影片
更多
2011-05-07
18 瀏覽
Reservations essential. Don't risk it. So, D and I were planning R's birthday lunch, which turned out to be more like a birthday brunch, thanks to Easter. (public holiday - chefs need their day off too) In fact had D not reminded me on Sunday, it wouldn't have occurred to me that the 24th was a public holiday. Called up Basement and Didier, didn't get through, hence made reservations at Marmite. When we arrived and told the manager 'we made reservations!' she went 'oh, thank God.' There must be
So, D and I were planning R's birthday lunch, which turned out to be more like a birthday brunch, thanks to Easter. (public holiday - chefs need their day off too) In fact had D not reminded me on Sunday, it wouldn't have occurred to me that the 24th was a public holiday. Called up Basement and Didier, didn't get through, hence made reservations at Marmite. When we arrived and told the manager 'we made reservations!' she went 'oh, thank God.' There must be something about the location. Cru is Marmite's predecessor - again, walk-ins for lunches extremely rare.
Service:
Friendly, no-fuss, quick. Good. The waiter who served us was very nice and patient with our orders. We took our time to decide .
Environment:
It's actually less spacious than I'd imagined, judging by the photos. And the ceiling is quite low - conversations too audible. Layout very similar to Cru (for those who've been). I believe Marmite attempts to create a laid-back, relaxing atmosphere by replicating the Parisian al fresco way of dining - thus flinging wide the glass panels at the entrance, attracting many customers (and wasting a lot of air-con). But I quite liked it - simple, light colors and a good day with plenty sunlight makes dining at Marmite a very pleasant experience. We were the noisiest diners, sorry everyone else. Food:
Definitely not a place for fine dining, but who needs too much of that? Here's to pleasures that never cloy. Again, no-fuss, roll-out-of-bed-into-Marmite brunches, unpretentious (i believe someone has used this word already - i am in complete agreement!) Scrambled eggs $78
Warm, fluffy, velvety and well-seasoned. I *love* scrambled eggs. I do not like runny ones; feels as if i'm eating phlegm, yuck. So i expected Gordon Ramsay sublime scrambled eggs. 'Every time we get a new cook in the kitchen we get them to make scrambled eggs. And if they can make the perfect scrambled egg you know they know how to cook properly.' - per Ramsay. And i got my lovely scrambled eggs, with a bit of sourdough toast on the side, thinly sliced though. Could chop in some chives next time. That wld've been a replica of Ramsay's sublime scrambled eggs to wake up the missus. *sighs in content* They don't come cheap though. In fact I'd say very expensive. Scrambled eggs is something I can cook up (satisfactorily) for $10. Oh well. Nothing here comes cheap, with the exception of the bread bakset.
Fruit salad $58
Nothing special here, just the ordinary fruit salad you'd expect. Fresh. But expected larger portions. Oxtail macaroni $128
Well - I must say, this was a bit of a mystery. Was it leftover oxtail from the previous night? Sure felt like it. The macaroni was rather boring - I didn't like the cheese, especially when its' thickly grated on top - not sure why they were there - didn't pair well. Oxtail, cooked parsley, macaroni and cheese..? The oxtail itself was tasty, tender, juicy and 'flaky' but I can't say I really liked the entirety of this dish. It was...queer. @@ Ham, cheese and herb omelette with slender fries $118
Compared to the scrambled eggs, the omelette isn't as exceptional. We wanted 'a bit of everything' in it. I would've preferred a stronger meaty, or cheesy flavour. More seasoning, perhaps? But of course this boils down to personal preference - the omelette itself was well-prepared - not browned, still moist, but not watery. The fries were good. Personally prefer slim fries (deep fried till very, very crisp) over fat ones. I guess the fat ones you call 'chips' (as in fish&chips) and thin ones you call 'fries' (as in french fries). I still haven't decided whether I like wedges or fries more. Mushroom soup $88
R wanted to try this. R was ill so I only managed to try a spoonful before it became 'contaminated'. Verdict: can waive. I don't think they used portobello or shitake therefore the lovely mushroom aromas didn't come through too well when i ate my soup. Its aromas were nice though, probably because they drizzled some truffle oil at the very end. But...that doesn't really help to enhance flavours. Bread basket - chocolate croissant, baugette, fruit pastries for 4, served with 2 pots of (recycled - horror!!!) strawberry jam and marmalade $45
Like the croissant. A bit worried about how they've been sitting next to the road for I don't know how long though. Dust, exhaust? Another horror: there were 2 huge pots of jam for our consumption, and we thought we could take the jams home because the restaurant would have acknowledged that one party of diners could potentially have finished the entire pot. And anyway, some of us double-dipped. It would be highly unhygenic if the jams were recycled. Hence we were utterly horrified when the waiter told us, sorry you can't take them jams home, because...? Now I didn't really catch this bit: Did they say they would recycle the jam or the jars only? Well, I give Marmite the benefit of doubt. But I think the better thing to do is to allow guests to take the pots of jam away. Leftovers. Why can't we pack them away? Good jam, by the way. Rice pudding with caramelized pistachios, dried fruits and pistachio ice-cream $68
I've always wanted to try rice pudding after watching Tom Norrington-Davies make it. Because I like carbs. Rice pudding is a rather delightful affair. But a few spoonfuls is enough. I couldn't have finished this dessert single-handedly. Sticky, gooey, sweet, plump and chewy rice grains, custard? cinnamon, dried fruits, candied pistachio....and pistachio ice-cream?! Not very authentic I suppose? You wouldn't be able to see the ice cream because it is all melted. Probably intended its use as a thickener of some sort, a glue to make the pudding sticky. Nonetheless, taste this dish with a bit of everything piled into your spoon, and it is quite acceptable. Wouldn't strongly recommend it though - do try something else on the dessert menu. Conclusion:
A good place for breakfast if you don't mind splurging some. Substantial merits in scrambled eggs. Will have to do a proper lunch/dinner someday to reach a fair verdict.
張貼
