Classic Continental offerings

Almost a month had passed since my first review meal for the South China Morning Post's First Served column, so it was time for me to pick out a new victim to skewer venue to try.  The hot new opening of the moment seemed to be The Continental, which took over the space previously occupied by Domani.  Swire not only brought in famed Rowley Leigh of Le Café Anglais as chef consultant, they also brought in the design team behind the Wolseley.  And Da Jam from WOM even punched out an interview with Chef Leigh last week... So definitely worthy of attention, then...

...except... the restaurant was due to be officially open on the 13th, and my column was due in the morning on the 13th.  I called the restaurant to make a reservation, only to be told that they are in their "soft opening" period and everything was "by invitation only".  Having turned down an invitation to join a group of fellow winos for a preview last week, an invitation was something I was clearly lacking.

What was one to do? It was suggested that I simply try to walk in.  Well, I suppose that could work, but I'd need a backup just in case I was refused entry.  So I made a booking somewhere else, trekked over to Pacific Place and hoped for the best.

We were politely shown into the reception area, only to be told that they were still in their soft opening... and we were welcome to call them for reservations starting next week.  I paused for a split-second, and my friend took it as her cue.  She promptly launched into a little act about how we had traveled all the way there, enduring an extremely cramped and uncomfortable subway ride in the process... and it would have been totally disappointing to have to go somewhere else...  It was always gonna be easier for a girl to get away with pleading, and it worked!  We got ourselves a table.  I didn't even have to try to pull out my non-existent "food writer card"...

We were told as we were handed the menu that it was still a work in progress and not yet final.  We were also informed that since this was their soft opening period, we would only be charged half price for tonight's dinner.  BRAVO!  This is EXACTLY what most restaurants should be doing, and has been the subject of numerous debates and discussions among the journo/blogger community - my most recent discussion on this topic was with the big boss Harlan G.

Restaurants are almost never fully ready when they first open, therefore it's neither fair for them to charge their customers full price, nor is it fair for people to review or judge the restaurants based on their performance during the initial period.  Charging half price during the soft opening period is therefore the fairest arrangement.  But I digress...

Griddled scallops with chestnut purée, shiso and lemon - this was the starter that both of us wanted, and for good reason.

The mi-cuit scallops showed perfect execution from the kitchen.  The rich flavors of the butter and chestnut purée were balanced by the tartness of lemon, while both the lemon zest chiffonade and perilla leaves added their distinctive fragrances to the mix.  Very, very nice.

Roast spiny lobster with garlic butter - absolutely no surprises here, but pretty well done.  The lobster meat was truly melt-in-your-mouth, although the texture of my lone mouthful did lead me to raise one eyebrow...

Rib of grass fed Scotch beef, chimmichurri sauce - this was meant to be shared among two or three people, and we chose the chimmichurri over Béarnaise sauce, which was definitely the right call.  Oh and I love that they serve grass-fed beef, which is so much more environmentally conscious than grain-fed beef...

We asked for medium-rare, but I think what we got was more like medium... One of the waitstaff did offer to have the kitchen "get that done right" for us, but we decided not to waste a perfectly good piece of meat as it was still very edible.  Other than that the meat itself was pretty tender, with nice strips of fat providing the satisfaction factor.  While one would expect the two ends to be more "done" than the center, the surprise was that the tips were actually pretty tender.  There was enough charring on the surface to add a bit of smoky flavors without being overpowering.  Finally, the acidity and the herbs from the chimmichurri provided a welcome respite from what was in reality a pretty heavy hunk of meat...

Baked quince with frangipane - fall is here and that means quince season.  The spiced flavors here were nice, and exactly what I wanted out of this dessert.

But this was a pretty sizable hunk and pretty filling - especially as the frangipane starts to absorb water!  It's basically a bread pudding with fruit...

Rice pudding with apricots - I only had a spoonful, but this was not bad at all.  The top layer was slightly charred to give it more oomph, and the apricots were a nice touch.

Finally, in the category of "spared no expense", how about getting Hildon to come up with a special bottling just for you?

I think we mostly picked pretty classic dishes tonight, and in reality I would have liked to have the opportunity to taste the more interesting and creative options.  Having said that, all the dishes came out as pretty solid and were certainly enjoyable.  And the slight mishap of the overcooked beef is easily forgiven considering the 50% discount on food (full service charge was still levied).  Next time I'll be going for more of the French and Italian offerings on the menu.

The more concise review written for the South China Morning Post's 48 Hours is here. (requires subscription)