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2011-06-02
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'FOFO by El Willy - contemporary Spanish food'Much needed pampering after one month without life. Well - that is an exaggeration. I did have a life. Just that my gastronomical journeys were somewhat suspended. They resume today. I arrived a little before 8pm and the receptionist seated me on the right of the entrance. I waited for 15 minutes. I called D who should have arrived. D picked up. 'I'm at Fofo already.' 'Why...can't I see you?' 'Okay you probably are on the other side of the restauran
Much needed pampering after one month without life. Well - that is an exaggeration. I did have a life. Just that my gastronomical journeys were somewhat suspended. They resume today.
I arrived a little before 8pm and the receptionist seated me on the right of the entrance. I waited for 15 minutes. I called D who should have arrived. D picked up. 'I'm at Fofo already.' 'Why...can't I see you?' 'Okay you probably are on the other side of the restaurant..' At this time a waiter appears and apologizes. Right. Nevermind. I was not grumpy. Anything went.
Atmosphere:
Dim lights. Quite intimate and possibly romantic. There is some creative element to the chandeliers - probably the owner's mischief - penguins perched on top of each lampshade, peering at diners. But there will be no bombs.
Service:Good, excluding the initial confusion. The waitress serving us made an effort to answer our queries. Attentive, but not too intrusive. Is it normal for waiters/waitresses to have mini gatherings at the bar while at work.
Food:
White Sangria - lychee, apple, reisling $16x
Have only had (red) sangria in Spain. This white one was easier to drink, almost like a fruit punch - an alcoholic one. Lychee came through quite prominently, which masked the apple. It was chilled, and delicious. A good cooler - I prefer white over red from now on!Organic vegetables and leaves, nuts and flowers sauteed in evoo and a touch of raspberry vinegar $85
What did it contain? Beetroot, broccoli, baby carrot, pumpkin/squash, enoki mushroom, rocket, walnuts, baby asparagus. and the raspberry vinegar tied everything together. You can imagine all these ingredients, fresh -> delicious. The only complaint is about the serving size. @@ At $85, one could have served up a larger dish of veg! Keep customers happy! Grilled eggplant (aus) with tomato dressing, spinach and cheese (mahoe cheese?) $90
Unspectacular. Tasted rather boring, mushy, wet, cheese didn't get enough time in the oven, soggy spinach - not recommended. Well - I like grilled eggplant, and there was nothing wrong with this one, just that - nothing special. If you want some veg amidst all the meat, by all means. Abalone two ways - cheese; mushroom $210
Allegedly Today's Special. But I don't eat abalone. D said it was salty. Not sure what that means. D also said it was 'value for money'.
Beef cheek with banana and passionfruit crispy roll $88 (on the right)The collagen literally melts in your mouth but the beefy flavour didn't come through strong enough. The sauce was very thick but again, a bit bland. Not sure whether it was a matter of salt or time. But the spring roll was delightful It actually tastes like banana fritters. All the better. Didn't imagine that the 2 would be compatible but whaddya know, they are.
Crispy suckling pig with mojo picon $115 (on the left)
The skin was true to its name - very crisp - deep fried rather than barbequed? The meat was tender, and tastier than the beef cheek. I would definitely go back for this dish. The suckling pig sat on a bed of potato, which was slightly spicy. The only drawback is that the crisp skin, being deep fried, was oily - you can feel the oil coating your palate in the process of mastication. Hm. Cannot have too much. And mojo picon fancy as it sounds is nothing more than spicy sauce. Mojo = sauce in spanish. And in this case, a red pepper sauce. Thanks google.
Organic eggs cooked at 62 degrees in crispy potato&onion nest + with chorizo $110
One word of caution: the nest is rather addictive. It was very light and crisp, not too salty, which is good, because it complements the salty and spicy chorizo perfectly. Raw egg yolk added a layer of silkiness to the nest, and worked as some sort of sauce to soften the crisp nest. I don't like egg yolk at all but it was acceptable when taken together with the other ingredients. The dish is very soggy near the end, where the nest is immersed completely in egg yolk - those bits aren't as delicious. So you should eat the whole thing up as quickly as you can! Mushroom and iberico ham rice with hazelnut oil (half-portion) $140
Ah yes, they serve half-portions, which is really smart, because who wants a full portion after 8 dishes? I liked how it's served in the red le creuset. Grains were nice and plump, kind of took on the texture of risotto. Cheesy. Mushrooms were simple. You really can't have too much of this stuff - it fills you up really quickly. I'd say a half-portion can be shared between a party of 4-5. 2 other dishes we ordered that I did not try:
Lobster bisque
Foie gras on thin toast
Churros + chocolate + homemade vanilla ice cream $68
The quality of this dish momentarily shook my confidence for various reasons - churros is such a basic food item in Spain that screwing it up has grave implications on the authenticity of the chef's cooking techniques imho. Well, it is true that nobody has ever told me how the 'authentic' churro should taste, but based on what I've had in Barcelona and what my travel companions have said about the yummiest churro...I trust my comment is fair. Its texture was far too soft, there was far too much sugar dusted on the exterior, and the 'pastry' itself was too light - perhaps it has to do with the thickness of the batter? Secondly, the chocolate was too bitter and watery. It soaked the churro rather than coated it like chocolate in a chocolate fondue would. I don't like a soaked churro. Therefore this dish does not make it to my list of recommended dishes! Fresh fig tart with pedro ximenez and vanilla ice cream $78
This one was delightful though. Cooked figs with jam as the filling of the buttery pastry, topped with raw figs lightly coated in some sort of syrup, to bind the whole thing together. Pedro ximenez is an intensely sweet and dark dessert sherry. It is fragrant and delicious. It pairs well with the fig tart and I suspect that the fig jam was cooked in a bit of sherry too! Recommended dessert. Conclusion:
A highly enjoyable experience because of good company, conversation and food. I had nothing to worry about, at least, not for the evening. Felt too full afterwards and walked home. Satisfied, and very happy. Fofo is not a 開飯之選 because of the price, and I believe too much of a good thing sometimes produces an opposite effect. So, once in a while, for special occasions only. Only hoping they improve on the churros.
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