly on point.  Flavours were textbook and although the prices are necessarily cheap, the value is there due to the generous size of the proteins and the general execution.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Textbook execution
- Generous portions
- Durian pizza!

The Bad:
- Definitely has hotel food vibes, but it was prepared well

Septime

Originally, I was trying to make a reservation for Septime to no avail.  You see, like many other restaurants in Paris, Septime was on their Summer break in August.  Hence, it looked like I was out-of-luck in making a reso to this 1-Star Michelin establishment.  But hold on, upon further inspection, I could make a reso since they were re-opening on the last few days we were in Paris.  I was on my computer as the time ticked to when I could book and snagged a table for lunch on our last day in Paris.

At Septime, they only have set menus, for both lunch and dinner.  As such, we had their Menu Carte Blanche for 70 Euros each.  We started our meal with the Vegetable Broth with raspberries.  This was so clean and pure where the flavour was intense, yet subtle.  Now that might not make sense, but believe me, it was all that and more.  The level of umaminess and impact was pretty impressive without the use of any protein.  The addition of raspberries didn't interfere with the broth, rather it enhanced it with a fresh and light brightness.

In a beautiful shade of rose, the Cured Red Tuna was bathed in a peach vinaigrette with rose oil.  Slightly cured with kombu for a week, this aged tuna was buttery soft while having a fermented fish sweetness.  It was bordering on funky, but didn't get there.  Instead, it was full of depth and umami.  Complimenting the natural flavours of the tuna, the fruity vinaigrette provided both acidity and sweetness.  The addition of rose oil was mildly floral and in reality, was mostly in the background.

Next up, we had the Cocos de Paimpol with butter, sea asparagus, seaweed and pickles.  Tender with a bite, these beans took on the butter in terms of flavour and also the silky and nutty film on the outside.  The other ingredients were mild and didn't add much in terms of overall flavour except for the pickles.  The acidity and saltiness did bring impact to the dish.  In addition, it added crunch.  The seaweed and sea asparagus provided some colour contrast and a just a touch of salt.

The best course of the bunch had to be the Tomatoes in poultry broth, satay sauce, coriander flowers and Thai basil.  Normally, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes due to their bland flavour.  However, these were flavour bombs with acidity and sweetness.  The plump tomatoes sat in a broth that was full-on umami where it was almost like chicken bouillon except completely natural-tasting.  Concentrated flavours were complimented by the slight spice and aromatics from the flowers and basil.  Background lemongrass also came through.

The "meat" of the meal was the Veal Sweetbreads glazed on the BBQ with veal jus.  It was topped with crispy tarragon, sorrel and red pepper.  For me, I love sweetbreads, to this was right up my alley.  It was properly prepared (as in before it was cooked and after it was cooked), where the texture was soft with a rebound.  The intensity of the meatiness from the veal jus was amplified by the caramelization off the grill.  The reduced jus helped add even more meatiness and silkiness.  Add in the aromatic tarragon, tart sorrel and sweet peppers, we had layers of flavour going on.

For dessert, we were served a Fig Ice Cream with extra virgin olive oil, figs, blackberries and almonds.  This was a refreshing end to an intricately-prepared meal.  The ice cream was light and creamy with purposeful sweetness.  The blackberries and figs provided sweetness and at ouch of tang.  Almonds added texture while the olive oil afforded some aromatics and ever-so-slight pepperiness.  Overall, this was a thoughtful and expertly-prepared meal.  No wonder Septime clocks in at 11 on the world's best restaurant list.

The Good:

- Intricate dishes

- Balanced

- Excellent, unpretentious service

The Bad:

- With a set tasting menu, it might not appeal to everyone

- Hard to get a reservation!