On the Thursday before the long long weekend, a friend and I decided to go somewhere nice for dinner to unwind before the much deserved break. Having long been on my go to list, I took the opportunity to book one of the last tables at Madame Rouge for the evening.
From the outside, the restaurant was quite secluded, with heavy curtains on all windows, I was a little surprised not to be able to peer inside. Upon entering though, the reasoning was evident. It was as if we had been transported back to the Paris of old, with its strong noir theme. The whole place was quite dimly lit by candles and lamps which really added to the atmosphere.
Booking somewhat late, I only had a choice between a shared long table, or a place at the bar, as individual tables had been fully reserved. Naturally, I opted for the bar option so I could watch some of the bartender's performance through the evening.
Water was provided almost immediately by our friendly and attentive waiter, Tony.
The menu was provided on one double sided sheet, with food on one side and drinks on the other side. Whilst the menu wasn't long, it contained all the essential french fare.
Our cocktails arrived quite quickly after ordering. My companion had a French Martini and I had the Southside. With the pineapple juice and raspberry liqueur in hers, she found it quite sweet and delightful. Mine was very sharp with a strong lime flavour and mint, which made for a very appetizing drink.
Our entrees came not long after. My companion ordered the Souffle. I stole a bite before she began, and loved it. It was super rich and had the cheese would string a little as I scooped into it. I loved the super strong flavour of the goats cheese, but my companion who ate the rest of it said it really filled her up before her main.
My entree was without a doubt the Tartare de Boeuf. The tartare was delightfully well seasoned with a strong vinegarette and pepper, topped with an egg yolk. The beef was deliciously fresh and I loved the texture. It was served with a portion of potato lattices, which tasted like potato chips but a little less oily and a little lighter. It complemented the tartare well.
For our mains, my companion had the Agneau, which was a lamb rump with dried cured sausage and truffled white beans. I also got to try a piece before she started, and found the lamb to be very tender and slightly pink on the inside. The sauce was very strong, and she felt it a little on the salty side.
Although a little repetitive when considering my entree, I had the Steak Frites (I just really like my steak and potatoes, especially when fried (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧). Tonight the cut of steak was the Sirloin, and I had it rare. My initial impression was that the steak was a smaller than others I've had. It was indeed cooked rare, but for some reason it was very chewy and had quite a few tendons in it which were difficult to cut up. The pepper sauce was a definite highlight, and it gave the dish a lot of flavour. The portion of chips was quite big, so big that I didn't have enough sauce for all of it. Although I had no doubt they were freshly made, it had a taste more like long pieces of roasted potatoes than fries, in the sense that they weren't that crispy, but had a tougher chewier skin akin to roast potatoes.
Being quite full after our meal, we still shared a dessert. The special that evening was the Peach Tart with Rose Ice Cream. The peach tart was very tasty with a crumbly biscuit base and topped with sweet caramelised peach. The rose ice cream was equally fragrant as it was refreshing and rounded off the meal quite well.
Price Range: $60 - $80ppTaste: 8.5/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment