Spoon relish onto one of the 6 thin slices of toasted baguette and voila. This was pretty much all there was to it, which seemed overly simple, like something fixed quickly at home. Perhaps the baguette slices could be slightly buttered, if only for more a more attractive goldenness, or perhaps some salad leaves as well – to reduce the self-made quality.

Crispy stuffed duck with glutinous riceThis seemed to be an interesting sandwich-like composition of chewy rice and duck meat. Sadly, neither the glutinous rice nor the duck meat stood out – they both tasted of nothing if not for the sauce. It was really just like eating a clump of glutinous rice…

Crispy tangerine peel spare ribsThis was actually the most disappointing – the small bite-sized pieces of pork weren’t crispy and just tasted slightly sweet/sour.

Spring rolls with radish and dried oystersI had never tried spring rolls with this mixture of filling before, and quite enjoyed it –not only were the spring rolls fresh and crispy, the strong taste of dried oyster was delectable too.

Turnip PancakeAgain, I felt that this was quite an original recipe, and it was also quite nicely done, such that the edges of the pancake were crispy and there was plentiful plump turnips as well as mushroom and dried shrimp. However, although there was a right amount of batter, it was slightly too mushy and doughy.

Dandan noodles

As for the olive oil butter, I had high hopes for the thick creamy butter that we squeezed out from a cute, miniature toothpaste tube, but was disappointed that the intensity of taste was just as miniature.

Rest of the snacks: Black sesame miso sponge cake and Philopizza ; liquid ham croquette ; truffle dentelle ; foie gras with spiced bread – all were aromatic and composed of diverse flavours and textures as well as delicately presented. However, while they definitely delighted my palate, they did not surprise it in the way that molecular gastronomy usually does. I found myself wondering what other sensations they were intended to conjure or evoke. When the composition of the food plainly just mirrors the food’s name, without further transformation or concept, it’s all but a fine-dining experience, short of a gastronomical journey.

Thus, by the end of the Snacks, I found my mind still in my brain and my socks still firmly on my feet.

Until the tapas: the XXI Century Omelet ; slow-cooked salmon ; and Carbonara Egg Nest. There is a reason why these dishes are the signature ones at this restaurant. I finally felt the extra bit of innovation that reconstructed my food into something more unexpected and out of the ordinary. I particularly enjoyed the Carbonara Egg Nest, which made me feel like I was literally eating a plate of Carbonara which had been reshaped into an egg in a nest. I had no idea how they did it, and loved that. For the record, the slow-cooked salmon was actually just slow-cooked salmon, but it was some seriously good slow-cooked salmon.I can’t really say the same for the main courses: French sea bass and wagyu confit. I’m afraid they weren’t only boring, but weren’t even quite up to fine-dining quality. For instance, the texture of the beef was dry and tough and far from tender.

Lastly, the dessert and petit fours. There was (sadly) just one dessert - chocolate coulant nitro. It was good, and I appreciate that liquid-nitrogen-cooked stuff are innovative and rare in themselves, but when it’s the main (and only) dessert item, I felt like it needed something more than just crumbs on the side. As it was, it was nothing special, especially if you’ve already sampled other creations made with liquid-nitrogen. It was like a big, icy Ferrero Rocher, and not as good even, without the hazelnut in the center. As for the petit fours, let’s just say I admired the minimalist way in which they were presented…but not much else. Moreover, to add to the previous outright dismissal of tap water, there was also a minor lack of professionalism in the server’s lack of knowledge about the flavour of the macaroons, and a major lack of professionalism in his failure to revert. I was actually waiting to find out, because even after eating it, I still had no idea (in my defence, it was green, but tasted neither of pandan, green tea nor lime).

Very tasty. But the birds were quite big in size so its chest area was really meaty but lacked tenderness. The prawn crackers were also really crispy.

香酥鴨

Unfortunately, the baguette this time was not that fresh, and was quite tough to chew… and, the pesto smeared on the inside of it was a bit scant, and the sandwich could have done without it. However, the smoked salmon was of decent quality, and there were a lot of fresh veg, including lettuce, red onions and tomatoes.

Chicken and mushroom panini :