Imagine the soft fluffy pancake, anointed with chicken oil AND maple syrup, and biting into the crisp chicken bits and the sweet honey crumble. I took a bite and it transported me straight to heaven. Oh yes. I’ve seen heaven. I returned knowing things others don’t. But I will let you in on one secret: they serve this for breakfast there.
(Review in retrospect; 2018)
Clearly trying to emulate a cute forest mushroom bed. And it works! Dish was eponymous except for one little secret. The green moss thingy was actually banana cake! Pity it didn’t really do anything for this dish. This dish isn’t lacking anything in taste, but in proportion. There was too much of everything in similar quantities. I wished the titular cream puff came as a single large puff, while the other components build a nice forest floor around. Let’s be real, Snow White only stood out because she was hanging out with 7 dwarves.
The dark chocolate custard (I suspect 85%) jiggles in the tart like a gratuitous tiktok dance. It comes with a slight dusting of chocolate crumbles which, when mixed with the custard, became oddly reminiscent of Milo dinosaur. The brandy sorbet should come with an age advisory. Components meld so perfectly together, it made me contemplate the meaning of life on a Monday afternoon. Cest la vie.
They added lemongrass tea to the dry ice beneath, so that you get hit by a perfume of lemongrass before you get eat the dessert. Pure genius.
Pork belly was ALMOST PERFECT in every sense. The pig in question must have been the Adonis of its generation. The meat to fat ratio rang gospel-y chimes in my head. The Savoy cabbage was pickled (?) and the sourness provided a gentle palate cleanse. It’s formulaic: pair a fatty meat with an acidic veg, and Skai has decoded this formula with the wonderful execution of this dish.
This was unexpectedly delicious. It is literally the olive rice of my childhood! This time, with a load of crabmeat that added an extra oomph to every bite. Who knew preserved olive leaves went so well with crab?! I almost demanded for sambal.
I had actually set the prawns aside to have a moment with the rice.
Smoked duck was served in cubes atop a bed of quinoa. Slightly confusing dish as i cannot be clear on which direction it is heading towards. I think this dish could have been improved a lot by swapping the quinoa with mash potato. The crunch of the apples clashed quite starkly with the gamey bite of the smoked duck. Too many textures. Very eclectic and in a not so nice way.
This was delightful! The mackerel had just enough chew to it, and the avocado emulsion adds just the right amount of fat to balance the acidity in this dish.
The Porcini butter let’s its namesake down with its lack of earthiness. Bread was tough, but still reveals a fluffy inside when pried apart. A nice starter nonetheless. But do hit Terra up for some serious wow-factor porcini.
If there is one thing that can save 2020, it is a visit to Burnt Ends. I have religiously made a pilgrimage here every year since 2017, and I have never once been disappointed. Ever.
There isn’t a lot of science or innovation behind the dishes. Just a good hearth powered by the passion to provide consistently good food.
A classic dessert that I would always order at the end of every meal is this toasted marshmallow. It is both an ode and a closure to the wonderfully sumptuous meal at Burnt Ends. Till next year.
The crab legs were chocked full with meat, and after 10 excruciating minutes of extracting the flesh, I unabashedly ate them by the spoonful, each drenched in the liquid gold of brown butter. I may be in the prime of my youth, but I could almost feel my heart and arteries squeezing tighter. Doesn’t matter. Take my money, and take my life too.
The server asked if we would like to order a side of sourdough as accompaniment. Being the new-age-carb-fearing men that we are, we declined. Alas! the folly. I teared a little as they carried the butter away.
A little steep at 95 bucks, but still a must order. Treat yo’self! You’ve already made it through the waitlist! Order. This. Dish.
This tart was exactly how I imagine Christmas to taste like. My bells jingled a little after every bite. Mariah take the wheel!!🎄
