News Just In: Chaos Theory Spawns Tuscan Risotto

My ex room-mate, D, and her new room-mate V, invited F and me for dinner.

The Chaos Theory: 3 a : a state of utter confusion b : a confused mass or mixture c : a high level of order and pattern in what has long been thought to be random activity.


The kitchen may have presented an image of disorder to some.
But what came out of the kitchen proved the theory. There was nothing random about the result: A delicious, home-cooked, Italian Three Course Meal...

Zucchini Soup with Mint
D's masterpiece steaming bowl of pureed courgettes, well balanced with mint and basil, made thick and creamy by the inclusion of potato rather than dairy and with a little crumbled goat cheese to give it extra kick. Extra thanks to D for the extra takeaway portion that is now sitting in my freezer.

Bay Scallop and Asparagus Risotto
(with Steamed asparagus Surprise, not pictured)
V's wonderful, lemony risotto with asparagus and plump scallops. Rich, delicious, zesty and fresh. Again, thanks for the extra portion which I am just about to eat for dinner.

A juicy steak just for non-seafood eater, F.

Fresh Mixed Berries with Sabayon Brulee
We all protested. We told V we couldn't possibly fit in dessert. Then V, quickly whipped up this stunning little sweet and we all secretly wished we hadn't insisted on such small portions.

V Checks out the recipe book that was exclusively used for this evening's meal, Simply Tuscan by Pino Luongo
Thanks, D and V, for a wonderful evening.

News Just In: Chaos Theory Spawns Tuscan Risotto

Chaya, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA

132 The Embarcadero San Francisco , CA 94105 (415)777-8688

Visit Chaya's website here

I'd been reading some positive reports about Frisson so at the last
minute, on Sunday night, when myself and F decided to
join J and H for a local dinner on what would be H's Last Supper in
town before leaving to work in Vancouver, I phoned Frisson and left a
message on their reservation line to request a table. Rudely, they never
did call me back and confirm. Just as well. When H and J knocked on our
door to pick us up, and I told them of my plan for the evening, they
quickly staged large scale protests against the food at one of San Francisco's trendiest hot-spot dining experiences. They told us they had been to Frisson a week earlier and that they found the food portions small, unsatisfying and extremely pricey. They did reiterate, however, that they thought Frisson's drinks and bartender were excellent and advised us to try it out another time just for the good cocktails.
As it was his last night in town and because he had been so vocal, I
handed over the choice for our dinner to H who suggested somewhere in
walking distance like Ozumo or Chaya. We settled for the latter because
F doesn't eat fish and we hadn't eaten all day and fancied something a
little more filling than sushi.

Nestled in a row of Restaurants on the Embarcadero, Chaya has great views of the Bay Bridge, plus live jazz on a Sunday night. We had no problem securing a table at short notice even though it was busy and lively.
Parched after our six or so block walk, we swiftly ordered a round of Chaya House cocktails at $9 each. The girls were both seduced by the thought of Bellinis whilst the boys appeared to be in more Cosmopolitan moods. The Bellinis, reportedly made correctly with Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco, and peach puree weren't knockout. I deduced they may have been made with juice rather than puree and consequently were a little on the watery side.

Throughout the evening the staff were very attentative, but it got a little bit tiresome that the waitress, after every person declared their choice for each course, would say "Very good" or "Excellent choice" in a tone of voice as if we'd each chosen the very best thing on the menu. It could not be possible that we all made the best choice as you will see, each of us had something entirely different for each course...
For an appetizer I chose a Summer Vegetable Heirloom Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Tart with Sweet Onion Marmalade, Olive pesto and mixed herb oil at $12,50. Unexpectedly, this was a cold plate, a filo pastry basket filled with all manner of textures and tastes. Roasted peppers formed the base level with the onions on top. Next layer up was one large slice of tomato covered in a similarly sized slice of mozzarella. The assemblage was crowned with a mix of shaved fennel, cresses and the pesto. The plate was dotted with cherry tomatoes and the herb pesto.

This dish didn't work for me - there were just too many things going on. The extremely fresh, tomato and mozzarella just needed a little salt to draw out their flavours. They should have been the stars of the dish but the crunchy fennel dominated texture-wise whilst the roasted peppers, much as I like them, were overpowering in terms of flavour. Each mouthful tasted entirely different to the last and by the time I finished it I was completely at a loss to define what I had eaten.
F described his warm Crispy Goat Cheese Salad ($10.50) as good but he didn't believe the menu's description of the red wine vinaigrette it was dressed in. He claimed the dressing tasted more oriental. When I told him it was meant to be 'red wine' he exclaimed "well then it must be American red wine". That's the French for you.
H let me try a forkful of his Sauteed Sonoma Foie Gras over French Toast Brioche with roasted apple, rhubarb salad and cassis sauce at $16. Wow, this appetizer was startling good. The ultimate comfort food, but so rich I think the one tiny mouthful I tried was enough to satisfy the more needy side of my personality.

For my entree I was uhhmmming and aahhing for a while before choosing, at the very last moment, Pan-Roasted New Zealand John Dory with Day Boat Sea Scallops, celeriac puree, kale, maitake mushrooms and a black truffle champagne sauce at $27. The fish was succulent, tender and perfectly cooked. I couldn't even find the celeriac (that's celery root in US-speak), which was a great shame as it is one of my favourite vegetables. The kale was tough and tasted so much of the colour "dark green" it had no right to be on the plate. It added nothing to this otherwise delicate dish. The mushrooms were fine, and the sauce was creamy, moreish and perhaps a little overpowering. It certainly dominated everything it came in contact with.
F had settled for an Oak Wood Grilled Black Angus Rib-Eye Steak with Three Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Potato, Sweet Onion, Romano Beans, Veal Jus & Fresh Basil, $31. I asked him to describe it in his eloquent French manner. The meat, he told me, was standard. He ordered it medium but felt it was a little overcooked. He wasn't keen on the greasy fatty pieces surrounding the flesh and said he could discern no pepper whatsoever in the three peppercorn sauce. The potatoes which were so small with red and black skins, that they resembled a trio of grapes, were his least favourite. "Crap, dirty and mouldy" were the three generous adjectives that summed up his description of them. He had some good things to say about the "crusty nice beans" but would have preferred a "big plate of French Fries" to accompany his meat.
H chose the Two Way Lamb - Roasted Chop and Braised Leg with Caramelized Fennel, Baby New Potatoes and Rosemary Jus, $29. He loved the chops, and I agree they were delicious as he let me try a mouthful, but he was less enamoured of the braised leg which he claimed was "a little bit weird".

For dessert, F and I both wanted to try the Molten Chocolate Cake - Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Coulis, Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, $9, so we elected to share. It was ok, we were both in need of chocolate so it suited our needs. The cake was well-baked with a hot steamy centre and a runny chocolate lava that flowed over the plate once we had cracked it open, mixing with the fruit puree. My criticism would be that it was a little too sweet. Had the chocolate been more bitter and the raspberry more sharp this dessert would have ended up one step closer to heaven.

J and H chose to share the Mint Chocolate Bombe, filled with icecream, $9. They must have really liked it because they wouldn't let us try, even a spoonful.

We washed down our food with a really wonderful bottle of Etude Pinot Noir ($70), chosen by H. Good choice, H, and Bon Voyage, good luck in Canada!

To Summarize:
I really am not overly enamoured of Chaya, especially because the bill on both occasions I have been there has ended up being way higher than the food experience that accompanied it.

Chaya, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA

Buffets and BBQs

27-28th August 2004

Friday

It was a weekend of parties. On Friday night K hosted a party with a magnificent buffet spread. We all had a great time, except there was a sad reason for the celebration. Our beloved H, Big Guy, is leaving for a job in Vancouver. At least we have another City where we can escape for the weekend where we can stay with a friend. (Plus it's near Whistler!)


melon wrapped with prosciutto


Figs are in season


K's friend J baked some delicious home-made Macadamia Nut and white chocolate cookies.

Saturday

In celebration of D's birthday we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge to his BBQ and Pool Party in Mill Valley. It was a glorious day and the unheated pool boasted temperatures in the mid 80s. (29 degrees Celsius)

D, who is French and an excellent cook, had made burgers which he told me contained avocado. I was intrigued by this unusual ingredient and was keen to try one after my swim. The burger was excellent and extremely juicy. I think I might try that avocado trick next time I make them.

The potato salad was also worthy of a special note. Please don't test my cholesterol, the potatoes were swimming in a delicious thick creamy mayonnaise with plenty of boiled eggs and crunchy vegetables to give is some bite. How could I resist going back for a second spoonful?


Barbecued squash and peppers from D's garden.

In the evening we went to P's BBQ party in Bernal Heights. Her room mates were cooking a whole wild salmon from their family in Alaska on the coals. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture this time. P also mixed up some wicked margheritas and mojitos.

Buffets and BBQs

Made in France / Village Imports

A shopping excursion...

Visit the Made In France website here. Sign up for the mailing list so you can be notified about their next event.

On Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed to drive about 25 minutes South to Brisbane where we hoped to pick up some bargains and less common French products at the Made in France Warehouse Sale.

Our journey was productive. We came home laden with French and other foods including Amora mustard, Petit Suisse fromage frais, Cote d'Or chocolat, Duck Confit, saucissons, Merguez sausages, Gruyere cheese, Puget Olive Oil and a case of Chateau Neuf de Pape.

Made in France / Village Imports

Indian Chaat and Sweets, Berkeley, CA

Visit India Chaat and Sweets Website Here

824 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
Tel: (510) 704-1200
Fax: (510) 704-0357

Sun -Thurs
11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri - Sat
11:30 am - 10:00 pm



Tonight I was part of a visit by the "Masala Hound" contingent of the Bay Area Chowhounders to a 'Curry Dive'. There were Fourteen Hounds in Total. It was interesting to finally meet some of the faces behind the names on the Chowhound Message Board

The Chowhoud Proposal for tonight's event

A chowhound meal consists of ordering lots of dishes and then everyone sharing them all, so that each person can have a little taster of everything that is on offer. We started with the 'chaat' which are a selection indian roadside snacks. The reason I wanted to be a part of this meal is because when I was a strict vegetarian back in the late 80's in London, I used to frequent Indian Vegetarian restaurants specializing in these kinds of dishes and I hadn't tried any in the US yet. Overall the chaat plates seem to include lots of little crispy fried things, like puris, also cubed potatoes, raw onions, chickpeas, tamarind and yoghurt. At 'India Chaat and Sweets' I found the things that were supposed to be crispy were sometimes a little stale, soggy and not quite as fresh as they should have been. My favourite, the Papdi Chaat, was sufficiently mouth-tingling and fresh to make an impression. I thought the main curries were a little overpriced at $10.95 each, especially for the vegetable dishes. However I loved the creamy Kofta and the delicious okra. I liked the thinner of the meat curries too, which was supposed to be goat but tasted like lamb to me. The naan was too dry, not buttery enough. The saffron chicken was too saffron for my taste, but maybe that was because I landed a large clump of the decorative stamen in my own spoonful. I didn't care much for the desserts which were all obviously made with condensed milk causing them to be very creamy and sweet, with out enough chill or flavour to cut through the clawing richness.
Price per person (including $5 corkage for each wine bottle we opened[7?], and tip) was $23.50

Visit this link to see a full set of photographs from the evening

Indian Chaat and Sweets, Berkeley, CA

Greek Feast

...a dinner party in a celebration of the Olympics.

On Saturday I was up bright and early with a slightly foggy head. But I had to get on do the shopping for tonight's dinner party. There was a lot to do. First of all, shopping list in hand, I legged it down to the San Francisco Ferry Building to see what fresh produce I could pick up there at the Farmers Market. I picked up a couple of 1lb Early Girl "sauce" tomatoes for just a dollar per bag. At another vendor, where all the veggies were $2 a pound, I selected a mixture of shiny bell peppers in less ordinary colours (black, pale yellow and pale green), plump little cucumbers and some great little knobbly 'almost-roma-shaped' tomatoes that I determined would be the best type to use in the Greek salad I would be preparing later.
Behind the Ferry building the sound of an Englishman's accent lured me to his stall, selling a great variety of mainly salad leaves. He had some wonderful looking spinach - a mix of a crinkly heavy dark green leaf and a deep red spinach too. It wasn't cheap, at $6 a lb, but I decided it would make a far more interesting filling for my Spanakopita than regular standard spinach.

In keeping with the colours of the Greek flag, blue and white, I treated myself to a bunch of "Love in the Mist" that I would use as a centrepiece on the dinner table.

A trip to Costco and Wholefoods later, I finally got back home at about 1.30pm with all the ingredients I needed to make the dinner, and not many hours to prepare it in. I set to work immediately. Over a week earlier I had already asked Chowhounders for advice on choosing my menu for the evening.

The first recipe suggested to me, for Fava Bean Salata, had already been started by me a couple of days earlier. I am not a stickler for recipes and prefer to use them as a loose guide and cook with my feelings instead. (Unless the recipe calls for accuracy as in breads, pastries, etc). I had been unable to find butter beans, in a can or otherwise. I did find some dried fava beans but they were incredibly expensive so I decided to use Lima Beans instead which I bought loose, soaked over night, then cooked for 90 minutes before using in the recipe. Everyone loved this dip which I served with warm pitta and crudities.

I also prepared some Spanakopita, This taught me a lesson: Filo Pastry needs to defrost 8 hours in the fridge before use. Duh - I had no idea, I didn't have 8 hours either. I had to carefully defrost the roll of pastry in the microwave being mindful not to let it get at all hot. This method just about worked, but in places the sheets did get stuck to each other which was frustrating. Despite losing my patience with the pastry I eventually managed to assemble the pie which turned out to be delicious, especially with the less common spinach varieties I'd used that tasted more flavourful and looked pretty too with the red spinach giving the feta a slight pink tinge.
The recipe I used for my Spanakopita

The whole of the Greek Feast I was preparing was vegetarian, with the exception of Yuvetsi, a lamb casserole with orzo (tiny rice-shaped pasta). I could only just fit all the ingredients in my Le Creuset. The Yuvetsi Recipe I used can be found here.

I didn't follow any recipe for the Greek Salad. I used my Farmers Market tomatoes, a pink torpedo onion, and cucumbers plus feta, pitted kalamata olives from Wholefoods, fresh oregano and a simple dressing of Greek olive oil and vinegar.


Dinner is served

A million thanks to P, who not only made Tzatziki (cucumber and yoghurt) and a delicious smoked aubergine dip, but also donned a toga and hastily assembled me a Greek-style head dress from rosemary sprigs.


The Yuvetsi is served.


Greek wines we tried. The red dry table wine was ok. (At least the bottle was empty). The Retsina was laughably unpopular. It was the first bottle opened, and there is still half left. We have decided to keep it as an antidote. Next time someone spills red wine on themselves we're going to douse them with Retsina. Not only will it remove the stain - it's going to have a great fresh, pine scent too!
The water is actually German, but hey - the bottle looks Greek, doesn't it?

Finally, we tried a Greek red dessert wine, which I also used to poach some Farmers Market figs, along with a little acacia honey, cloves and cinnamon bark for dessert. I served the figs with Greek sheep and goats milk yoghurt drizzled in the honey.



Nineteen friends, in total, feasted on the Greek meal as they watched some Olympian track and field events in HD. Final thanks to everyone who joined us and to MB for sharing the family heirloom - a bottle of Greek 'moonshine' (sweet, port-like, quite delicious) made by her brother who since his marriage to a Greek, has learnt his wife's secret family recipe.

Greek Feast

Croquembouche and Citizen Cupcake

2 Stockton St. (at Market Street) San Francisco Tel. (415) 399-1565

After reading several threads on Chowhound's SF and Bay area message board about croquembouche and Citizen Cake, I had sweet things on my mind. The chowhound board had also alerted me to the news that there was now a baby cafe version of the dessert-orientated restaurant cutely named Citizen Cupcake in the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco's Down Town. As F and I were in the Union Sq area shopping for a wedding present on empty stomachs I suggested we stop there for a quick something to eat. F was happy as this also delivered an impromptu opportunity for him to buy a few new cds.

Citizen Cupcake is cafeteria-style so you have to queue and then make your order. This was s l o w. Admittedly I had a very excited customer ahead of me, ordering vast quantities of cookies to pick up the next day. I noted that the staff were extremely friendly, helpful and interested in him. The slowness didn't bother me because I was having great difficulty choosing what delightful-sounding morsel I would order. I was uhhm-ing and aah-ing between a panini (mozzarella and prosciutto or 3 cheeses) or the cheese selection. I was in a savoury mood otherwise my decision-making would have been hindered further by the sugary display of dozens of cupcakes and cookies also on offer. As my place at the front of the queue materialized I saw an order of the cheese I had been contemplating go to another table. It looked perfect, and so my decision was made.
There are four cheeses to choose from, each served with something a little different. I chose the French goat cheese which was presented on a rectangular tray, The miniscule piece of cheese, 2 large red ripe juicy cherries and a baby handful of Marcona almonds contrasted decadently with the shiny dark ceramics. A small square bowl at the end of the tray held a decent number and variety of crackers. The cheese was authentic and pungent, no mild imitations here, and probably shouldn't be chosen by someone who is more used to their cheese pre-sliced in a cellophane wrapper.
Quality doesn't come cheap and I am sure some people might balk at the $6 price tag on this tiny dish. For me, who wanted something very tasty but not too filling, it fitted the bill. F had a glass of sauvignon blanc. I would have loved to pair my cheese with a red wine but because of medication I am currently unable to drink so I settled for the very gauche option of a bowl of latte instead.

The staff really seemed to passionate about working there. I decided to buy a slab of chocolate to pair with my latte, from their selection of all sorts of yummy looking sweet things to buy and take home. One of the servers came over to discuss chocolate with me, asking which flavour I had tried. She then told me she had a little of another flavour at the back which she would bring me to sample. I think it was from her own personal supplies, so I was taken aback and touched by her kindness.
The bill for wine coffee and cheese was $15. The chocolate, another $4.50. Steep prices for a simple caff in a music store but for top notch ingredients I can't really complain.
The Belgian Dolfin chocolate really was excellent. I chose earl grey, noir, which luckily was so mildly flavoured that the tea flavour was barely discernible but the inclusion of very finely chopped tealeaves made the bar ever so slightly crunchy.
The sample the server generously gave me was of their new Masala milk chocolate. I thought it would be Marsala as in the Spanish wine but I'd missed the subtle difference in spelling and was in fact alluding to an Indian spice mix of cardamom, cloves, ginger and cinnamon which, as I noted to F, made it taste like Christmas. I am not a milk chocolate person so I found this one to be too sickly and sweet. I personally would stick with their dark chocolates instead.

In the evening we drove to Mountain View to the house of B and C who were throwing a party to celebrate their recent marriage in Tahiti. The pretty garden was circled with tables weighed down with mountains of French foods. Little quiches, salads, and baguettes topped with pates, saucissons, duck mousse or roquefort cheese with walnuts, eggs mimosa and all sorts of other delicious things. The star of the show was a "Piece Monte" the traditional French wedding cake made of Croquembouche. I was pleased to find this settled an argument I'd been having with F. I thought the wedding cake was actually called a "Croquembouche" and had been arguing the point with he, who insisted it is called a Piece Monte. He's French, and of course I should have taken his word, as it appears he was right. The French contingent explained that each little caramel covered choux is indeed called a croquembouche but collectively, when assembled to create the mountainous, glorious-looking cake they are instead labeled a 'Piece Monte'.

Croquembouche and Citizen Cupcake

Plouf's New Menu

40 Belden Pl San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 986-649

Update: Visit October 22nd 2004
Last night I dined at Plouf where we eat regularly. The specials sounded so good, I chose them over regular favourites from the menu. I started with a lobster bisque. The soup was delicious but it didn't taste of lobster. It had a rich taste even though it wasn't a creamy soup. I puzzled over every spoonful but I couldn't work out the ingredients of what I was eating.
For my main course, the special was skate on a bed of puy lentils. The fish, which was deboned, was glistening, fresh, soft and succulent. Really good. It was on a very savoury bed of lentils which had been cooked with bacon and winter vegetables. Tasty as this accompaniment was, it was subtle enough not to overpower the delicate fish.

Date of Visit August 6th 2004
I visit Plouf every couple of weeks. It's one of my favourite restaurants, partly for the food but mainly for the atmosphere. I have been there so many times that I have got to know the staff and that always ensures I have a good time. Because I go there so often, I get to know the menu pretty well so I was excited to find they had changed their menu on my last visit.
First the bad news: The Polenta salad they had had, with a smokey tomato sauce and the softest, creamiest pillow of polenta served with a bed of shiny dressed green leaves was not longer an option. This saddened me: the salad was an addiction of mine, and I knew I would miss it.
I loved their old tuna tartare as well, but was excited to try the new version which was served on a bed of seaweed salad with pickled lemons. It was beautifully presented with the freshest looking tuna sliced in several glistening slices, resting on the japanese greens, swirled with an orange oil that I soon discovered was chilli. This dish disappointed me. In the first mouthful it was bland and I had to add salt to draw out the flavours. Then the mix of three strong tastes - the chilli oil, the bitter chunks of lemon rind and the crunchy seaweed salad all completely overpowered the delicate tuna which should have been center stage. Instead the three stronger elements fought it out for main attention, none of them exactly winning the battle, but all of them damaging the impact of the other in some way.
F's goat cheese and heirloom salad was far more satisfying with a good tasty cheese, well selected ripened tomatoes and well dressed green leaves with a banyuls vinaigrette.

For our main courses F took the new york steak which was served with a potato gratin and rich dark sauce. The steak was absolute perfection, well cooked to the medium rare requested, hot and a very tasty piece of meat. It paired well with the sauce which contrasted perfectly with the white creamy potato gratin which wasn't the best of potato gratins, but was quite adequate and provided some comforting carbs to the meal too.
I tried another new addition to the meat menu - a duo of lamb dish. I ordered the lamb rare. It came with two rolled pieces of leg of lamb that were disappointingly stone cold, and two lamb meatballs that were a little warmer but not exactly hot. These were served on a bed of fresh chick peas and cucumber and yohurt. The whole dish was drizzled in mint pesto. Being English, I am more than familiar with the concept of lamb and mint, I grew up with it and I generally love it. This dish, however was totally overpowered by the mint. Everything tasted of it: the lamb, the chickpeas, the cucumber, everything. There was no contrast to that mint taste so the dish quickly became boring and I only finished half of it. The lamb meatballs had a little more flavour and managed to venture out slightly from under the mint ummbrella, but as they were cooling down, and not as hot as they maybe should have been, the taste of the fat in them became a little bit more dominant than I would have liked.
I passed my comments on to the manager, so hopefully he'll act upon my suggestions and improve the two dishes we didn't like so much. Otherwise, if you pay a visit soon, I would recommend the steak over the lamb, or stick to the delicious steaming bowls of mussels and clams which are always excellent whenever I have them.

Check out a previous Plouf post here

Plouf's New Menu

Roe

for D's very special Birthday Dinner...

651 Howard St. (at Hawthorne Lane), San Francisco; (415) 227-0288

Click here to view the Roe website

The Birthday girl, D, was looking for a sushi fusion place to hold a special celebration meal with her closest friends. She wanted somewhere with a party atmosphere, sushi and other dishes that non-fish eaters would enjoy. By random chance I had read about a new place, Roe, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly. We had read some 'not so good reviews' as well as some excellent ones so we decided to keep an open mind and be optimistic that the restaurant would deliver both food and fun. We reserved about a week ahead and had no problem securing a table for 16 people, on a Thursday, at prime time 8.30pm. This was probably due to the fact that the restaurant was so new with little written about yet, and it therefore hadn't made its mark on the San Francisco restaurant-goers map.



When I made the reservation they tried to persuade me to order in advance, for the whole table, as we were such a large party. I politely declined and resisted the pressure, realising that when people are going out to a new place to eat, they want to be able to select whatever they fancy on the night, especially when they are going to be paying top dollar for it.

I told everyone to meet in the bar upstairs which, if the website was to believed, was supposed to have a live DJ. In fact, the upstairs bar was as dead as a dodo, but the downstairs bar, facing the diners, was even more convenient (it didn't involve a hike up the stairs). The red brick walls were offset with swathes of gold and the setting was certainly reflective of the creative prices on the menu. I don't recall any live jazz in the downstairs area which, again, if the website was to be believed, was reportedly a feature. Maybe the live music is something they keep for weekends. The greeting staff and the bar staff, in fact all staff, were extremely friendly, welcoming and patient throughout the evening. We spent the first 45 minutes or so, whilst everyone was arriving, propping up the bar and sampling the exotic martinis. I started with a "Rasberry Chi" (I wasn't sure if they left out the 'p' for some kind of effect.) which I loved because the raspberry puree base was sharp and fresh. I couldn't actually taste any alcohol, but in retrospect*, it was probably fairly strong. [*more details follow later]. I also tested another cocktail that the bartender warned me had a very strong rose flavour. I didn't mind, because I love rose flavour, until I actually tasted the martini, in which I could barely detect a trace of rose. I kicked myself that I hadn't stuck with what I knew to be good and taken another of the raspberry concoctions instead.



The staff had got wind of the fact that D was the Birthday girl, and even though it was me who had made the reservation and already told them we didn't want to order in advance, they tried it on again with D, suggesting she ordered the appetizers for the entire table as she waited for her friends to arrive. Luckily she had been primed by me about this request so again they had a polite refusal.

Once we were seated, however, our waiter showed no signs of upset that we hadn't already ordered as he very calmly, patiently and in good humour made his way around the large rectangular table to take our requests for wine and appetizers. MB, who is always burdened with the task of choosing our wine, was disturbed to find that most of the wines were heavy - Zins and Cabs that she didn't feel would partner the lighter predominantly seafood menu very well. By way of a compromise she ordered one each of a Syrah, a sauvignon Blanc, and I think a Shiraz, but I could be mistaken, to get us going (well, actually, the cocktails had already got us going but I guess we were on a roll by this time). One of the first bottles of red to come out was clearly corked and the waiter showed no hesitation in agreeing with us and promptly returned with a fresh replacement.

As the wine flowed, my memory got hazier and hazier, everyone seemed to be overly enjoying themselves and time felt like a drop of oil suspended in water. Gradually, dozens of appetizers arrived. Communication with the distant other end of the table had been difficult and whilst everyone at my end seemed to have ordered just one each, I am certain that those at the other end had been a little more hungry than we were. Not to worry, this food was made for sharing. Well, not strictly true. My duck appetizer on a bed of sticky rice with a delicious sauce I shamefully can't recall the flavour of other than to remember I specifically enjoyed it, I didn't want to share with a soul, except F, with whom I'll share anything and everything. F himself, doesn't eat any fish or seafood so he'd ordered some beef samosas. Considering he was not inclined to be picking food off of other peoples' fish-centric plates he also didn't want to share (except with me who had traded him some duck). This didn't stop a few gannets diving in for a taste of the large, flamboyant, delicately spiced morsels sitting on his plate.



The other end of the table had ordered too much, so some of their plates were passed our way for our delectation. [Do I look like a dustbin??] I wasn't sure what I was trying, exactly, but the assortment of mouthfuls of sushi rolls and the like, made no impression on me other than "chewy, sticky, rice"

For my main course, I ordered two more appetizers because I am the kind of girl who likes to try several smaller tastes rather than a large heavy entree. I ordered the lobster bisque and a hamachi sashimi dish. The bisque was good in so much as I really happen to like coconut milk with thai-style spices - which is exactly what I got. Oh yes - there was actually a mouthful or two of lobster in it, as I recall it was tender and well textured, but considering it was not given the chance to add any extra subtle flavours to the rich soup or shine as a star in it's own right, I wasn't impressed with the $15 or so price tag on this particular dish.

The hamachi was awful. I am well aware that raw fish should not be served ice cold, but serving it at room temperature when room temperature is too hot, is equally a no-no in my book. It had lost it's freshness and because of it's warmth, the hamachi's usually desirable buttery flavour had developed a richness that was too much to take. Very disappointing.



F ordered a steak. He said it was passable enough, but couldn't stop muttering that for the price ($32 as I recall), he expected something outsanding. There are many places in town that serve very decent steaks for a lot less money. F felt that for Roe to charge top prices for their meat, they should at least make it memorable.

The staff really were great. Even though D had mysteriously disappeared, they still brought out a complimentary, candle-topped dessert for everyone to share. By this time, however, I was beaten. My recent strict dieting (all I'd had for lunch was a small bowl of soup), meant that my usual ability to be able to drink without too much of a side effect had left me and I needed to go home. The bill certainly wasn't cheap even bearing in mind we were comping the Birthday girl, although amongst 15 that didn't amount to too much. I was a little shocked at the prices until a few sobre days later I met with some of the friends from that evening who explained that we'd had nearly a bottle of wine per person. Ahh! That explains a lot - especially the sore head I had the next morning...

Roe