Zuma Brunch – Brunching Like a Gentleman

In a city known for its numerous high-end brunch offerings, everyone has their go to spot.  Some like Traiteur in the Park Hyatt, while some swear by the Al Qasr Brunch.  Both, exceptional in their own ways.

Some like the rowdy kind, filled with a bus load of pikey types, double fisting Coronas while balancing a margarita or two under each armpit.   Not my scene.

Me? I like to roll with a little bit of panache – like a Gentleman….Which brings me to the Zuma Brunch.

 

This Brunch has become one of the hottest reservations for a Friday afternoon in Dubai.  It gets booked up super early, and you have to plan way ahead – good thing that I am a planner.  It’s a family affair – The upstairs private dining area is converted into a play area for the little ones.  My son, even though he is allergic to all kinds of seafood, loves the Zuma brunch.  Kids used to be free – but now, they are half price or something.

How it works is like so – All the favourites are laid out near the sushi bar, and downstairs, around the Robata Grill.  In the back, near the elevator, there is a desert station – so far, all buffet style.  You take what you want, and get to select a main course from the menu.  Pricing – three tiers – (1) Non Alcoholic, (2) House Beverages and (3) Champers.  The non alcoholic tranche includes unlimited samplings of Zuma’s famed mocktails, which are delicious and varied.

So, we sit down, and we are offered up some fried squid, steamed and spicy edamame, and some miso soup.  Drink orders are taken, and then we are free to get what we want from the buffet.  The favourites are pretty much all here – a very strong selection of sushi/sashimi/maki, some kobe beef shabu shabu, ramen noodles, the steamed spinach with sesame, seaweed salad, sliced sea bass with yuzu and truffle, various sorts of tartare, beef sashimi, gyoza, a brilliant mushroom risotto, the obligatory yakitori skewers – the list literally goes on and on.  If you love something at Zuma from the a la carte menu, it’s probably being served up in the buffet.  One of the most tasty things they do is they roast a large ribeye roast on the robata – slice it up a perfect medium rare onto your plate and give you a little pile of flour de sel – salty, crunch, moist – magnificent.

Steamed Edamame

 Spicy Edamame

Mushroom Risotto – This is lovely. The rice is cooked al dente (was a little underdone for some on our table, but I like it this way.).   The flavour is earthy and robust, and there is a hint of truffle that you can catch.  It can be a little tough to find for the first timers – here is a clue – look in front of the grill.  There will be a wooden serving bowl with a wooden cover – lift up the cover and help yourself.

 

The Maki Counter – Soft Shell Crab (my favourite), Spicy Tuna, California, Zuma’s classic Chirashi Maki, tempura, egg, eel, cucumber – if you can name it, the sushi chefs can likely roll it and serve it up.  Everything is freshly made – there isn’t an exorbitant quantity of few items, like at many sushi buffets, so it keeps turnover high and the servers are always refreshing the offering.  The rolls are tightly wrapped, the rice is subtly flavoured, and the main ingredients are left to sing their own glory.  A little dip of soy, and you are good to go.

The fried heads from the shrimp served up for the sushi – they may look daunting, but if you haven’t tried them, and like soft shell crab, you MUST!  They are crunchy and packed with the flavour you would expect from the heads of shrimp, crawfish, lobster etc.  At a crawfish boil, you pinch the tail and suck the head.  Try these ones too – they are surprisingly tasty!

This came from the robata grill – lamb riblets and seared scallops.  The lamb was outstanding – crispy on the outside and moist, fatty and delicious on the inside.  Scallops – of course, delicious.  Just lightly seared, so not to damage the delicate insides – still cool and sweet on the inside, like these gems should taste like.  People who over cook or over prep scallops need to be put on trial.

These may look simple but if you head to this brunch, make sure you get the grilled chicken wings.  These are delicious – nothing on the menu is over spiced, so if you are someone who loves overtly spiced food, this is not for you – ingredients are of the highest quality, and are left relatively un-assaulted.  You can taste individual flavours, layers and really appreciate what you are eating, rather than focusing on sucking air between your two eye teeth, because what you are eating is so darn spicy!  Back to the wings – charcoal grilled, crispy, moist – fantastic.

Beef Yakitori and Black Cod Gyoza – Superbly tender beef on a bamboo skewer and grilled – served with a sweet teriyaki type sauce.  Some on the table considered the beef to be vastly underdone – in all fairness, the temperature was close to rare.  Perfection for me is a nice medium rare, but I don’t mind if it skews more towards rare, and less towards medium.  I thought they were very nice.  Not a big fan of the gyoza (dumpling) however, as the black cod inside was a little mushy for my taste – I thought it was unfair to take such a firm, flaky flesh and turn it into mush.

 Ramen – Take your noodles, get them freshly heated, add some toppings and enjoy – not my cup of tea, but people seemed to enjoy it.

Kobe Beef Shabu Shabu – An elegant take on what has become a fast food phenomenon.  A chef takes a few pieces of kobe beef, takes them lightly through a broth, and serves them up to you in a little bowl, with some sauce.  It was lovely!

A slice of the ribeye roast on the robata grill, with some flour de sel on the side.

On to the sushi course.  Sweet Shrimp (Ama Ebi) Nigiri in the foreground – Sweet Shrimp is served raw, as opposed to regular shrimp (you can see it at the back of the plate) which is served cooked.  A little slimy, but sublime. You see a piece of Salmon (Sake) Nigiri, and a Spicy Scallop Roll to right.  Won’t get into too much detail on these – Zuma is a highly rated Japanese restaurant.  Rest assured, all sushi is magnificent.

Octopus (Tako) and Tuna (Maguro) Sashimi

The Spicy Scallop Roll

This is what it all comes down to! The Toro.  In Sushi making, the most valued ingredient comes from Tuna and is called Toro.  This is the fatty cut of the fish (most likely from the belly).  There are two kinds usually – Otoro and Chutoro.  Otoro is the better, MUCH more expensive kind – obviously the kind of the buffet counter was not this type.  Regardless, melt in your moth delicious.  Compare the colour of the Toro with the Maguro (Tuna) a few pics above – the Maguro is a vivid red – almost maroon.  The Toro is a light pink, with clearly visible marbling.  Texture wise, the Maguro is fleshier, tougher, more rigid, if that makes sense (it’s still lovely!) – the Toro is tender, buttery, melt in your mouth, and so rich.  This is magnificent stuff, which you must put on your gastronomy bucket list!

What happens when you take a regular piece of sushi, and gently torch the fish?  You get the Aburi style of sushi preparation.  The taste changes – you are not cooking the fish here, but merely caramelizing the very top of it – this elevates the taste to another level.  You get the fish, and the seasoned rice, but you get a new dimension of smoke, sweetness from the caramelization, and an enhanced aroma.  Very, very tasty.

Salmon (Sake) and Maguro Sashimi

After eating all of the above, if you thought you were done, think again.  Zuma has a list of main courses for you to choose from.  The Adults get to choose from the main menu, and the kids get a choice of mini burgers/sliders, fish and chips, nuggets etc.  My lil guy picked the mini burgers.  On the main menu, you have your choice of (cut and paste from the Zuma menu):

Roasted Boston Lobster, Shiso-Ponzu Butter

Miso Marinated Black Cod, Wrapped in Hoba Leaf

Chilean Seabass with Chilli, Ginger Dressing and Cress Salad

Stir Fried Ramen, Seasonal Vegetables, Nori and Dried Chilli (v)

Seared Miso Marinated Foie Gras, Crushed Umeboshi

Jumbo Tiger Prawn with Yuzu Pepper

Spicy Beef Tenderloin with Sesame, Chilli and Sweet Soy

Spicy Beef Tenderloin with Sesame, Chilli and Sweet Soy – A Zuma staple.  A beautiful, tender cut of beef tenderloin, grilled and served with a sweet, and spicy sauce.  Very well prepared, and hard not to like.

Miso Marinated Black Cod, Wrapped in Hoba Leaf – Zuma’s version of the Nobu classic.  Very good, but as mentioned in my Nobu review, Nobu is still number 1.

Jumbo Tiger Prawn with Yuzu Pepper – Firstly, apologies – the picture came after I had already started pecking away.  Very nice sized Prawn, with the meat already cut into bit size pieces that make eating it with a pair of chopsticks very simple.  The Yuzu Pepper sauce provided a very nice citrus backdrop to bring out the delicate flavour of the prawn.

And finally, the little guy’s mini burgers and fries!

I’m not much of a desert person, as anyone visiting our home will tell you.  We always seem to focus entirely on the dinner itself – desert, when it is remembered at all, is largely just thrown together at the last-minute.   That being said, I didn’t take any pictures of the desert station.  They have the obligatory chocolate fountain, cakes and ice cream, but where there seems to be a large line up for is the belgian waffle station – waffles are made up to order, and there is a smorgasbord of toppings that you can pile on – from chocolate sauce and whipped creams to berries and other fruit.  The chocolate offerings are present, but me, the non desert eater, would like to recommend two things:

1.  Green Tea and Banana Cake with Hot Toffee Sauce – The cake is cut tall and some hot sauce is poured over it to order.  Its fantastic.

2.  Chawan Mushi – The egg custard – Its rich, and smooth and just amazing.  There is a passionfruit foam they put on top with some exotic fruits and it’s just magnificent.

So obviously, I like this place.  A fantastic afternoon our with my family to our favourite brunch in town.  Would highly recommend this for anyone who hasn’t tried it – you really can’t go wrong – everything is delicious.  A wonderful way to try out all of Zuma’s wonderful offerings, without going through the a la carte menu, one by one.

Till Next Time

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Royal China – The Emperor’s Comfort Food

Chinese food for me has always been one of my go to comfort food options.  Moving to Dubai from Toronto, I was used to a more traditional Cantonese/Hong Kong style cuisine,  given the large number of immigrants from that geographical area in the Greater Toronto Area.  The other variation to this style of cooking available around town was the Hakka style.  Lets get one thing straight – this isn’t your Chinese Hakka cuisine – the kind actually from China.  It’s the bastardized South Asian adaptation of the Hakka style – fried, spicy, greasy, cheap, and usually delicious.

My Cantonese local in the Toronto area was a very plain (read down market) restaurant that sat two steps down from the street, in a nondescript strip mall in Richmond Hill  – Simple formica tables with plastic chairs – each table with a stack of napkins, and a big jar of chilli oil – not just any ordinary chilli oil, but the most special variety.  This chilli oil carried some heat, for sure, but it was also salty.   Putting that over some white rice resulted in an amazing, smoky, salty, spicy rice/sauce combo which went just perfectly with all their dishes.  The roast duck, stir fried crab with garlic, steamed Grouper, lobster in black bean sauce – magnificent.  So, when we moved to Dubai, we found an abundance of Hakka Chinese restaurants (special shout out to Mandarin Tree in Al Barsha) but were struggling to find The One.  Then, it came.

Royal China opened a couple of years ago in the DIFC (of course).  I had eaten at the ones in London a number of times – especially at the Canary Wharf location, as its right between the office and the hotel I usually stay at, and is perfectly placed for a quick takeout on the way back to the room.  I have to admit – i always remember it being good, but I wasn’t jumping out of my seat, making a run for Royal China at the crack of noon,  in time for their first serving of Crispy Noodles with Seafood.   I thought I would make it over when I did – wish I would have made that first run, because I could have squeezed in a couple of more meals here.

My love affair with Royal China started with some lunch time pickups.  I make an order, and one of our runners would head down and pick it up for me (no delivery).  Next step, I made it in for a sit-down lunch, on a quiet Sunday – this was probably at the suggestion of ZA, who has his own special chopsticks reserved for him at the restaurant.  But, when it really struck home for me was when I brought my wife and 6-year-old in for a weekend lunch – though the fit out / location would make it a fancy shmancy place, I was so pleasantly surprised by the graciousness, enthusiasm, hospitality shown by the staff towards my young son.  We sat around a table, tried different things, and had a wonderful family lunch.   It has become sort of weekend thing for us now – we try to make it there whenever we can – and have a nice family meal by ourselves, or with friends – kids always welcome!  I remember the owner once mentioning that he and his family had a favourite place in London that they used to go to every weekend with the family when they lived there – they wanted to recreate that feel and vibe here in Dubai.  Mission Accomplished.

On to the food.  I found myself at Royal China, on the back of an invitation by ZA and AMA – kids and all.  Being open to anything, but just making sure that there was something for my little guy to eat, as he is allergic to seafood, I let ZA run with the ordering process.  Like LPM, there is nothing not good on the menu – you can’t go wrong.  Recently, I wanted something small and new to try – I ordered the fried tofu with five spice.  I don’t know why I ordered this, considering I don’t really like tofu, but I did.  Three words – FAN TAS TIC.  Squares of creamy tofu, quickly fried and dusted with a spice blend (I’m going to guess and say there are five spices in that blend??)  But, I digress.  So, ZA ordered up a big spread.  Some thoughts below:

Pan Seared Chicken Dumpling – My son loves this one.  It’s not sticky, because it’s not steamed, and anything he can pick up with his little fingers and toss in his mouth, is appreciated.  A staple on our table.

Crispy Shredded Chili Beef

Some Baked Pastry Thing I didn’t try – but sure looks good!

One of my favourites – Steamed Fish in Special Soy Sauce

Hot And Sour Soup – Normally, when served this kind of soup at a restaurant, I always find the need to doctor it with the house soy and vinegar and chilli sauces.  Not here – a perfect balance of hot and sour – just as it should be.  Consistency is perfect – not lumpy, clumpy or thick, as this soup can be at times.  Silky smooth with some beautiful, clean pieces of chicken and velvety tofu.  Perfect pick me up, and an ideal comfort food.

A Classic – Szechuan Prawn.  Lightly battered and fried jumbo prawns served hot and fresh.  Nice crispy bite and the sweetness of the prawn is visible from the start.  That gets offset by a slight, lingering heat from the chilli and the saltiness that is inherent in the background.

Steamed Barbecue Chicken Buns – My son can go through two plates of these in a sitting.  He LOVES them, and so do I.  The dough is steamed to perfection – light, airy, and definitely not doughy and heavy.  The chicken on the inside is sticky and sweet – together, its heaven.  He likes them as they are – I like them dunked into some chill oil.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings – Another must have when visiting RC.  Lightly seasoned prawns inside a lovely, slightly chewy outside.  Steaming hot (obviously) so be careful on the first bite.  I like them dipped in some soy, for some saltiness.  Lovely.

Amazing food, perfect service, super friendly staff, can’t go wrong menu, and the best Peking Duck in Dubai (which I didn’t order on this visit).  Family friendly on the weekends, but oozing class for a special business dinner as well.  RC, is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Dubai, and one of the go to places to take out-of-town guests when they are visiting.  Being in the DIFC makes it very accessible – I just wish they had delivery!  All in all, truly the Emperor’s Comfort Food.

Till Next Time

La Petite Maison – You’re Still the One

La Petite Maison, or LPM is it is fondly known, opened in Dubai a couple of years ago with a bang.  It was the restaurant that everyone was talking about – Nicoise Cuisine at its finest.  A little bit of St. Tropez in Dubai.  Here we are – March, 2014 – it remains the best meal in town – hand’s down – without a doubt in my head.  Getting a table on the weekends is close to impossible, but if you do manage to get a reservation, you can be assured that what you will be served will consistently be excellent.

So, the AB’s, ZA’s and the Clan M met up at the Jamil Naqsh exhibition on Saturday night for a quick look see on what was cooking in the world of Islamic caligraphy.  Underwhelmed, I was glad that the stunning Mrs. M had a lovely dinner lined up for us at a place I was looking forward to trying.  While we were wrapping up at the art exhibition, Mrs. AB got a brilliant idea – why don’t we all go to LPM.  Great – let’s do it – but wouldn’t it be impossible to get a table, for 3 couples, at the last-minute?   Mrs. AB whips out her phone, dials a few numbers and, BOOM – water into wine.  A table for 6 was made available – and not at some random time – 8.30 pm, sir – prime time, baby.  Alternate plans were quickly put aside and we made our way over to the restaurant, which was virtually next door to the Naqsh exhibition.  We were led to the back of the restaurant – The Chairman’s Table, suitable for at least 10 was waiting our arrival.

So we settle in, a bottle of still and a bottle of sparkling makes its way over – some other bevvies are ordered.  The menu is, and has been, pretty standard.  Everyone has their standard go to items, but i love trying something that I would have never tried on my own at LPM – just to see how the chef interprets these simple (simple does not equate to less than prime, in terms of quality) ingredients and elevates them through the stratosphere.   Food is served family style – for the table to share – so everyone gets to try everything.  Usually, I’m not the sharing sort – but I was guilted into it (actually, I wasn’t planning on sharing, but then I saw the lamb chops and the duck on the table, and decided to get guilted into it)!

For the starters and main courses we ordered:

Salad de Haricots Verts au Foie Gras

Betteraves Marinées

Salade de Lentilles Vertes

Ratatouille avec Féta

Burrata et Tomates

Carpacio de Boeuf

Crevettes Ti’des – l’Huile d’Olive

Risotto aux Champignons

Rigatoni aux Cépes

Entrecôte Grillée

Canard a l’orange

Pommes de Terre Gratinées

Every single item was sublime.  The ingredients were simple, as I mentioned before, but fresh, bright, and uncomplicated.  The dishes are not complicated in their presentation – each ingredient can be tasted and appreciated.  It truly is elevated cuisine.   Something as simple as eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and feta – I had never ordered this before – it was amazing.

The pics and the breakdown:

Each table is set up with some tomatoes and lemon (Alexander McQueen clutch not included).  Just a little something to tide you over until the food starts being rolled out.  Get in there – sliced up the tomatoes, drizzled a little olive oil and lemon over them, cracked on a little pepper and some salt – delicious.  Then, out came the apps:

Betteraves Marinées – Marinated Beetroot.  This is a perfect example of LPM’s genius.  Who would have ever thunk to order this?  Not me.  Mrs. AB’s choice – a favourite, she declares.  You have never tried this before???? *GASP*  Me:  I am not a fan of beetroot.  Shut up she says – try it.  WOW.  There are like 6 pieces of beetroot shown, right.  They were marinated/pickled/brined so delicately – you got the sweet of the beetroot, you got some vinegary tartness which balanced the natural sweetness perfectly – never too overbearing.  This was amazing.  Soft without being mushy – wonderful flavour.  It’s really hard to describe the complex layers of flavour, because they don’t exist.  Simple food, simple ingredients – just elevated.  Definitely adding this on my list of go to items.

Salad de Haricots Verts au Foie Gras – Green Bean Salad with Foie Gras.  One of my favourite starters.  A green bean salad, lightly dressed, with some small chunks of foie gras tossed in.  Love the smooth texture of the foie while feeling the snap of the beans – the soft sweetness of the dressing marries everything together.

Salade de Lentilles Vertes – Green Lentil Salad.  The secret to this beauty is apples.  Lentils, scallions, red onion, celery (i think), marinated in an apple juice linked marinade, with some crunchy chunks of apple tossed into the mix.  The lentils are the definite star here, and the apples add a sparkle.

 

Ratatouille avec Féta – Ratatoille with Feta.  So, here was the surprise contended.  4 ingredients.  Eggplant, Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers and Feta.  Some olive oil.  Thats it.  Lightly cooked together to bring this masterpiece to light.  Unreal – the eggplant was meaty, without being tough.  The peppers were sweet.  The tomatoes still had some firmness, and didn’t melt into the rest, making a salaan of sorts.  The feta – wow.  Normally, I find feta to be overly salty.  It’s a crumbly cheese, particularly the Greek variety – the Middle Eastern types, less so.  This feta was smooth – velvety – a texture sort of like fresh cottage cheese, but without the “I don’t taste much like anything other than milk” vibe to it.  It was salty, of course, but not like the store-bought feta I have had.  Really very very good.

 

Burrata et Tomates – Burrata cheese with Tomatoes.  LPM must go through 90% of Dubai Burrata imports.  This is the KING of all LPM apps, and is usually a fixture on most tables.  A piece of burrata cheese, some sweet mini tomatoes, some basil and olive oil.  If you like burrata, this is some of the best I’ve had, anywhere.  If you haven’t tried burrata, and are a cheese lover, particularly if you like fresh mozzarella, you HAVE to try this.  Burrata is basically a pouch of fresh mozzarella, filled with pieces of mozzarella and cream.  Its unbelievable.  The creaminess of the cheese paired with the brightness/sweetness of the tomato is divine.

Carpacio de Boeuf – Beef Capriccio.  Raw beef, pounded paper thin and served with Olive Oil.  Whats not to love.

 

Crevettes Ti’des – l’Huile d’Olive – Prawn in warm olive oil.   If the burrata is the King, then, this appetizer is most definitely the Queen.  4 jumbo pieces of prawns, sliced in half, and served very very lightly poached in a warm, lemony, olive oil.  You think this would be greasy, soggy, and heavy – think again.  The prawns are sweet and keep their unique texture.   The olive oil is wonderful, and with the lemon, you not only want to keep dipping the prawn in it while eating it, you want to mop it up with the fresh bread that is served.  5 stars.

On to the main courses:

Risotto aux Champignons – Mushroom Risotto.  Not one that I order, but something that the boss, a.k.a. Mrs. M, loves.  Very smooth and creamy, the risotto.  Great earthy flavour of the mushrooms.  A warning – if you are someone who likes their risotto rice cooked through until its soft, this is not one for you.  The rice is served quite al dente – I am partial to this, but some on the table were not.  Delicious, but just a heads up.

Rigatoni aux Cépes – Rigatoni Pasta with Mushrooms.  Again, a favourite of Mrs. M.  She and Mrs. ZA ordered this and the risotto to share between themselves.  Didn’t really taste this, but it smelled good.  The ladies liked it.

Entrecôte Grillée – Grilled Ribeye Steak.  La Piece de Resistance.  In a city with numerous (not all great) steakhouses, its ironic that the best steak in town can actually be found at a restaurant that does not bill itself as a steakhouse.   Now, don’t get me wrong.  You can get a fantastic meal at Ruths Chris, the Rib Room, Center Cut or Seafire (and some even swear by the old school joints on the other side of the bridge) – but trust this die-hard carnivore and beef enthusiast when he tells you – this is THE best steak in town.  A succulent piece of tender beef, stunningly laced with ribbons of fat that melt through the muscle and give every morsel that enters your mouth a tender explosion of beefy, salty goodness.  A nice, easily removable, fat cap, which I personally love to eat rests around the steak.  Not marinated – just seasoned with salt. Served with a mustard sauce, of sorts.  This is living, ladies and gentlemen.  I like my beef medium rare – perfectly cooked – nicely seared on the outside, while keeping the centre a mouth-watering red.  I love this, and my fellow beef enthusiast from Karachi, the Prince of Chiniot, AA, will agree with everything written above!

Canard a l’orange – Duck with an Orange Sauce.  Usually, when you get served Duck a L’orange, you end up with a sickly sweet, goopy sauce onto of either a well cooked or crap cooked piece of duck.  I like duck – some don’t, but I’m rather partial to it.  But, i tend to stick to ordering a pan seared beast of Muscovy duck or something, and away from the goopy sauces.  This was a choice of Mr. AB, who insisted that we try it.  I’m impressed.  The sauce did have a sweet undertone to it, but it was hardly overpowering.  It actually suited the duck perfectly, because rather than the fatty breast meat, we had two lean leg pieces, and the slightly sweet orange sauce complimented the earthy dark meet very well.  The duck was cooked perfectly – the outer bits were crispy, while the inside was moist, flavourful and tender.  Very nice.

Grilled Lamb Chops – I think the picture speaks for itself.  These were amazing, meaty, tender lamb chops, perfectly grilled.  Delicious.  No heavy spices – very simple.  A little mint sauce on the side.  Excellent.

A little Pommes de Terre Gratinées (potato gratin) on the side.  Feasting.

Then, it was desert time!

French Toast – I love French Toast, you say.  I remember my mother making it for me, while I was still in school.  A couple of pieces of white bread, dipped in a sweet eggy milky batter then fried.  Heaven on a plate right?  ALMOST.  The LPM French Toast, my friends, is truly heaven on a plate.  Do you see the caramelization on the top of the brioche?  Soft, moist, sweet (but not over sweet) – a little bit of bitter crispness on the outside, where the sugars did exactly what they were supposed to do.  I didn’t eat the ice-cream, but usually its cinnamon flavoured.  I know some people are thinking – French Toast?  For desert? Fine dining?  Listen – don’t even think about it – when you find yourself eating at this restaurant (and, I mean, why wouldn’t you – either you are already a fan, or you have seen the pictures/descriptions above and have handwritten it into your bucket list – right at the top) just get the French Toast.

Usually, its the French Toast for me, when at LPM.  So, Mrs. M was in the mood for something chocolatey – and ordered the Mousse.   My friends, this is no ordinary, gelatinous mousse.  What arrived, as you can see above, is a mousse/soufflé hybrid. Oven baked, obviously, with a soufflé like crust on top.  So, I’m thinking….this is mousse?  I dip my spoon, crack the crust, and lurking underneath is the most luscious, velveteen dark chocolate mousse you have ever seen.  The crust, in itself, is delicious, but the inside – like a fine piece of dark chocolate, not too sweet, melting over your tongue, minus the textural viscosity and denseness that comes with fine dark chocolate melting on your tongue.  This was lighter – easier to eat bowls of.  Excellent.

Finally – Mr. AB was insistent that we try the cheesecake.  I love cheesecake, but after such a large meal, I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy desert.  He insisted that we get a piece – Mrs. AB insisted that she would get her own, as sharing deserts was not an area where compromises were made.  This beautifully symmetrical piece of cheesecake comes out with some strawberry compote on the side.  Good looking – do you see the thickness of the crust – paper thing.  I’m intrigued.  But, how will the filling be? Will it have the usual thick, heavy texture (not that I don’t like the Cheesecake Factory style cheesecakes – I am just too full by this time)?  The first bite was magical – again, not too sweet (this seems to be a theme through all the deserts at La Petite, and I like it).  The inside was light, creamy, but LIGHT!  A vanilla flavour – you can probably see the specks of vanilla bean in the filling above.   Truly outstanding.  Both the chocolate mousse and the cheesecake were new experiences for me – I’m still going to get the French Toast, but I will stop and think for a few minutes.  Maybe I’ll get all three?  Most definitely #firstworldproblems.

I concluded this a long time ago – but this conclusion was further supported by my going deeper into LPM’s menu on this visit.  There is not a bad dish on the menu.  You don’t like a particular ingredient?  At LPM, you probably will.  It’s unbelievable how the kitchen maintains the consistency it does, for as long as it has.  I had heard that a number of the employees had left to join another restaurant in Dubai, that opened fairly recently – you honestly, wouldn’t know it.  LPM hasn’t missed a beat, and the customer’s are still in love.  You will find me eating here, as often as I can, for as long as the guys here continue to do what they do best.  LPM, you’re still the one.

Till Next Time.