On the way to work this morning, we ran into a mob of cyclists who thought they were above the law and hindered traffic while they rode in both lanes turning off Riverside Drive onto Mounts Bay Road. I suspected this would happen and had my camera in my lap, ready to take photos. I've got quite a few photos from several different occasions now. I just have to find the time to head to the police station and lodge a formal complaint with my photographic evidence.After work, I headed over to Marissa's house where she put together some nibblies for us. I brought some of those stuffed figs and apricots. Just as I thought, they loved them.
olive tapenade
salami wrapped grissini
rice crackers
figs stuffed with mascarpone & drambuie
apricots stuffed with mascarpone & cointreau
Marissa made me a short black and we all had some of her dad's grape juice. He made wine on Marissa's birthday earlier this week. The juice is from the same grapes but before it's fermented. Some fermentation had begun though, as we could taste it.We were having dinner out tonight.
Upon our arrival, we were rather impressed with the interior decor of the place. It was small but cosy and the dim lights created a romantic, intimate ambience. I couldn't help taking this photo over my shoulder. We loved this feature wall. Despite the great looking modern decor, it didn't make me feel like we were going to get real authentic Vietnamese food though. It felt like I should expect fusion and I'm not a fan of fusion cuisine.
We ordered our entrees after having to get a staff member's attention. I'll try to remember the prices but I thought they'd have an online menu but they don't. The pictures are a bit dark too because it was so dim in the restaurant and I didn't want to attract too much attention with a flash.
The stuffing tasted the same in the chicken wings and squid. They were both yummy but nothing extraordinary. The prawns wrapped around the bamboo...what a rip off! It was just some processed prawn paste and you can't even eat the bamboo. I'd rather pay $6 at the Royal Show to get a corndog. That's what it reminded me of. The soft shell crab was a bit on the pricey side too but it was enjoyable.
We had plain steamed rice to accompany these dishes. The combination claypot was your typical claypot dish that you get whenever you go to a Chinese restaurant. I love ordering them though because it's a good balance when you're eating alot of fried foods and it also covers the vegetables. The prawns were delicious! I love green papaya salad, but I think when I've had it Thai style it's tasted better with more ingredients. The goat curry was divine! Delicious thick sauce and the eggplant had soaked up all the flavour.
The main course dishes must have been the highlight of the evening. We were very pleased with them. I they ranged from about $15 - $20 each.
What a huge disappointment and a terrible way to end our meal. Marissa was the most upset with her 'French influenced flan'. A flan has a pastry base. What she got was a thin sliver of creme caramel that was so small it looked like only a couple of tablespoons worth at most. They garnished it with one strawberry cut into quarters. I had one strawberry cut into quarters for my fruit salad and when the waitstaff set it down on the table, she dropped one of the quarters onto the table. Teresa and Teresa (yes, we had two of them tonight!) enjoyed their deep fried ice cream though. Some of us also ordered an authentic Vietnamese coffee but Marissa wasn't happy with it and didn't believe it was prepared in the authentic way, despite the waitstaff confirming it had been.
All in all, we had good company and the food wasn't all bad, but the desserts were just a bad way to end the night. We would have been better off going to a cafe down the road for cake. The restaurant looks nicely decorated but the staff lack experience and attention to detail. They wandered around aimlessly and we needed to wave them down whenever we wanted to order. Looks like they're trying too hard to compete with the calibre of dining venues on offer on Beaufort Street.After dinner, we went to the Must Wine Bar for a drink before calling it a night and heading home.
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