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2011-04-22
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We noticed the Leg of Lamb as a special dish of the day on the main menu during our first visit on 8th april. Since the lamb rack tasted great, we thought that the leg of lamb would be even better. So we went again on a Wednesday, and even booked a table in advance with 'leg of lamb' as a special request.We did not want to repeat the dishes we ordered last time so we tried something different, apart from the French Onion Soup which my dad really liked. We ordered two orders to share among us t
We did not want to repeat the dishes we ordered last time so we tried something different, apart from the French Onion Soup which my dad really liked. We ordered two orders to share among us three and the portion was big enough to leave us all satisfied. Half-melted cheeses on top of the softened slice of bread which was half-floating and half-sinking after absorbing the soup was delicious; the cheese being sweet and yummy and the bread being full of the aroma of the soup. The soup by itself was really sweet, despite carrying a heavy smell of the ox (i suppose this to be somehow a ox broth as the base, yes?) cause of the generous dozes of shedded caramelized and softened onion in it. It was nice, even for a non-onion-soup-drinker like me. No wonder why my dad (who loves onion soup) appreciated it s much!
Next was the baby spinach and sweet corn with poached egg. The egg was nicely cooked and the yolk was instantly running out as we broke the white with a fork. The dressing was a little too oily - or was it because of the yolk incorporated into the greens? - and it made the spinach leaves a little too soggy. Yet the corn cobs and bacon bits were tasty and added another dimension of texture into the salad, making it less dull to eat as they were crunchy, contrasted against the softness of the leaves.
We also ordered a Cheese Platter. JAR has just introduced a new, separated, more comprehensive menu on the cheeses and quite a few new types were added. We did not have much knowledge on the dairy goodie and were instantly confused with all those foreign names on the paper. The waitress wasnt too sure about what to recommend when i requested for something 'similar to brie' - the best i could do - but luckily she had a cheatsheet and we kinda overcame the hurdle of an incomprehensible cheese menu (due to my lack of knowledge, my bad) and managed to order 3 types of cheeses. The platter came in a huge portion - the condiments were generously given and they altogether covered more surface area than the cheeses themselves! Anyway, i could not recall what the precise names of the cheeses were. I think one (the one looking like the brie) was Coulommiers and the waitress had to reassure that it would not be the strong, sea-salty cheese that was unstandable for me during my last visit, and that they had changed the cheese collection. It turned out to be true: the cheese was indeed a much more mild one, and yet i do not quite like the last tint of sourness and saltness. The cheese lacked a creamy and full body too, and melted too quickly once it entered your mouth. Brie could surely do a better job than this.Roquefort should be the name of the blue cheese which my dad ordered. The smell was not strong and the flavour was, too, mild, although it was more salty than the Coulommiers. It was of a likable texture and moist however, yet being a little too crumbled - i basically ate it with the thin crackers which could hold the bits together, and cleaned away the strong taste in my mouth with a walnut or a dried apricot.
Last was the Comte, the semi-hard cheese. Despite its hardness the flavour was intense and the texture made it a nice on-the-cracker snack to be eaten. This was my personal favourite among the three cheeses for i love rich ones.
The compliments were generous as there were thin water crackers, wheat digestives, mini baguettes, quince paste, nuts etc. They made great appetizers as well as desserts, as we could only finish it after we ere done with our mains - the portion was just too much for three to finish, and with that at $150 for three cheeses, this had been a true bargain.
Then came the mains - and sadly most turn out to be disappointing.
We ordered three to share:
1. Long bone beef short rib - oven-roasted with arugula salad. We requested to have it medium-rare and it turned out to be slightly burnt along the edges. It was fine for me for i love chewing on the tougher loins but my parents who have weaker teeth might find it not very comfortable to eat. The portion was huge - good for 3-4 persons to each get a decent share. Personally i think the taste of the meat was ok, the flavour was quite intense, but the aroma of the char-grill was a bit shallow and stayed only on the surface of the roast but did not really get into the flesh, which might turn out to taste a little bland. The texture was too a little rough. All it all it was okay but overpriced - you wont think its worth $320.
2. Leg of lamb - slow-roasted with herb stuffing. The biggest disappointment of the night. I was expecting a whole leg of lamb, huge, juicy and succulent. IT turned out to be somewhaat a roll of meat with herb stuffings. It smelt intensely of lamb but it was tasteless. A thick slab of mint sauce wouldnt help it either. Texture wasnt particularly great too - sigh. The lamb rack we had last time was much better than this one. Big mistake of the night.
3. Pappardelle with wild mushrooms - truffles and cream . Best main dish of the night. The pappardelle was cooked till al dante and, despite the lack of the flavour of the egg in it, the wide and flat pasta could carry the thick truffle mushroom sauce, which was rich and very tasty. Very nice indeed, and we realized that JAR might be better at handling mushrooms and veggies than big chunks of meat.All in all - avoid the exceptionally fleshy dishes and go for the greens and cheese - you wont be disappointed at JAR.
張貼
