After many years of operations, Chez Moi moved out of the walk-up building in Causeway Bay into a relatively more modern building and changed its name to Chez Moi Private Kitchen. I suppose adding the "Private Kitchen" to its name would make it ... trendy? I am not sure about that. There are so many new restaurant establishments nowadays attaching themselves with this label which to me is rather meaningless.
The decor looked very similar to the old place with the same color tones but slightly more upscale in a sense. Tables were set up with plenty of privacy and the venue can certainly hold more tables than before. The lighting was definitely brighter than before and great for taking pictures! I still remember how tough it was to take pictures on my previous visit!
I was rather disappointed to find out that the menu looked rather similar to the old one. I was expecting some new items. Ah well, sometimes it is good to be focus and have a very focused menu as well. Oh yes, please be reminded that they only accept CASH and there is NO mandatory 10% Service Charges, so tip as much as you like or as much as the service deserves. Did I mention there is not corkage fee? remember to BYO wine!
The aroma and flavors of the garlic bread was very rich, a little too rich if you ask me. At least they were warm, so fair enough.
The Goose Liver and Sliced Caramel Apple with Port Wine was significantly smaller than the one I had last time, but in a good way of course. Rich in flavor potato starched crunchy surface, one can experience the combination of two extreme textures, crunchy and mushy. As I said before, not my cup of tea but give it a try, maybe you will like it. (to those who have been to the old Chez Moi, notice the change in plates and overall dining wear. Somehow the new plates made the portions smaller or they did shrink the size of their serving?)
The Poached French White Asparagus with Parma Ham looked very nice in terms of presentation but the asparagus was relatively bitter for some reasons. I was not sure how it should taste but I ate with the parma ham so the ham flavor overtook it. In technical terms, White Asparagus, which resulted from the lack of sunlight during cultivation, should be milder in flavors and more tender than green ones but whether it was suppose to be more bitter, I am not sure.
French Vegetables and Beef Soup. Why was it called French I am not quite sure, perhaps because it was a clear based soup similar to that of consommé? It was rather unexciting.
A refreshing strawberry sherbet to lighten up my palettes at this point.
Charcoal Frilled US Dry Aged Sirloin Steak with with Red Wine Sauce ... woah, such a long name for just a steak! It was beefy and tender, pink center, medium rare as requested.
The Pan-Fried Halibut Fillet with Braised Seafood was ... interesting yet rather boring. Flavors came from the sauce underneath the fish itself was soft and flaky in a yummy way by itself.
I ordered Roasted French Spring Chicken Stuffed with King Prawn in Garlic Thyme Sauce. The King Prawn was literally stuffed into the Chicken!!! Actually the presentation was rather neat because it somehow made both ingredients merged into one huge piece of ... three legged chicken? Chicken was tender and not overly dry but the prawn was slightly too tough and dry, sign of being overcooked perhaps. Worth mentioning that the sauce went well
Chocolate Citrus Tea Mousse Cake. It was citrus indeed but good that the chocolate flavor balanced it quite well. Texture wise it was on the firm side, likely a result from over chilling I suppose.
Mango Lychee Pudding ... humm ... mushy? tangy? It was unsurprising but a refreshing way to end the meal on a good note.
Likes:
- New venue more spacious and brightened decor
- No Mandatory Service Charges
- Roasted French Spring Chicken Stuffed with King Prawn in Garlic Thyme Sauce - Chicken was prepared quite well, not overly dry and remained quite juicy. (The prawn was another story)
Dislikes:
- Poached French White Asparagus with Parma Ham - rather bitter but maybe it was suppose to be so?
- French Vegetables and Beef Soup - rather light in flavor.
Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person
Chez Moi Private Kitchen
21/F, Bartlock Centre,
3 Yiu Wah Street, CWB
Tel: 2881 1929
4 comments:
hehehe i always love this place :) (oppps?) and i think i like the old decor better? more mystery heheheh
No the white Asparagus wasnt supposed to be bitter.
It does have a slightly bitter taste, like radicchio or frisee salad, but good quality white asparagus should only carry a note of that.
If they are bitter, they are cut too close to the roots. As the root part grows a bit every year, the farmers have to put more earth on top every year, if they put the rows too close together, that is more difficult. So in the end, the bitter taste means that the farmer tried to save money by growing more on a smaller space, so a lack in quality.
Its a problem you easilly get with vegetables, they enhance the look and/or time you can keep the vegetable, but it looses a lot of taste or smth. similar.
@AG: Thank you for pointing that out and thanks for dropping by my blog! :) I bet such "saving cost" methods are being implemented in many farms across the world. Rather unfortunate I may add.
I think look is important but should not be in the expense of the overall quality or basic taste of the food. we should be able to enjoy without over stressing the look aspect. if it is a Stew we are making, I seriously doubt the look of the carrots or etc really matters so much in my personal opinion. After all, food is to be enjoyed through eating, taste and quality rank slightly higher than the look.
Future residents of Treasure at Tampines . We were talking about this earlier on. Share it with your friends and family :)
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