影片
更多
2017-02-11
601 瀏覽
It claims to be a Spanish restaurant, but the food bares only a skin deep resemblance to a typical tapas meal. Said sad fare comes at a wallet-gouging and eye-watering price. Where to begin? Let's go in order of price - Sourdough bread slices ($48): Yes, $48 for 4 stale slices of un-toasted sourdough bread. It's not served with butter or even olive oil. Only the shame that you've paid nearly 5 quid for the pleasure of someone slicing into a loaf of not-so-fresh bread.Pan con tomate ($68): Typica
Sourdough bread slices ($48): Yes, $48 for 4 stale slices of un-toasted sourdough bread. It's not served with butter or even olive oil. Only the shame that you've paid nearly 5 quid for the pleasure of someone slicing into a loaf of not-so-fresh bread.
Pan con tomate ($68): Typically this dish is served on crusty bread and glossed with good olive oil. The beauty is in the simplicity of good tomatoes and good oil. At Cassio, un-toasted bread achieves the soggy consistency of wet paper towels. The tomate atop lacks salt and oil. A truly incompetent take at an exceedingly simple dish.
Padron peppers ($88): These arrive within minutes of ordering, a speed at which you might be grateful for if you're eating in say, McDonalds. At these prices, I would expect them cooked to order rather than arrive limp and watery from a warming drawer. Pass.
Tortillas classic ($88): For those that have tried to cook an egg only to find yourself with a dry scramble sitting in a pool of water and albumen, this is science at work. You see, you've accidentally de-natured the egg proteins so rapidly that all liquid is squeezed out of the protein bond. You learn not to do this in Cooking 101. The Chef at Cassio must have forgotten that lesson as the tortillas immediately gushed water and albumen upon cutting. At least it was well seasoned egg water.
Mini vegetables ($98): This dish was particularly memorable. Not because of the dish itself which was exactly what is advertised - "mini vegetables with honey dijon dressing". It's because when I asked the waiter to recommend a "good vegetable dish for sharing" he steered me towards the Spanish sirloin ($228). I thought he might have mis-heard me so I repeated the request and was again up-sold the sirloin. The clueless waiter looked me directly in the eyes and grinned. I almost appreciated the fact that Cassio has the gall to look you in the eyes as they attempt to rip you off.
Juicy seafood rice ($178): At least they don't have the balls to call this a 'paella', which is what I think they're trying to go for. Instead of a massive pan of fragrant rice with a crispy bottom - aka a proper paella, the 'juice seafood rice' is 5 spoonfuls of fishy flavoured rice the texture of baby food with 4 overcooked clams on top. The clam meat is overcooked to an alarming rubbery texture.
Assorted cold meats ($248): This is where we start entering truly criminal attempts at dishes. For $248, you'll get cold, lifeless, and greasy bits of sausage on a platter roughly the size of two playing cards.
Patatas bravas ($88): Even though this dish was not the priciest, I saved it for the end as it is by far the most insulting dish that we were served. Instead of chunks of potatoes with a lovingly crisp exterior and a fluffy interior served with a garlic aioli you get shards of limp, undercooked, unsalted potato with plain mayonnaise. I thought perhaps the kitchen messed up so I asked for a re-fire. The exact same dish came back, only oilier from the re-heating. Puzzled, I asked the waiter if it was supposed to be like this. He checked with the kitchen and quipped that it was the Chef's 'unique' take on patatas bravas.
That's when a horrified thought gripped me. It's not that Cassio suffers from mis-execution or even an overloaded kitchen (the dining room was nearly empty) which may have caused such mistakes in the kitchen. It's that the food is intentionally cooked to this level of awful. The mediocrity was on-point and well executed. There are no excuses for this experience.
Cassio is a bad restaurant, period.
張貼