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2013-08-04
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A friend had sent me the menus and photos of The Coterie a couple months ago and said good things about this place. Decided to give it a shot. Slightly overpriced for what the food's worth, but the venue is quite intimate, there is no corkage (winelover alert!!) and the host dispalys warm hospitality. So my advice would be - bring (more) wine. Wine makes the meal worth your quid. Oh, and go with a larger party - not only to consume the wine, but hopefully to book out the whole resto so you can h
Environment:
It's tucked away at the cul-de-sac of Hillwood Road, Jordan. There are two dining rooms - one features a large round table (for private parties); the other featured a single long dining table (on our night) but on weekdays it's a communal dining area with tables of 2-6(?). There are interesting grey printed panels in lieu of wallpaper, and I believe they're movable. Pretty nice for photos. The chairs were kind of low. There's some lounge music playing in the background. Lighting: quite bright.
Service:
Good hospitality, as I said. The host is very talktative and engaging, always willing and happy to engage in food talk. The waiter serving us that evening was attentive and polite.
Food:
This review features the Summer Menu 2013.
Shotglass of Iberico and cantaloupe
The ham was really, really good. Fragrant oils were present and there was a delicate meatiness to it when you've worked it enough in your mouth. The cantaloupe was very juicy and sweet, which struck a nice contrast with the savory ham. These sweet and savory; juicy and semi-oily pairings work really well. Of course, the ham had to be sufficiently salty, and the melon had to be sufficiently sweet.
The red from Woodinville, Seattle. Byzance 2009, Brian Carter Cellars. One of my favorites. I've not seen it on the racks in HK. It is a blended wine. Seared bonito tuna, eggplant mousse, gazpacho
Nope, I don't really eat raw tuna but I had to give it a go, given the occasion. Not my favorite kind of seafood...and the fact that it was lightly seared on the surface didn't solve the problem. The gazpacho, however, was excellent as a chilled, tart, appetizing agent. There was a garlicky flavour to it, as with all gazpachos, and it was the right temperature. Blue lobster ravioli; basil sabayon, garlic croutons
I didn't try this dish, but D who tried it didn't complain...heh!Angus beef carpaccio, oscietre caviar, walnut oil
Didn't try this either, but M, who did have this dish, said the walnut oil was quite strong and fragrant. Caviar...I had a small spoonful - not fishy, but not particularly amazing either. To me, caviar is not an intuitive delicacy. Is anyone born a caviar lover? If you gave a small child potatoes and caviar, which one would s/he choose? I realized that my palate is pretty basic and undeveloped in this regard hehee. I like flavours that I've liked since childhood. Soup with iberico chorizo and truffle shavings
Another interesting concoction. The consistency of this soup is not unlike a substantial borsch, but it is slightly grainy. And we confirmed that it is potato-based - quite starchy. The chorizo was fragrant and gained more flavour as you worked at the small slice of meat. Truffle shavings? - seriously, they are overrated, and if it costs $100 per 5g, I'd much rather do without it. In fact the addition of truffle shavings to this soup did little to enhance its flavour. Truffle oil, on the other hand, hits you instantly. Would much rather have a soup laced with truffle oil. Oh, also, do not underestimate the satiety factor of this soup - better leave half for the guy to enjoy if you don't want to feel stuffed at the end of the meal. Saffron infused 'egg custard', panfried foie gras
The egg custard-like layer was unexpectedly smooth, tasty and fatty...duck fat. I couldn't really taste saffron, but heck, it was tasty. Foie gras had a crisp, thin exterior and a melting interior. There was so much fat, heh. The portion size was just about right - any more would've been far too filling. I don't like internal organs but I did enjoy this dish. Iberico pork belly, smoked charcuterie cooked in champagne sauce
A little bit of everything good is what a tasting menu should be like. I enjoyed every morsel on this dish. The pork belly had a substantial fatty layer, which was surprisingly dense and solid - it wasn't mushy at all, and didn't give the appearance of oiliness. Not sure how they prepared it but I must say it was a very decent piece of fat. I usually carve out the chunk of fat for someone else but this time I had it all. The piece of sliced ham was flavorsome and tender. The sausage was a bit too soft for me and wasn't outstanding in terms of flavour - not sure I could distinguish it from the high-quality sausages you can get at high-end supermarkets nowadays. Oh well. A small helping of sauerkraut was helpful - it is, after all, salty pork. Roasted cod, romesco sauce, brussel sprouts
It's difficult to find fresh fish on the market. Even a certain restaurant in Princes' Building that holds itself out as a seafood specialist fails, consistently, to deliver great fruits de mer. Therefore I was delighted to find that this cod was very fresh, and didn't require a lot of seasoning to mask the unpleasant fishy flavours that so put me off. The flesh was oily and firm - held together well, but yielded and flaked perfectly under pressure. The romesco sauce was slightly nutty in flavour and was an excellent complement to the fillet. The basil-cod pairing is novel to me, but worked well. Basil goes well with the roasted tomato as well. There was an interplay of conventional food pairings at work on this dish, and it made sense. Happy. Dark chocolate mousse (complimentary) + Tiramisu
This won me over. It was home made, and delicious. Dark chocolate - my fave, with crushed pistachios sprinkled on the side. It was surprisingly light. The chocolate was high quality I could tell...intense, deep and bitter. There was also Tiramisu (incl in menu) for dessert, served in a cocktail glass. I must say it is an excellent rendition of the classic dessert. Well - it's not unheard of, but this one was almost perfect in terms of flavour and consistency. Mascarpone was lightly whipped, infused with a bit of liquer; lady fingers were soaked in espresso and kahlua (?); topped with a light sprinkling of cocoa powder. Mm. heavenly. There really is no use for overwhipping the cheese. Yup, this one was delicious. And chilled too.
Conclusion:
Yes, I had a great evening. Yes, some dishes were excellent, but there was room for improvement. Is it worth a second visit? Most certainly yes, since they change their menus every season but...next time I come I'll be armed with wine and friends who do enjoy their drink. Dinner tonight was quite expensive for what it's worth. But, tonight was a special occasion, and although it was slightly awkward when the host and waiter stood around listening to some very personal matters that transpired over the dinner table, most of the talk was playful banter, in jest. I love my family.
Other Info. :
The restaurant is normally closed on Sundays, but they agreed to opening for the special occasion. Grateful. Hospitality was tops.
Make your reservation at 3971 0773, or k.uy@absoluteconceptsltd.com
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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