With the
proliferation over the past few years of fine dining restaurants serving fusion
food, one wonders if this flourishing trend is backed by a group of well-travelled
food connoisseurs or shrewd businessmen keen to cash in on a rising trend. Some
of us, myself included, may suspect that fusion food is the unexpected result of
some experiment by a novice cook.
I have tried fusion food at several well-known establishments, some of which have been repeatedly reviewed by many magazines, and I must say that inspite of the accolades showered on these high-end places, I have found the dishes in these restaurants mediocre and over-hyped. After all, if you were to be honest with yourself, would you fancy 'char siew' adulterated by western flavours, when the same can be had from a Chinese restaurant in Darwin at a fraction of the price?
My dinner companions and I, therefore, set out to try a new babe in town, carrying a name that does not shout for attention. Tucked away on the slope of Club Street, amongst other trendy restaurants which have mushroomed there recently, Nectar Restaurant & Bar was going to be surveyed by one diner with a disdain for fusion food and her two curious companions.
The restaurant has been in business for less than a year and has already won the hearts of diners. You would have to go to the restaurant to understand why it has gained a cult following in an area abundant with fine dining restaurants. You would also have to try the dishes yourself to understand why the restaurant, at an adolescent age, has garnered two Excellent Food Awards.
The interior design alone is a feast for the eyes and provokes a good topic for a dinner conversation. The entrance opens up to the bar and lounge area, where you immediately notice two large doors displayed on a wall, with intricate carvings. I was told that the doors were imported from Africa. The restaurant is cleverly partitioned away to avoid the intrusive eyes of passers-by. Once you walk in, you will be captivated by the eight-metre long illuminated alabaster table, which can seat 24 to 28 people. This is the table designed after the Phillip Starck original in New York and used in New York dining. We were informed that the table can be illuminated by different colours, and was painstakingly assembled in the restaurant itself. One of the restaurant's owners, BG Tan, introduced to us as one of the two Executive Directors, has an interesting background in interior design and construction, and if you recognise shades of the underground dance club-like interior, it's because BG had a hand in the projects for Zouk and Velvet Underground and some other wine bars. Credit for the interior design goes to American designer Phillips Connor.
The fusion food in this restaurant is classified as a fusion of Japanese and French. Chef Raymond Chu has extensive culinary experience and hails from a string of five-star hotels, including a stint in the Oriental Bangkok and has won his fair share of medals. Not a mere employee banished into the kitchen, he shares his ideas with BG and they interact closely in deciding on the menu's items.
For appetizers, we had the
Millefeuille of Canadian Scallops and Foie Gras Terrine rolled with Pinenuts in
Fig Vinaigrette, Nori-wrapped Tempura Tuna with Ginger Salsa and Sweet-sour
Macadamia Sauce and New Zealand Half-shell Scallops steamed with Noun Nam sauce.
The Foie Gras was heavenly, as foie gras is always, even if it was not pan fried
but sandwiched with the scallops, and we liked the delicate flavour of the
pinenuts. The Nori-wrapped Tempura Tuna is a favourite among diners and will
gain a following amongst Japanese food lovers, with its lightly fried batter and
nori (seaweed) wrapping the raw tuna. Chef Chu's influence in Thai cooking shows
up in the Scallops with Noun Nam
sauce. The scallops are fresh and
tender and the sauce has the distinct Thai, slightly sweet and sour flavour. Not
only is the taste lovely, it arrives prettily arranged on a bed of blue salt on
a large plate. We also had the Seasonal Garden Greens with Sautéed Prawn in
Saffron Sauce, shared among ourselves as well; but a prawn salad is a prawn
salad and there is nothing remarkable about this entrée, save for the touch of
saffron.
For the main course, we had,
firstly, the Terriyaki Cod on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, Sugar Beans and Enoki
Mushrooms; secondly, the Roulade of Sole and Zucchini in Pesto Sauce with Baby
Capsicum, Leek and Nameko Mushrooms; and thirdly, the Baby Lamb with Miso and
Blue Cheese Sauce.
The cod was cooked well and sat on a bed of greenish-mashed potatoes. We all raved about the wasabi mashed potatoes and think it should be a permanent side order, like French fries in an American restaurant. The wasabi is not over powering, but complements the slightly buttery flavour of the mashed potatoes.
The menu says that the Roulade of Sole & Zucchini in Pesto Sauce is a Gold Medal Winner (Food & Asia Hotel), and as proof of its legendary status, the Excellent Food Award Plaque awarded on 28 May 2001 for this dish sits on the bar counter. For the uninitiated, the sole is a fish. It is amazing how sole can be cooked in a coil tighter than a coiled sausage and turn out so tender with each bite. The zucchini is ingeniously tucked into the coiled fish and is unravelled as you slice off the fish.
The Baby Lamb was the other Excellent Food Award winner in Nectar. The lamb is cooked until it is tender, with all its juices sealed in. According to my dinner companion, the blue cheese cleverly masks the 'lamby' taste which causes some people to avoid lamb altogether. A word of advice though, as most people either like blue cheese or hate it, the flavour of blue cheese in the sauce is distinct although not overwhelming, and I would recommend that you request for the lamb minus the blue cheese if you cannot stomach blue cheese. Presently, the lamb arrives with the miso and blue cheese sauce in separate swirls, so the other trick would be to have a taste before swirling them together. Those with a liking for cheese will appreciate the ingenious combination.
Last but not least, dessert. We were fortunate that Nectar was coming up with a new menu, and got to sample the Five Spice Wine Sabayon with Berries and Ice Nougatine. When we tried it, the item was not yet printed on the current menu, and it is clearly one of the best desserts we have had and which we will remember for a long time. Served in a large glass with a scoop of flamed vanilla ice-cream floating in a sea of frothy, semi-liquid nougatine, it's better than tiramisu in the best restaurant, better than crepe suzette, and better than bomb alaska! We got into a long argument over whether there was liquor in the dessert until the chef emerged from the kitchen and confessed that he had added a dash of champagne to it this time, though it is usually white wine. The 20-minutes' preparation time is definitely well worth the wait.
The other dessert which we sampled was the Crème Brulee with a dash of Mascarpone cheese. Our opinions were divided on this. While it was acknowledged to be a fine dessert, and a better crème brulee than what is found in some other fine dining restaurants, some of us felt that tasting the Sabayon first did not do justice to the crème brulee.
It is not difficult to see why the restaurant has made good in this cut-throat business. The chef's labour of love is evident in the presentation of the dishes and the way he cooks his food. The meat and fish are tender and tasty, never over cooked. The food may be fusion but you can tell what is clearly western. There is no desecration of Asian food with western flavours.
On the Friday night we were there, the restaurant was fully occupied, so reservations are recommended. We were informed that the place is available for private parties and corporate bookings. The restaurant also offers set lunches and dinners starting from $20++ and $55++ respectively.
Oh, and if you bump into BG during dinner, ask him why there is a big illuminated circle planted on the wall at the back of the restaurant. He has interesting explanations about why the interior design was done up the way it was.
Julia Wan
Opening Hours - Restaurant
Lunch - Monday to Friday
12noon to 3pm
Dinner - Monday to Saturday
6.30pm to 10.30pm
Opening Hours - Bar
Monday to Saturday
5pm to 1am
Closed on Sundays and public holidays