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2013-02-13
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My friend chose The Disgruntled Chef for her belated birthday celebration with me so I made reservations here. The staff got back to me very fast via email to confirm my booking, so I thought that was a major plus.The problem with visiting Dempsey is that you're kinda screwed if you don't own a car. We were stuck in town, stranded with no cab on a Friday evening. Taking a bus there was out of the question for us as we were not very familiar with the area - plus the thought of all the walking was
The problem with visiting Dempsey is that you're kinda screwed if you don't own a car. We were stuck in town, stranded with no cab on a Friday evening. Taking a bus there was out of the question for us as we were not very familiar with the area - plus the thought of all the walking was just a turn off. Instead of 7.30pm, we arrived at 8.45pm (!!!). Thankfully, the staff was okay with that when I called to inform them earlier.
When I stepped in, I really found myself drawn to the ambience of the place. It's a really good restaurant for chill out sessions, and can accommodate big groups or couples looking for some alone time. Service is excellent - very attentive and they knew their stuff when faced with questions, from recommendations to mystery ingredients that puzzled us. Thumbs up to them!
Since TDC's dishes are tapas style, we ordered several to share. First up, we had the Steak Tartare ($18), a mishmash block of raw meat mixed with quail egg and grilled toast. I can tell you this was the best thing we had that evening. Don't be put off by the rawness - it's really good! A little spicy but flavourful, this one packs a punch. With the bread it tastes a little like tuna, without the bread, it's something completely different. Weird but true.
This was the most expensive thing we had - Crackling Suckling Pig ($68). Yes, it tasted good, the skin was superb, but honestly, the flavour does not justify the cost. I would not pay $68 to try this again. $35-$40 seems about right, but NOT $68!
Moving on to desserts, we ordered two to share because we thought it'd be small.. but we were wrong. Here's my choice of Apple & Rhubarb Crumble ($12), and below is the (also) overpriced Churros ($12). The crumble had clotted cream which gave it its wow factor, plus they were very generous with the bits of apple chunks.
As for the churros, I've had better. They were way too starchy and chewy. The crunch was missing... such a bland dessert *ugh*... even the chocolate sauce could not save it. Sad.I'm sitting on the fence for TDC. I may come back - but only for the ambience and probably drinks, not so much for the food.
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