New seasonal Quest

My friend Ninja and I have been meaning to catch up, but we both have fairly busy feeding and travel schedules.  We finally got together tonight and I suggested that we go back to Quest, since Chef Que has now switched back to an Asian-themed menu.

Squid noodles, chilli tomato jelly, squid ink pearls - so squid noodles seem to be the flavor du jour...  The bottom of the bowl has a layer of the chili tomato jelly, which was surprisingly spicy.  There was some cucumber below the squid that added a little crunch while delivering some clean and refreshing flavors, and it's always fun to pop those flying fish roe (とびこ) in the mouth.  I didn't get any distinct flavors from those squid ink pearls, and I thought the texture was a little too solid and hard.  But the yuzu (柚子) sauce poured on top of the spring onions was a nice touch.

Tom yum shima aji tartare, pickled green papaya, pomelo salad, roasted seaweed - there were crunchy cubes of pickled green papaya and cucumber mixed in with the striped jack (縞鰺) tartare.  The pomelo salad at the bottom had kaffir lime leaf chiffonade tossed in, which I really love.  The shaved coconut cream on top of the roasted seaweed was a nice touch, but instead of getting the tom yum (ต้มยำ) feel, I thought that the strong flavors from the roasted nori (のり) seaweed and sesame actually made the dish feel a little Japanese...

Seafood duo: red curry crab cake, tempura abalone, sautéed bok choy - the crab cake was very nicely done, but I thought the abalone was a little tough.  Both the lemongrass and mint sauce as well as the red curry mayo were interesting.

Tamarind glazed grilled pork neck, turmeric rice, sautéed long beans - I love pork neck, and these slices came with a nice and sweet sauce made with tamarind.  The sticky rice was interestingly flavored with turmeric and kaffir lime leaves, and the sprinkle of peanuts, pork crackling, and dried shrimp made things really tasty - especially the beautifully crunchy crackling.

Pan seared grass fed striploin, smoked eggplant purée, caramelized pearl onions, straw mushrooms - the beef came from grass-fed cattle, so it was understandably more lean and a little bit more chewy for people used to grain-fed cattle.  The eggplant purée was definitely smoky, and the galangal sauce with the pearl onions were pretty nice.

Soursop sorbet and crispy meringue, lemongrass strawberry fizz, strawberry jelly, basil seeds - I looooove soursop, and I'm so happy that Que decided to use this fruit in his dessert.  Around the strawberry jelly at the bottom was a strawberry soup flavored with lemongrass and also had a kick from ginger.  The candied basil leaf had an incredibly strong anise flavor.

We chatted a little with Que, and I just had to tell him how happy I was to be back here having his Asian-themed dishes.  I really do think that they are more unique, but my only complaint was that he didn't put his bánh mi back on the menu.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll call ahead next time and ask him to make a special order for me...