Friday Night at The Gallery, then The Pot

Vendredi soir (Friday night) ... could not wait for it to come any quicker. It was time to catch up with a few friends which I haven't seen for a few months (being the busy people we are!), and also met a couple of new people along the way.

The first stop was The Gallery on Waymouth. When my friend and I first walked in, we were overwhelmed with how many people there were (mind you this was a Friday night at 7.15pm); the crowd was a mixture, mainly business people (with the exception of the 2 of us), all dressed up in their suits straight after work for Friday night drinks. As we had friends waiting for us at the rooftop bar, it was slightly annoying in regards to the 'capacity' factor - my friend and I had to wait approximately 15 minutes before we could head up (and nobody actually came down to make more room, so this factor did not make sense at all!). Anyways, it was quite a nice night even if it was cold - there were gas heaters around the area so it was in fact slightly cosy. The drinks they made were decent at least (gin and tonic, and then soda with lime). Overall, it was a nice atmosphere with a good mix of crowd - could see myself coming back perhaps in the future.

The next place however is what this review will mainly be about (and what a few of my readers are waiting for). My friend CY, had been discussing about going to The Pot Food & Wine on King William Road (towards the end in Hyde park, refer to address at the bottom of this post) for a good few months. They decor is quite lovely, and I really liked the cosy vibe that hits you when you enter the restaurant. Just be aware that it would be quite easy to miss if you are not actively seeking the restaurant.

Then it was time to make the orders. We were first a bit confused about the layout, but luckily the waitress was nice and explained the format of the evening. So with this restaurant, it is slightly different in that everything is to share. The smaller plates are generally single servings, whereas the bigger dishes were shared. It was good that 6 people went last night so we could order a variety of dishes.

So the first thing that arrives (like most other restaurants) is warm bread. I would have preferred the outer part to be slightly crustier but I love bread regardless. In case you were wondering, located beside the tin in a small oval dish is butter (I wonder which butter they use because it is creamier in texture).

Mushroom, truffle & raclette croquettes

This was absolutely amazing. The croquette was very creamy and the truffle (I think truffle oil was used) flavour was evident and quite frankly, is what makes this dish almost parfaite. It was plated up nicely (a bit hard to see in the photo). Definitely recommend this as an entree for everyone!

Ortiz anchovies, iceberg hearts, capers, soft boiled egg & aioli

I am not a huge fan of lots of anchovies, but they had just the right amount in this salad to bring out the saltiness. The capers were a nice combination with the aioli and anchovies. I would have preferred the eggs to be slightly runnier to have the yolk as part of the dressing (would have given the sauce more flavour).

This next dish below I have been dying to try for ages - escargot (snails)! They made it really nicely and I ended up having lots. The buttery sauce with garlic makes it extremely delicious, a perfect combination with the iceberg hearts above (don't eat too many though because it is very rich). 

Tempura snails with garlic butter

So the next dish really was a bit of a challenge. It was lamb brains (thanks to one of SL's friends) who decided to give it a go:

Deep fried lamb brains with lime zest (and possibly mint?)

Lamb brains separated into halves

The flavour wasn't bad at all (they have infused the lime zest very well), but it was the texture of the brain which was a bit off-putting; it was more gelatinous and soft - very well cooked and tasted good, but unusual texture.

Tagliatelle in a cream base cooked with french beans and sweet peas

Now this pasta dish was another one of my favourites of the night (it was a special, not listed on the menu). The french beans cooked with the pasta were beautifully done - very tender and sweet. The cream base, unlike many common pasta dishes, did not seem very heavy and complemented very well with the others.

Roasted Berkshire pork belly with green apple, wombok and dill salad

Overall, this dish was nice but there were a few elements missing; a sauce, even something simple sauce as tangy apple sauce would have really accentuated the flavours of the meat, and also the top layer, i.e. the crackling would have been nicer if it was a bit crispier (a bit more salt perhaps would have done the trick). The salad was fresh and complemented well, however more green apples would once again make the dish better, but having said all that, the overall dish was still nice. 

Slow roasted Hay Valley lamb, macaroni & cheese

Oh my goodness me... the lamb in this dish had me falling onto the floor. It was incredibly tender, practically melting once it reaches your mouth, releasing beautiful flavours. Definitely a recommended dish to try. The macaroni and cheese was not necessary - crusty bread or some light pasta would work very well. The lamb could actually be a dish by itself, especially with the way it is cooked. The plating of this dish is quite chic as well, giving it a quirky feel.

Steamed Boston Bay 'blue lipped' mussels & clams, coconut & kafir lime broth

There was definitely an Asian influence in this dish (flavours of coconut and kafir lime in the broth). It is still a very nice dish. The creaminess of the broth makes this dish almost perfect, and it smells delectable. One of my friends who barely ever touches more than a piece of seafood, actually surprisingly rather enjoyed this dish and had quite a few ~ apparently the 'fishiness' is masked by the broth. That was the final savoury dish of the night. 

We did choose a rosé wine to go with our foods - white would have gone with the seafood, but red was required for the lamb, so we decided to pick something in the middle (strange people we are). So the one we did end up choosing was a French rosé Mescladis (Domaine Clavel) from Coteaux du Languedoc region - it was very light and easy to drink (would have had LOTS if I wasn't driving). 

Dinner would of course be incomplete without dessert, so we ended up ordering 3 of them to try:

Passionfruit souffle

Coconut & lime sago, black sesame ice-cream, palm sugar caramel

Eton Mess - raspberries, almond meringue & mascarpone

The decision to have dessert here could not have been any better. The souffle was actually done very well (it disappeared within 3 minutes). The coconut and lime sago was interesting - it was a hot dessert, yet the cold component of this dessert, black sesame ice-cream, jazzed this dessert up; more lime would have made it even nicer. The Eton Mess was fantastic. I could eat lots of this. The almond meringue was not very sweet because of the mascarpone included and the raspberry reduction just completed the belle 'mess'. 

The staff there were quite nice and friendly and the service provided was adequate. Dinner here was definitely an enjoyable experience. I would recommend this place for dinner with a few people (if dinner for 2, then perhaps try the tasting menu) as the experience is unique. It probably would not be suitable for more than 7 people unless dishes are doubled up. Although the dishes seemed 'small', all 6 of us ended up being quite full and were very satisfied.

Hope you enjoyed this review and perhaps try this place out for yourself. Feel free to leave comments.