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2015-08-23
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See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/08/23/ok-wine-dinner-zafferano-on-19aug2015/wife & i joined a group of friends for a west cape howe wine dinner at zafferano on 19.8.2015.^^ we had 7pax this time. the last time i joined a wine dinner she organised at halia @ raffles hotel was in dec 2013. we had a larger group then. i had not been to zafferano before. it’s located on level 43 at ocean financial centre & the terrace outside the restaurant had a good view over marina bay.
wife & i joined a group of friends for a west cape howe wine dinner at zafferano on 19.8.2015.^^ we had 7pax this time. the last time i joined a wine dinner she organised at halia @ raffles hotel was in dec 2013. we had a larger group then.
i had not been to zafferano before. it’s located on level 43 at ocean financial centre & the terrace outside the restaurant had a good view over marina bay.
i saw the food menu & thought it was quite ok for the price of S$88++, even minus the wine, as i do not take much wine at all.
we started with a chardonay & some canapes. the tuna was best! dinner started with some focaccia. #1 first course was hokkaido scallop carpaccio. scallop was fresh, sweet, very good slightly gummy bite texture & nice artsy presentation.
#2 for me, the poached & pan-fried octopus was the best dish for the evening. octopus was very tender almost like a sous vide or low temperature braise preparation but just only poached according to the chef. for me it was very as good indeed – as good as that at monterosso miky in italy, & almost as good as that at alle darsene at lake como, the best i had. again presentation was elegant…was it more of the same? after the dinner though, one friend said his octopus was tough. odd! not sure why?
#3 3rd course was veal ravioli, veal reduction. it was a good pasta, great ravioli texture, maybe a bit beefy, not really my favourite.
the restaurant replaced it with a cheese pasta for a friend who doesn’t take beef. she said it was very good, and perhaps that would actually be a better choice than the veal ravioli.
#4 next black angus tenderloin tagliata, served with pan-fried foie gras. the dish sounded good. unfortunately for me & my friends, it was donwright poor! the foie gras was not creamy enough & did not come with some citrus matching palate.
& i don’t understand the beef. it is hard to damage a good beef, and this was black angus tenderloin. beef was hard, not tasty, not flavourful. tenderloin not much marbling but should at least be tender & sweet.
sorry to say, but i think my own tagliata di manzo is many times better than this, taste & texture wise, cannot match the presentation of course. did not have photo of the cod which the restaurant replaced for a friend who does not take beef. she said it was very good.
the chef came to talk to us.
dessert was ok, but not my favourite. overall, my wife & i had derived much lower satisfaction than we expected from reading the menu. S$88++ was ok with the canapes & wine. for the food, octopus & scallop were my best dishes, veal ravioli neutral, tagliata poor & dessert indifferent. i don’t know how much the wine dinner we had recently at da luca cost, but the food was superior to this, and i thought the wine this evening was also mediocre.
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