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2009-08-11
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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS REVIEW The reward of opening a branch on the OTHER side of the city is that you get to cover the clientele who have heard so much about you but was reluctant to travel across town to eat at your place -- People like myself included, thought AG was somewhat of an extension like Ruby Tuesday only to replace most of the carnivorous menu into herbivorous items. But the starters, salads and pasta dishes have proved me wrong -- AG is in fact quite similar to typical American re
The reward of opening a branch on the OTHER side of the city is that you get to cover the clientele who have heard so much about you but was reluctant to travel across town to eat at your place -- People like myself included, thought AG was somewhat of an extension like Ruby Tuesday only to replace most of the carnivorous menu into herbivorous items. But the starters, salads and pasta dishes have proved me wrong -- AG is in fact quite similar to typical American restaurants here in Hong Kong, serving continental classics in sizes about half the continent itself. (that big?!) AG is giving the good news to fellow diners that they will encourage more vegetables and fruits in everything you order and they insist, all diners march with their causes.
The mains were about to come, and just as we were discussing over roasted garlic on sausage platters, there it was, the waitress with a gigantic platter containing a polished version of BANGERS AND MASH. The GRILLED SAUSAGE PLATTER ($108) featured 4 sausage links (hot, veal, pork with herb, and one we couldn't identify) served alongside a fluffy pile of mashed potato and the reigning favorite -- roasted garlic bulb. The roasted garlic bulb was wolfed down first, each of us getting just one tiny bulb. I popped my previous bulb of garlic into my mouth. A rush of intense garlic flavored exploded, followed by a caramelized sweetness not unlike frizzled onions on and Italian crostini. The flavour was robust and sweet at the same time, no wonder it was a favorite for all of us. The sausages, were on par as well. The hot sausage was the particular favorite, with a colour of red coral, and tasted sharp with a fine stimulation of red chilies. The heat disappeared as you swallow but once you did it reappeared gushing up your throat which would require swift motions to the nearest water glass. It was not that hot afterall, but the funny sensations of a mildly hot sausage was inspiring enough then one that's just too hot to handle.
The HAWAIIAN GRILLED RIBEYE STEAK ($238) was next. With a price-tag hanging on in the minds of us diners, the steak seemed a little small compared to our appetites and the portions we got from previous rounds. But fret no more, once again the side-dish was what we were after first. The two slabs of grilled pineapple was sweet as honey, with the crisscross of grill marks that reminded us the perfect summer grill party of someone's backyard (or better, by the pool). No burger flipping needed, this pineapple was genuinely the star of this show, but the steak was medium, and just as great as a rib eye steak can get. I would, however, prefer to have a plate of greens to toss in the sauce, or perhaps another chunk of that bread to mop it up?
We've had the red meats, why not a white one? The ROASTED CHICKEN VERDE ($158) was the last main course for the night. This piece of chicken was moist and SO tender, as if it gave way to the knife before the blade reached it. Buttery moist and juicy, the chicken was accompanied by a Parsley sauce that's not very VERDE to begin with. I was assuming it looking like, a real SALSA VERDE which was chunky with flakes of green throughout, only to find out ours looked like a beurre blanc with perhaps just another extra shake of dry flakes of pretend-parsley that didn't quite taste like it. The side-salad had us convinced it was Courgettes with Yuzu dressing, only to be confirmed later on that they were fine juliennes of GREEN PAPAYA with its slightly crunchy texture we were so familiar from the THAI salad, The use of Yuzu dressing offered a sweet counterpart to an otherwise rather bland vegetable/ fruit/ salad ingredients. The extra addition of lemon juice in this toss-up salad also added zing to the honey-sweetness of the entire dish.
Then, the time has finally come.
DESSERTS -- I was told to save an appetite for some creative desserts here at Applegreen. I wasn't wrong when the desserts arrived -- they looked great. I wouldn't expect a place like AG to pull off desserts with plating like these, but nonetheless it was a surprising list of desserts that I expected less before I arrived here.
KEY LIME CHEESECAKE ($52) is a tall cylinder of a cheesecake with a rich sable crust. The crust had a decided crunch and the light flavouring of lime zest. The cheese mixture was moussy but dense. It's also not very sweet to begin with. The slight tang of key lime juice set off the cloying richness of the cheesecake and made this dessert a desirable one even after a big meal earlier. COCONUT TARTLET ($52) was architecturally sound, with a shortbread crust at the bottom (and shallow sides), containing a thin layer of coconut panna cotta at the bottom followed by a snow-mountain worth of whipped cream and pointy shards of toasted coconut. It was nice to look at on its own, but this mountain was soon demolished by gigantic metal forks until mere crumbs were left. The coconut flavour was strong, almost potent, but not strong enough to let me turn my nose away from it. I don't usually like coconut desserts and this one was good enough, as it is. PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA TURNOVER ($52) was next. It reminded me of Banana Foster at first, with half a banana sliced and coated with caramel sauce, which was toasty on the taste but soon recovered by the gooey banana slices. The turnover was made with phyllo pastry and as it gave way to the fork's plunges, the sweet smell of peanut butter took over, taking "Peanut butter sandwich with banana " to a whole new level.
Who could call themselves dessert-lovers when they visit Applegreen without having their renowned APPLE GREEN CRISP ($48). Here, thin slices of granny smith apples were piled up, with cinnamon spiced crumble and a few blueberries scattered across the top and baked until golden brown. It was not as good as I expected it to be, perhaps because the serving was rather small for a change (I have always been a believer for bigger portions when it comes to baked fruit desserts like Peach Cobbler, Apple Crisp, and Rhubarb Crumble). The crumble was crisp nonetheless, but the apples were quite mushy by the time it got to the table and somehow it HAD TO go with the vanilla icecream. It tasted rather flat on its own but just about right with the icecream. Perhaps that's why the icecream was here alongside. CREME BRULEE ($48) marked the end of this meal. The brittle coating of caramelized sugar was there, and cracking it revealed the velvety smooth custard beneath. It was satisfactory in a sense that creme brulee has been popular for a while, and there are many places who make good creme brulee even in HK. It held no surprise for me to find a good one at Applegreen.
A note on pricing. Some folks who have been to the new APPLEGREEN complained about the pricing, and frankly, after this meal I kinda did too. Of course I would recommend a group of food-loving friends to come here if you intend to come. This way you can have more dishes and split the cost between you. It's also true that one person who intend to have that grilled Ribeye may not be able to have a salad and a dessert without feeling he or she has just eaten a horse. The price tags may look a little ridiculous at first, but once the numbers sink in and you're with your friends sharing the fantastic joy, having the most fun you can have like we did on opening night, you may change your mind and decide to treat yourself to a venue where the tasty apples aren't necessary the reddest in the orchard, as the green ones are just as attractive and tempting all apple-lovers to take a bite, or perhaps another bite if you may give it a try.
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