Flogger's Dinner 2007 at Le Papillion

Amouse Bouche
Marinated Goat Cheese with Pesto on Watermelon

Very nice indeed, even for a goat cheese non-admirer like me. The fresh basil pesto worked wonders to balance out the pungency of the goat cheese, and the watermelon provided a refreshing, light, but sweet contrast to the saltiness of the cheese.

The Butter for our rolls.. just thought they looked real pretty...

Cold Appetiser
Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio and Barracuda Fish Mousse with Miso Cream

Some bloggers at my table had asked for a no shellfish menu, refering to clams and oysters that they did not like the taste of. Unfortunately for them, scallop (and so is prawn as we will later find out with utmost certainty), is shellfish, so they had a beetroot 'carpaccio' instead. Eager to try a little more, I swapped some scallop with them. The scallop tasted very mild, a little too strongly perfumed by the olive oil for my taste. I actually enjoyed to paper thin slices of beetroot more. The barracudda mousse however was impeccable, with tart and slightly creamy mayonnaise enhancing the fish meat, with an added crunch from some lightly cooked, chopped green beans.

Soup
Jasmine Tea Perfumed Duck Consomme made with Fiji Water
Foie Gras Tortellini

The first few mouthfuls of the soup were very mild, then the perfume of the Jasmine Tea began to filter into the tastebuds and the sense of smell. The clear pristine nature of the consomme helped to balance the rich fois gras filling in the tortellini. The pasta was perfect in texture, firm yet yielding, no gummy or pastey texture, very enjoyable indeed, exceptional vehicle for the fois gras delivery.

Hot Appetiser
Escargot with Herb-Garlic Butter on Button Mushroom Gratinee
Parsley Oil and Arugula Salad

It did come as a disappointment to my table that the chef figured one leaf of arugula could constitute a salad.. Fortunately, everything else was perfectly executed. The Gratinated mushrooms were plump and juicy with the natural mushroom sweetness. The Escargots were so tender they practically melted in your mouth. The only thing I felt I needed for a little lift was some fresh cut chilli, but I think that is just my personal palatte speaking. I still enjoyed it perfectly fine without my chilli fix.

Someone Elses Pasta
Rigatoni tossed with... cooked spinach, some kind of sausage meat and crisp smoked ham, probably fried, topped with a shave of parmesan.

I don't know exactly because I did not taste it... and it was not written down on the menu...
I was so busy joking around I forgot to take a picture of my own.
Rigatoni tossed in Crustacean Oil, Tiger Prawn, Shaved Bottarga and Parmesan Cheese,
which tasted as good as it looked. A pity no picture.... hehe

Fish
Char-Grilled King George Whiting Fillet with Toasted Mustard Seeds and
Saffron Tomato Sauce - My absolute favourite of the night. Amazing...

Fish was flavourful and tender, the mustard seeds adding a little spicy nuttiness against the perfect foil of finely chopped and lightly cooked tomatoes. The flavour of the tomato became more complex from the cooking, increasing in its tangy tomato taste, but not losing its light juicy texture. Extremely well thought out and put together.. I need to try making something like this.

Blood Orange Sorbet

Main
Slow-Cooked Oxtail in Feuille de Brik Parcel with Truffle Butter and Jus Gras

Tender, Crisp and Chewy with every single mouthful, the sauces and pureed potato complimented perfectly, extremely enjoyable.

Dessert
Passionfruit Symphony
Souffle, Creme Brulee and Macaroon(with a passionfruit mousse inbetween..)

Chef used passionfruit puree and mixed it with Marquisa (Lovely Indonesian variety of the passionfruit), the shell of which you can see on the plate, the one with the passionfruit souffle inside. The result was sublime, Passionfruit Perfume, with the crunchy, faintly sweet seeds of the Marquisa, an improvement from the tarter and harder (ok.. crunchier) passionfruit seeds!

I do hope you enjoyed looking at my dinner as much as I enjoyed eating it! Thank you Joone and the people at Le Papillion for a job very very well done. It was also great meeting fellow food bloggers in person. Colin! we're looking forward to next year's event eh!