It was touted by Dann to be the
place that will bring the club to new gastronomic heights. To be the be all and
end all, to be the alpha and the omega and everything in between.
So whilst
getting an unwanted sun tan walking towards the restaurant which was situated
in a round protruding extension of collyer quay sitting nicely by the bay, we
were all waiting intently to taste and see if Dann's BML selection matched up to his rhetoric.
As we arrived, we were escorted
by a spanish waitress to a round table at the corner in the lower level of the
restaurant. The water level of the bayas we looked out of the windows was just
below eye level from where we were seated.
The interior decor was made up
primarily of wood and the colour scheme was of dark earthy tones. We agreed
that whilst this was a beautiful restaurant in the day, it would be truly
magnificent at night.
Wasting no time, we proceeded to
order the recommended olives as a pre-starter, then with the tapas, we ordered
the jamon iberico croquette, the calamari andalusian (southern spain) style,
the spanish omelete, escalibada and tomato tartar confit. For the mains, we
ordered a portion of suckling pig (half a piglet), and the suquet, which was a
catalan (north eastern spain) fisherman's soup. For sides, we ordered a portion
of "piquillo" peppers and wood roasted pineapples. The waiter had
actually encouraged Dann to order more (including the beef), but Dann protested
his budgetary constraints and buddhist inhibitions.
We were first presented with the
olives, which were I suppose what you may consider a reconstruction of a large
green olive. The olives were delicately taken individually out of a clear glass
jar which was filled with olive oil. 6 olives were each presented on a spoon
for everyone of us, and we were directed to put the whole olive in our mouth in
a go. The "olive", was actually contructed with a soft outer shell
with a texture somewhat like hard egg whites, and the centre of the olive was
infused with a liquid that was flavoured much like an olive. So in all, it was
an olive that looked like an olive, tasted like an olive, but was not really an
olive. Definitely Blumenthal inspired.
Next we were presented with the
fried calamari andalusian style. There was nothing exotic or special in the way
this was cooked or presented, but this was really a calamari dish that was done
well. The batter was light and crispy, and the large calamari rings were tender
and not overcooked. This is how all good calamari should be done.
We then had the tomato confit,
which was to be eaten with cracker. This was a putty of seasoned and cooked
finely chooped tomato, with accompanying tomato infused foam. This was an
interesting dish, with the sweetness of the cooked tomato and foam paired quite
nicely with the cracker.
We were then served the jamon
iberico croquette. This was again a simple dish done excellently. The croquette
was fried till it had a crisp outer layer whilst it still maintained a moist
soft potato centre filled with bits of jamon iberico. This croquette was
delicious.
Following the croquette was the
spanish omelette "tortilla omelette deconstruccion". This was served
to us in a martini cocktail glass. It was like an egg and potato mousse. Most
of the glass was covered in a white mousse like foam, which was probably egg
whites foamed up and when you dig deep into the glass there is a thick puree
like potato mash, which was probably mixed with yolks. This was a very tasty
mousse cum mash and definitely worth a try for anyone dining in this
establishment.
The final tapas we were served
was the "escalibada", which was a layering of aubergines, foie gras,
peppers and smoked sea eel. This was a fantastic dish in my view. It was
beautifully presented, was very tasty, and was a good combination overall.
Somehow despite the multitude of flavours, there was still structure in the
dish. You could still taste the individual components despite having it all in
a go.
Then it was on to the mains, and
we were presented with the "piece de resistance"! - the segovian
style suckling pig! The handsome (or pretty, as I could not confirm the sex
conclusively) looking fella was roasted to a nice deep amber and presented to
us on a wooden board. The spanish waiter offered us the luxury of cutting the
pig with the plate ourselves (which was used as a cutter), but we declined,
deciding it best to leave it to the experts.
The pig was cooked perfectly,
with the skin crispy throughout and the meat tender and juicy. The problem
however was the flavour. There was all round complaints that the meat exhibited
too strong a porcine flavour. Being chinese, everyone started to make a
comparison with the chinese version of suckling pig and gave this dish a thumbs
down. They argued that good chinese style suckling pig also had a very crispy
(probably crispier) skin and that the 5 spice marinade probably was more
suitable in cutting the excessive porcine flavour, which a majority of diners
do not appreciate. I have to say however that whilst the flavour of this
segovian style suckling pig could have been better masked by some herbs and
spices, the texture of the meat itself is far superior to our own chinese style
suckling pig which tends to be rather much drier and harder.
It was good that Dann had ordered
a side dish of roasted pineapple, which was excellent when eaten with the pork,
as the sweetness and acid from the fruit sort of cut through the excessive
piggy flavour from the meat.
Finally, we were presented with
the suquet, which came in a large black pot. There was 2 fillet's of what I
suppose were scorpion fish (since that was what was stated in the menu), which
sat on a bed of new potatoes and thick gravy. The fish itself was okay, and I
would describe the flavour as a bit of a cross between sea bass and bream. The
meat was white, and it went well with the very tasty gravy that sat at the
bottom of the pot. The potatoes were also cooked to just the right softness. It
would have been good if we had some nice toasted bread to scoop up the gravy,
as it had fantastic flavour, from what I assume must have been concocted from
fish parts and vegetables.
The final side dish was the "piquillo"
peppers, for which we each had a small miserable piece. The peppers were cooked
till soft throughout, and topped simply with some seasoning and oil. This was
again a simple dish done excellently. The produce was good (and looked good
with a magnificent red colour), the cooking was good, and all it needed was a
little seasoning and wala! Collin mentioned that he had never known that
peppers could taste so sweet! (What a darn philistine!!! This is standard fare
in Spain.... you'll get a tapas of peppers for little over 2 euros in any half
decent bar with your beer!!!)
After the meal, everyone
complained to Dann that we were still hungry. We pointed out that there was no
bread and so we hardly had any starch to fill in the holes in our stomach. We
invoked our kaya toast rule, to which Dann readily agreed.
Whilst waiting for the bill, we
reviewed our collective decision on the meal. We agreed that the tapas were
good, but were disappointed with the mains, especially the pig. I suppose its a
bit down to the style of cooking as well. Even though we did have many good
dishes, we felt that there was something amiss which prevented our lunch from
being placed as one of the "greats" in our club's storied dining
history. There were suggestions that maybe it was because we were unsatiated
from hunger as Dann did not order enough (that is the cost of half measures
Dann!), which was plausible. Or as Collin rightfully pointed that had we
ordered more tapas and left out the mains and had some fine wine to go with the
tapas, this could have been one of the greats. I seconded that comment as Tapas
really is bar food which should go with drink.
The final damage came to
S$419.50. We then proceeded for kaya toast, coffee and eggs, and this added up
to another S$23.80, for which Dann as usual did not have the cash to pay for
and had to initiate an on demand credit from Jon as no one else wanted to lend
him.
In conclusion, Catalunya whilst good (and expensive!), was not quite the BML dining event Dann had cracked it out to be. The rhetoric definitely did not meet reality. And just like the millions of Americans who voted Obama in 2008 on promises of change for the better (jobs, environment, peace, economy, guantanamo, social services, de-nuclearisation, civil rights etc etc), 4 years later with reality finally meeting rhetoric - reality unfortunately won (as it usually does!)!By: Club Scribe
