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2009-08-10
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One afternoon a bunch of lovely ladies were nibbling on expensive rabbit-food (salads) during lunch. They were raving over something that 'knows what they wanted', 'what they need', and 'lots of it'. I thought, alas, that they have finally decided to declare men as obsolete species, no longer capable in providing the '3 wishes' they need fulfilling outside of those toys wrapped in chocolate. Some smugs and giggling later, I found out about Applegreen. It was far on the other side of the harbour,
On a fanta-bulous day of post-badminton/basketball gathering, it was the Grand Opening of the AG outlet in CWB. Looking in from the entrance the place was neatly decorated in beige, with concepts of comfort and fluidity embodied in the contemporary accents of modern artwork placed in the dining space. The space, rather unevenly lit, was also an irregular polygon with tables just about everywhere to maximize real estate and perhaps, also the confusion for diners to get back to their own tables after heading out. The typical placement of the RED and GREEN apple was there, free for all to touch, hug, and toss from one hand to another, or one table to another. The host of this gathering has managed the orders in advanced, and just as everyone was seated on two long tables, the onslaught of salad charms began.
For starters, ASIAN NACHOS ($98) were crispy fried wontons covered with chicken and a sweet sauce, with melted cheese and the Asian twist on a Wasabi Cream rather than conventional Mexican Crema. The sweet sauce, it turned out was somewhat similar to a mix of plum sauce and teriyaki sauce. The nachos were fried crispy and the wasabi cream had only the slightest sting. MEXICAN CEVICHE ($98) was a delicate two-tone dish. A plate of freshly cut rounds of break served with butter, together with a goblet filled with tomato cocktail sauce. Fishing through the sauce we could find chunks of octopus and shrimps within, blended together with red onions, and celery. The sauce doubled as a salsa dip for the bread and accented on the Mexican twist with flakes of coriander leaves and the tangy squeeze of lime.
Next up are the Salads. AG seems to have a knack for fusion in this sense, as if the good 'ol "greens and dressing" doesn't have what it takes to fulfill salad lovers. ORIENTAL WALDORF ($88) used celery, red, and green apples, cut into matchsticks together with raisins and blue cheese dressing to make a similar classic, topped with candied walnuts. The dressing was creamy and the apples were sweet enough on their own. STEAKHOUSE SALAD ($135) featured meat as the star. A 6oz Prime Beef on a bed of greens, together with roasted red bell peppers, a sprinkle of blue cheese and ringlets of red onion, tossed entirely with Italian vinaigrette. The beef was medium rare (and disappeared in a flash) and the vinaigrette was just tangy enough for the blue cheese to give the entire dish a rich lift in taste and substance. Last of three salad looked like a fiesta exploded in awe. The MEXICAN BEEF TOSTADA ($108) was a burst of textures and fancy colours with a Latin twist. On the very top there were minced beef, followed by toasted tortilla on the side. The kidney beans, mixed greens and corn were tossed with a Spicy Vinaigrette -- I could taste the zesty lime juice mixing with the occasional bite of Ancho chilies together with a long-lasting sting of jalapenos lurking beneath the palates, only to be smothered further with the richness of Guacamole, salsa, Jack cheese and sour cream. Each element brought an explosion of flavour one right after the other, and frankly for those who thought salad as a meal was a boring notion, you'd probably rethink that should you land yourself a table at Applegreen.
After the round of salads have subsided, we were just about ready for the pasta to arrive next. The CARBONARA ($78) was a famed icon, I heard, for Applegreen fans. I was told it was a must-order, despite it not being very 'Carbonara' at all. It arrived steaming with an addition of a sunny-side up Egg and Bacon to top. It was bacon-and-eggs (and carbs) time, as if breakfast had descended upon us already. The Spaghetti was slightly over the al-dente stage but not mushy. But the creamy sauce mixed with the rich egg yolk made up for the texture. As crispy bits of bacon flakes accompanied the rich creamy pasta and sauce, I realized that sense of significance of having all the vegetables beforehand just now -- to calm ourselves into thinking that we've already had the vegetables and be healthy individuals so we won't feel the guilt as if we jumped straight into the carbs! The pseudo-comfort was no longer needed or paid attention to, as we doved ourselves into the next pasta dish to come, the SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS (98). Topped with juliennes with nori the lightness of white wine and garlic washed away the richness of cream, butter, egg and bacon, replaced with a simple yet extraordinary mix of olive oil and white wine. The simple no-fuss creation similar to Linguine alla Vongole of Italian descent. The broth was slightly briny with the sweet aroma of garlic gushing up to fill our noses before we dug in.
Just before the mains arrived we had the pleasure to try out the FREESTYLE SHRIMPS ($208, Regular / $114, Half-order). 1 lb of shrimps made on your choice of three sauces. Tonight we had the pleasure to sample two sauces including the peanut sauce and the Tomato Parma Ham sauce. The SHRIMPS IN ORIENTAL PEANUT SAUCE was the dark horse but won out at the end. It's lighter than a satay sauce but had both smooth and chunky peanut-butter blended into one. The sauce clings nicely on the headless shrimps and did not leave an unpleasant aftertaste. The SHRIMPS IN TOMATO PARMA HAM SAUCE was supposedly well-anticipated, only did we find "Shrimps in tomato sauce" instead. The Parma ham was a faint remembrance in the taste, and even that smelled more like bacon than its Italian kin. The shrimps were good with the chunky tomato sauce, but we just were hoping that if they're going to charge us $100+ for a few piece of shrimps they're going to give us at least 1 thin shaving of Parma ham, even if it's for show...
We were just about to hit the mains, as the conversations flowed across the table about past-experiences at AG...and anticipation of what's about to come next. Some members in the group were highly anticipating the roasted garlic sidedish on a sausage platter, while the rest of us were drooling just hearing what's on the dessert menu. That would come in the next review. (didn't want to make it too long-winded...)
TO BE CONTINUED...
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