Tasty n Alder – Portland

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014Leave a comment

Before our trip, we did some research on where to eat to save time and get the most out of our trip. Tasty n Alder was one of the picks and it was located conveniently in the downtown area. We arrived at around 7pm, and it was packed! They don’t take reservations, but they do take down your name and number when you arrive. You can then go elsewhere and they will call you when your table is ready. However, since we didn’t have any US minutes, we had to check up on our table every half an hour. We ended up waiting a good 2 hours until we got a table. I’ve never waited so long to eat… It’s pretty ridiculous because you would see people who are already done eating, but they would lounge around for a long time. In Vancouver, the servers would probably be trying to kick you out by then, if there’s a huge line up for the next round of diners. Not here. Luckily, they ended up serving us some complementary bubbles to thank us for waiting.

The restaurant is dimly lit inside, and is quite hip. Sort of like a bar, but a bit more fancy. It’s Pacific Northwest food with some European twists. There are small and large plates, and I find that they are all great for sharing. By the time we got in, the restaurant was already quite empty.

Fried Oysters with Remoulade

First up, we got the Fried Oysters with Remoulade. They were lightly battered, and the oysters were tiny but sweet. It came with a remoulade, which is similar to a tartar sauce, and a coleslaw.

Crab Dip

The Crab Dip was one of my favourite dishes. The crab meat was flaky and mixed with tomatoes and herbs. It came with some pita bread to scoop. However, I found the pita bread to be too charred. Some parts tasted like burnt bread.

Seared Scallops with Mint Pesto

By far, my favourite of the night were the Seared Scallops with Mint Pestos. Although there were only three scallops, they were seared perfectly and the scallops just melted in your mouth. The pesto was also flavoured really well and was delicious alongside the scallops.

House-made Pasta with Squid

We also got the House-made Past with Squid. The pasta was al dente and I think it was just a simple drizzle of olive oil mixed with some veggies and squid. Simple, but tasty.

Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata

I’m not a fan of goat cheese, but apparently the Goat Cheese Dumplings Arrabiata is one of their famous dishes, so we got it. Surprisingly, the goat cheese wasn’t too strong, and when mixed with the arrabiata suace, which is a spicy tomato sauce, the flavours really excelled. It came with some toasts to accompany the dumplings.

Chocolate Potato Doughnut with Creme Anglaise

Lastly, we got the Chocolate Potato Doughnut with Creme Anglaise, which is also another top menu item. This was freshly deep fried and a must order!! I believe they use potato instead of typical flour and the texture was not as doughy. It came with a creme anglaise, which is a light custard cream. Overall, Tasty n Alder was quite good, but I don’t know if I would wait 2 hours for it again. They have quite unique items, but I also found the menu to be quite pricey for small portions.

Pike Place Market – Beecher’s Handmade Cheese + Pike Place Chowder (Seattle)

October 13, 2014Leave a comment

Before starting full time work, I decided to head down to the States for a road trip with my friends. Our destination was Portland, but we decided to stop in Seattle to grab lunch. Of course, we ended up at Pike Place Market. First, stop, we went to Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, which is an artisan cheesemaker and retail shop. Normally, they have huge line ups because tours bring them here, but we arrived early in the morning, so there were no line ups!

You can purchase cheese here, but also grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and other items. What’s unique about Beecher’s is that they mainly use pasteurized milk, but they also have their own farm and cattle to control their cheese products. You can actually see the cheese being prepared right next to the cafe.

World’s Best Mac & Cheese – penne pasta combined with Beecher’s award-winning Flagship cheese

We decided to share the World’s Best Mac & Cheese, which was absolutely delicious! It used penne pasta and was drenched in Beecher’s award-winning Flagship cheese which is aged for one year! It was thick and creamy and full of cheesiness. I found it quite pricey though since it was around $9 for a large, which really wasn’t too large.

After wandering around the market, we decided to head to Pike Place Chowder. They don’t open until 11:00 am, but by 11:30, there was already a huge line up!

Pike Place Chowder is famous for their award winning chowders. They serve 8 varieties of chowders, but also sandwiches and salads.

Sampler (four 5oz cups of any chowder)

I decided to go big and got the Sampler, which comes with four cups of chowders of your choice. Probably a bad choice, because 5 oz is actually a lot! I was basically drinking 20 oz of chowder…and they are quite thick! This would be great to share though. On the top left was the Seared Scallop Chowder, which came with sweet, tender scallops served in a creamy broth and flavoured with dill and lime juice. This was probably my least favourite. I found the broth to be too creamy and the dill was a little off-putting for me. On the top right was the Smoked Salmon Chowder, which came with nova smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese. This was much lighter and had a strong smoked salmon flavour. Not bad! On the bottom left, was the Market Chowder. That day, it was a crab and oyster chowder, which was probably my favourite out of the four. If you love seafood, this one is perfect! I also loved the strong flavour of oysters. It wasn’t too heavy as well. Lastly, on the bottom right was the Seafood Bisque, which had Pacific cod, Northwest salmon, Oregon bay shrimp and crab. It was seasoned with fresh basil and simmered in a creamy, tomato-based broth. This was also one of my favourites as the bisque was light but full of flavour. I really enjoyed the tomato-based broth as well. Your chowders come with sourdough bread as well, but I was way too full drinking the soups to be dipping the bread in.

The Sampler is a good deal if you’re looking to share, since you will actually get really full from a 5 oz cup if you’re looking for a snack. However, their chowders are still quite pricey at around $6 for an 8 oz cup.

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro (Dine Out 2014)

May 30, 2014Leave a comment

For my second dine out, I visited The Oakwood Canadian Bistro with J. Parking is a bit tough here since there’s only street parking and it’s pretty packed in the Kitsilano area. The bistro was packed and I found the atmosphere to be a bit too loud. It was sort of hard to talk, but it would be a nice place to hang out with friends.

Pork Terraine – maple cauliflower puree, pickled shallots

For the appetizer, J got the Pork Terraine. I took a bite and it was alright. We both agreed it sort of tasted like spam, but of higher quality. Wasn’t my favourite.

Smoked Seafood Chowder – cod, clams, bacon lardon, oyster crackers

For myself, I got the Smoked Seafood Chowder. It was quite flavourful, with loads of clams and bits of cod fish. It also came with oyster crackers, which I enjoyed. You could actually taste the oyster flavour in the crackers.

Grilled 16 oz Pork Chop – roast fingerling potato, charred cippolini and fennel, apple glace

For the entree, J paid an extra $10 for the Grilled 16 oz Pork Chop. It was decent, but I don’t know if I would pay an extra $10 for it. The meat was juicy and came with a nice apple glaze.

Roast Porchetta – confit garlic brocollini, dijon spatile, caramelized onion puree

For myself, I got the Roast Porchetta, that everyone talks about. However, I was actually quite disappointed in it! I found that my dish had more fat than anything! The amount of meat was so minimal. I know porchetta is supposed to come with some fat, which is why it’s so delicious, but this was too much. It felt kind of disgusting just chewing on the fat. The crispy layer of the porchetta, however was quite crunchy, although I found it under-seasoned. It was just salty, but not flavourful. My favourite part was actually the dijon spatile. Not exactly sure what it was, but it’s crunchy and sort of like popcorn.

Chocolate Mousse – coffee pistachio crunch, whip cream

For dessert, J got the Chocolate Mousse. This was the only item he really enjoyed the whole night. He loves coffee desserts, so this was perfect. It was a chocolate mousse with coffee flavoured bits mixed with pistachio, so you got a nice crunch. The whip cream just underneath this crunchy layer gave it a smooth texture along with the mousse. Mix it all up and you get a delicious mousse with a crunchy bite.

Maple Creme Caramel – pecan shortbread, cranberry gel, vanilla caramel

My dessert was the Maple Creme Caramel. It was such a Canadian dessert, with the red being a cranberry gel and the maple leaf being a pecan shortbread. Underneath was a vanilla caramel that tasted sort of like a pudding. I personally didn’t really enjoy this dessert. The cranberry gel gave it a sour taste and I found it a bit odd.

Overall, we were slightly disappointed with the Dine Out Vancouver 2014 menu at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro. Next to us was a friendly diner who said he visits the bistro regularly, and he agreed that the dine out menu did not showcase the best of what there is to offer. He suggested that we try their regular menu next time because there are some really good dishes. The Dine Out menu was for $28, and although I wouldn’t say that’s pricey for the amount of food we had, the dishes weren’t that great. They weren’t dishes that made me want to return to try out more of their menu. But again, I hear good things about their normal menu, so I’ll definitely think about a revisit soon.

Edible Canada (Dine Out 2014) & Earnest Ice Cream

May 28, 2014May 27, 2014Leave a comment

I know I’m months late for my Dine Out 2014 posts, but I’m going to write them anyway! For my first dine out, I went to Edible Canada with J. Edible Canada is located at Granville Island, and is well known for promoting local food. The Dine Out menu was for $28, with some menu items offered at an additional cost. We also chose to get the BC VQA Wine Pairings, which was an additional $16. I can assure that you’ll be pretty filled up by the end of the night!

Bartier Scholefield Sauivignon Blanc 2012, Bartier Bros. Unoaked Chardonnay 2012

The wines that came with our appetizers were white wines. Each dish comes with a specific wine pairing that is supposed to match your dish. I’m not a wine expert, so I won’t comment too much about them, but we did find that all our wines suited the dishes quite well.

Crispy Humboldt Squid – shaved fennel, radishes, squid ink aioli

J got the Crispy Humboldt Squid, which were cut into strips, rather than the typical calamari style we often eat. The squid were very tender and the batter was light and well seasoned. It also came with a bit of squid ink aioli which was a nice touch.

Fried BC Mountain Scallops – lamb offal, brown sugar & bacon, baked beans, cornbread

For myself, I got the Fried BC Mountain Scallops. I had originally thought that they were “typical” scallops, until the waitress warned me while taking my order that they were really lamb offals or testicles. Feeling adventurous that day, I ordered it anyways. Turns out they were quite delicious! They were tender and had a slight chew, and were lightly breaded and fried. It came in a pan of baked beans which accompanied the “scallops” really well.

Bartier Bros. Merlot 2011, Market Red 2012

For our main pairing, we were given red wines. Perfect, since we were both having dishes with meat.

Grilled 6oz Canadian AAA Filet Mignon – bouquetiere of vegetables, bone marrow butter, root vegetable pave

J added an extra $20 for the Grilled 6oz Canadian AAA Filet Mignon. It was cooked to medium-rare as requested with a beautiful pink interior. The meat was tender and juicy.

Seared Lois Lake Steelhead – Fraser Valley winter kale, wild boar bacon, roasted Hazelmere Farm sunchokes

For myself, I chose the Seared Lois Lake Steelhead. I like to order fish when I dine out, since I can never cook fish well. This was absolutely delicious! The steelhead was so moist and the skin was seared beautifully. I normally don’t like to eat the skin on fish, but I devoured this! A must order! It also came with some kale, which was lightly seasoned and made a great side of veggies.

Whiskey Cream a la Zack Shave, Venturi-Schultze Brodenburg #3

Lastly, for our desserts, we also got some dessert wines. For my dessert, I got a Whiskey Cream, which I found extremely strong! It’s like a creamy coffee cream flavour, but the whiskey itself was very strong so I felt like you had to really sip on this.

Canadian Butter Tart – macerated raisins, Chantilly cream

J got the Canadian Butter Tart, which he said was quite good.

Bacon Ice Cream Sundae – ginger brownie, walnut crumble, dulce de leche, whipped cream

I came here looking forward to the Bacon Ice Cream Sundae. Unfortunately, you needed to add an additional $2, but I did it anyways. Edible Canada is known for their bacon ice cream, but I was actually slightly disappointed. It was delicious after the first spoon, but halfway through, I found it too sweet. It’s filled with a lot of dulce de leche, and along with the brownie, it’s just too sweet for my liking! The bacon and ice cream is a nice pairing though, just because you get a bit of saltiness and sweetness. Still, I don’t think I would order this again.

Edible Canada also has a retail store next to the restaurant. They sell a variety of local goods. They essentially sell Canadian gourmet foods here, although they focus mainly on BC goods. One local goodie they sell are Earnest Ice Cream products! So of course I went home with a jar of Whiskey Hazelnut Ice Cream. Quite pricey for ice cream since it came to around $10. That was already after using a 10% coupon that Edible Canada provides you on your receipt after you’ve dined with them. However, the ice cream is pretty damn good. I don’t know if I would pay that price for my every day ice cream though. Probably a nice treat once in a while! For those that don’t want to trek all the way to Earnest Ice Cream, you can now shop at after your meal at Edible Canada!

All in all, Edible Canada was a nice casual restaurant with quality food. I like how they use local ingredients, so you know that you have the freshest ingredients. Service was average, but as usual, you can’t expect much during Dine Out, since it’s always busy. They did their regular check ups, so I was quite pleased with that. To add on, we were late for 30 minutes, and they still took us in and didn’t rush us out, so we were very happy with that. Looking forward to coming back again!

Rodney’s Oyster House (Yaletown)

July 30, 2013Leave a comment

For my birthday, N treated me for lunch and she suggested we go to Rodney’s Oyster House. I remember her raving about this place years ago, but I still hadn’t tried it! They now have another location in Gastown, but we headed to the original Yaletown location. N told me they also have other locations in Toronto!

They have two levels, and we chose to sit upstairs. We were seated near the edge so we could look down and see the oyster shuckers doing their thing. We went on a weekday lunch hour, so the place wasn’t very full. I hear that there are much better deals during their Low Tide Happy Hour, and it’s actually difficult to get seats.

This is the other side of the seating area for upstairs. The place is decorated with wooden furniture, and it sorta makes you feel like you are on a boat with all the decorations.

Complementary Sourdough Bread

After placing our orders, we were given some Complementary Sourdough Bread. It also came with some butter in a ketchup container… The place is definitely very chill, so don’t expect any amazing plating. I ordered a glass of white wine, and it came in a highball glass, but he definitely filled it up to the very top. The place has more of a bar vibe to it, but you get to eat all the yummy seafood instead of burgers and fries.

Since we ordered some oysters, we were also given a tray of sauces! Our server explained that they went from the least spicy to the most. I tried all of them, and even the spiciest one wasn’t too spicy. It had an after spice to it, but was still acceptable for my tastebuds! I think my favourite was the Seawitch Sauce, as it wasn’t too spicy and reminded me of salsa! They also had a variety of vinaigrettes, and Tabasco sauce.

1/2 dozen Raw Oysters

We got a half dozen of Raw Oysters. I think they are normally $3 each, and during Happy Hour it’s $1.50, so definitely a way better deal since they are priced quite high. They were extremely fresh and sweet though. Some were a little smaller than others, but they were still all very plump. I honestly hadn’t had raw oysters in a long time, and I didn’t exactly remember if I liked them. However, these were so fresh and sweet, that I immediately fell in love with them! They also had some grated cheese on the side, so I decided to try what it would taste like, but I actually didn’t really like the texture of the cheese on it. Since the oysters were cold, the cheese just sat on top of the oyster and gave it a really rough texture to it. I think the cheese with oysters only works when it’s baked oysters with the cheese melted on it!

Pan Fried Oysters

Since we’re at an oyster house, why not continue with more oysters! We got the Pan Fried Oysters, which were lightly battered and came with a tartar sauce. It was extremely good with the lemon squeezed on top. Again, the oysters were plump and fresh. Really good!

Steamed Mussels

Lastly, we had the the Steamed Mussels. I love steamed mussels, mostly because the broth is usually really delicious and complements the mussels really well. I found the mussels at Rodney’s a little smaller, but they were still extremely sweet and tender. I think the sauce was a butter base, and it was extremely delicious. At the end of our meal, our server advised us to dip our leftover sourdough bread into the broth, and it was extremely delicious! I could eat that all day.

And this was a snapshot of our lunch. Plenty of food for two to get us full. The food can be quite expensive during lunch or normal hours, so definitely take advantage of their Low Tide Happy Hour. Service was pretty good, and our server was pretty nice and friendly. And did I add, that most of the servers are pretty good looking ; ) Apparently, they are also the winner of the Hottest Male Servers, so I guess that says it all! Will definitely return!

Gramercy Grill

May 19, 2013Leave a comment

For K’s birthday, I took her to Gramercy Grill for dinner. Unlike these few days, the week before was full of sunshine and it was still sunny in the evening! We were asked to choose to dine indoors or outdoors, and we opted indoors since we were afraid it would get chilly later in the evening.

Each day, they have different specials. We went on a Tuesday, and there was an oyster deal. We aren’t huge fans of oysters though, so we didn’t end up ordering any. Their menu also seems to be a little different from the one on their website and some prices have been changed as well. I wish I knew that they had a happy hour deal as well! We were only 3o minutes late for that!

The interior is quite classic with carpet flooring and wooden furniture. The crowd is a bit older, and it seems like there are some regulars. They also have a bar where many people came to watch the hockey game. Service was alright, but they essentially only have three people working the floor. There was one man, who was extremely friendly.

Calamari

Since not many of the main entrees really appealed to us, we ended up ordering three appetizers to share and an entree of mussels. We started with the Calamari, which we had imagined to be fried. Perhaps I didn’t read the description clearly, because it ended up being calamari served in a saucy broth. It ended up to be decent, but not what I was craving for. The calamari were cooked to tender and the sun-ripe tomatoes and olives gave the broth some flavour. I guess this was much more healthy!

Beef Carpaccio – truffle puree aioli, fried capers, shaved parmesan & crostini

Next up, I wanted the Beef Carpaccio. The beef was sliced extremely thing and topped with lots of parmesan, truffle puree aioli and fried capers. In the center, there were a few slices of crostini to accompany the carpaccio. I thought that there was a little too much parmesan, and wished they gave me a few more crostinis because the pairing worked so well together. The capers brought some flavour, but overall, I thought it was just okay. I’ve had better beef carpaccio elsewhere.

Gramercy Meatballs – Italian parsley, grana padano & house made tomato sauce

K had been to Gramercy Grill before, and she told me the Gramercy Meatballs were one of her favourites. Three large meatballs came sitting in a dish of tomato sauce. These were indeed quite delicious! The seasoning was just perfect and I started to crave some spaghetti to accompany these meatballs…

Local Mussels & Pommes Frites

Lastly, I wanted the Local Mussels & Pommes Frites. Unfortunately, we didn’t come on a Wednesday, because on Wednesdays, they have a deal for $10! Anyways, the portion was decent and each shell was filled with a plump mussel. The sauce reminded me of some curry/ indian inspired flavour actually. I don’t quite remeber what our server told us the sauce was comprised of, but on their website it says tomato sauce and merguez sausage. I didn’t find any sausages inside, however. So perhaps, it was a different broth. I only remember it having frozen corn in it. The fries on the other hand, were extremely crispy. I believe they are hand cut, as they taste homemade. They were extremely good!

Chocolate Torte

To end off our dinner, we decided to share the Chocolate Torte. They don’t have a dessert menu on their website, but they do have a selection of desserts to choose from. This had to be the best part of the meal. At first, I saw the melting ice cream and thought that this was presented so unpleasantly, but you will understand why once you bite into that torte. It’s almost like a brownie/ lava cake and the chocolate is so warm that it just melts in your mouth. Along with the ice cream that brings a hint of coolness, it is just amazing! There’s two pieces of the chocolate torte, and comes with a scoop of ice cream and whip cream, so it’s plenty to share between two. It takes some time to get served though, probably because they need to heat it up. A must try though.

Dinner at Gramercy Grill was alright. I didn’t find it to be spectacular, but it’s a nice place to spend your evening. The restaurant definitely caters to the older crowd as most of the items are quite classic. Prices are also on the higher range for the portions you get. However, that chocolate torte makes me want to come back!

The Boathouse (Port Moody)

February 25, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

The Boathouse in Port Moody is in an isolated area right by the water. It’s got a really nice view and is much nicer and larger than the one in Richmond.

Oyster Bay – Sauvignon Blanc — New Zealand

This was quite sweet and I enjoyed it.

Thai Crab Cakes – lemon aioli & mango salsa

The crab cakes were crunchy on the outside and moist in the inside. The mango salsa gave it a little zest and along with the lemon aioli, they made a great appetizer.

The lobster came with a lemon hot drawn butter, but I found that the butter kept condensing really quickly. It became too thick and wasn’t that great for dipping.

1.5 lb. Live Atlantic Lobster Dinner – simply steamed, served with lemon hot drawn butter

The lobster was steamed and came with some veggies and potatoes. It was extremely difficult to eat though, because they literally just steamed the whole lobster and served it to us without cutting it apart. We had so much trouble eating it that we had to get our server to take it back to the chef to cut it open.

Mocha Ice Cream Pie – chocolate ganache & maple almonds

Lastly for dessert, we got the mocha ice cream pie, which reminded me of a fancier dairy queen ice cream cake. The top was ice cream, and the bottom was a cookie crust that was similar to oreos. It was then topped with whipping cream and maple almonds with a chocolate and raspberry sauce at the bottom. I enjoyed the ice cream a lot, but I wasn’t a big fan of the cookie crust since I found it too sweet.

Overall, the restaurant and service is great at the Port Moody location. However, I didn’t think that the food was anything spectacular. It is a great place to have a nice, relaxing dinner though.

Oru (Fairmont Pacific Rim)

February 2, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Dine Out Vancouver 2013 is about to end soon! 😦 I’m sad since I wish I had tried out more places, but that also means my bank account is going to hurt! For those of you who don’t know about Dine Out Vancouver, it’s basically 200+ restaurants offering set menus that range from $18, $28, to $38. They are usually pretty good deals, but occasionally there are ones where you are paying for basically what you would if you ordered off the regular menu.

Anyways, this year, I decided to try out Oru. I really had not heard much about it, but I had a look at the menu, and it seemed like food I would want. Oru is located inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim, and it is absolutely gorgeous! When you walk through the hotel doors, you are at their lobby and when you continue walking, you see this clean bright white area and stairs leading up to Oru.

Oru has two sides to their restaurant. One side is more of a lounge, where people are mostly drinking. I love the red couches against the white walls. Such a nice contrast! There’s also a mini bar on one side.

They have an open kitchen, where you can basically see all the chefs working. Pretty neat if you sit close to them, but our table was pretty far from the kitchen. I also love how the kitchen area is all white. So classy looking.

Oru is supposed to be a Pan Pacific Asian fusion restaurant, so they actually serve sushi and such in their menu. I guess that’s why they also have chopsticks on their table. Orange chopsticks to be exact.

This is the view we had for our table. Not an ocean view, since we sat by the window that just overlooks the new convention centre. Still pretty nice though.

ORU Salad – sunflower seed butter, quinoa, organic greens, pea shoots, lemongrass dressing

My parents got the ORU Salad, which we stared at for quite a while. We realized that the cabage was literally still fully attached. So you really had to use your knifes and fork to eat this. That also means that they had to buy a cabbage for each dish they made! All fancy huh… Underneath the leaves were quinoa, and on the top, it was topped with sunflower seeds. I took a bite, and it was pretty good. The lemongrass dressing gave it a nice zest.

Yarrow Meadows Duck and Rabbit Terrine – pickled mustard seeds, radish and fennel salad

E had the Yarrow Meadows Duck and Rabbit Terrine. I didn’t try it but he said it was pretty good. Definitely a dainty piece on the large plate though.

Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha” – sunchoke veloute, truffled milk foam, morel cocoa powder

For myself, I had the Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha”. To be honest, I didn’t really know what a veloute was, so I did some quick googling beforehand, and it’s basically a soup. There was some cocoa powder on the top, but I didn’t really taste it. The truffled milk foam however, was powerful, but worked well with the soup. It had an interesting consistency, and was something I hadn’t tried before. Was it something I loved though? Not exactly, but I wouldn’t mind it.

PEI Coldwater Lobster – cold water lobster, isreali cous cous, coconut butter sauce

K had the PEI Coldwater Lobster. I didn’t try it, but apparently it was quite bland. You definitely cannot compare this to how Chinese restaurants prepare lobster. This was definitely just lobster with some butter sauce to go with. She did however mention that the lobster was a little overcooked, so it was a little tough.

Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin – wild mushrooms, house cured bacon, confit fingerling potato, jus

I was debating between the lobster or the beef tenderloin, and am I ever happy that I ordered the Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin! At first, I thought the portions would be small, because they usually are at fancy restaurants, but I was totally wrong. Medium-rare prepared, the piece of beef tenderloin was huge, and it was the most tender beef tenderloin I’ve ever had!! You still had to chew on it, but there was no fuss in cutting up the pieces, and it was just oh so tender!!! The sides were slightly crispy, and the meat inside was juicy and full of flavour. The sauce underneath was also delicious. It as a mixture of wild mushrooms, bacon, and potatoes. And I literally finished every bit of the dish. Everything just worked so well together, and I would definitely recommend this. This dish is on their regular menu too, and for $38, so it was definitely a steal for dine out, since you basically get the appetizer and dessert for free. But if I were to come to Oru again, I would highly recommend getting the Beef Tenderloin. So worth your money!

Chocolate Mousse Trifle – single-origin Mexican chocolate, candied banana, coconut foam

Everyone at my table opted for the Chocolate Mousse Trifle. It was presently beautifully like an art piece. The top of the chocolate mousse was a hard chocolate shell. This is definitely for the chocolate lovers. I liked how they had some candied bananas on the side, so you weren’t too overwhelmed with the chocolate flavour, and the banana flavour works well with it.

Lemon Tart – vanilla syrup, meringue crisp, crème fraiche Chantilly

I wanted to try something different, but I didn’t want their third option, which was cheese, so I got the Lemon Tart. The waitress said that was her favourite, so why not! I’m normally not a big fan of lemon tarts, because they can sometimes be too sour and tarty. However, this one was delicious. It was almost like a lemon creme brulee. It had some sugar on the top that was burnt and the lemon filling was smooth and creamy. I also enjoyed the meringue crisps at the top. Everyone at the table got a bite and said that it was surprisingly good. And best of all, it wasn’t super sweet!

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the Dine Out menu for Oru. I can’t comment on how the food is normally, but their food seemed to be consistent. Oh, and I cannot stress how much I loved the Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin! Beautiful place with great views as well. Servers weren’t annoying and gave us enough space to eat, while occasionally checking up on us.