A restaurant like PM 24 deserves a hot date! And my Friday night date was the delightful Miss. Stefanie.
We could only get a table for 6:30pm so opted for an early dinner. Naturally a hot date meant getting dressed for the occasion and we enjoyed being frocked up and celebrating a Friday evening.
PM 24 has a French bistro kind of feel with the wooden chairs with the round seats. There's an open kitchen and we'd managed to snag what I thought was a great table in the far back corner so we could sit at an angle to each other and both look out and view the dining hall. Also it's a good place to come perhaps in a three or five as there are a number of round tables. I am a fan of the round table.
Our waitress was very friendly. There was another waitress that helped out but either it was her first night or she wasn't very good as she seemed to get confused a lot and there were small hiccups such as a delayed drink, coming to take dishes away only to put them back down again and run off and hovering around the table with one of the dishes not sure what to do with it and then disappearing with it only to bring it back again. Anyway hiccups make life interesting or so they say...Anyway in the hands of our capable waitress we ordered our first cocktails and browsed the menu.
The cocktails were delicious - I'd started of with a passionfruit and mango one and Stef went for a raspberry cosmo. Perfect to kick off a Friday evening. We decided to go with the degustation to try everything but changed the roast chicken to lamb because we both felt roast chicken was too boring!
We could only get a table for 6:30pm so opted for an early dinner. Naturally a hot date meant getting dressed for the occasion and we enjoyed being frocked up and celebrating a Friday evening.
PM 24 has a French bistro kind of feel with the wooden chairs with the round seats. There's an open kitchen and we'd managed to snag what I thought was a great table in the far back corner so we could sit at an angle to each other and both look out and view the dining hall. Also it's a good place to come perhaps in a three or five as there are a number of round tables. I am a fan of the round table.
Our waitress was very friendly. There was another waitress that helped out but either it was her first night or she wasn't very good as she seemed to get confused a lot and there were small hiccups such as a delayed drink, coming to take dishes away only to put them back down again and run off and hovering around the table with one of the dishes not sure what to do with it and then disappearing with it only to bring it back again. Anyway hiccups make life interesting or so they say...Anyway in the hands of our capable waitress we ordered our first cocktails and browsed the menu.
The cocktails were delicious - I'd started of with a passionfruit and mango one and Stef went for a raspberry cosmo. Perfect to kick off a Friday evening. We decided to go with the degustation to try everything but changed the roast chicken to lamb because we both felt roast chicken was too boring!
First came two glass bowls of the soup du jour and on this day it was a tomato gazpacho with the most amazing little crumbs of crouton. Cold and refreshing it had the right flavour balances of sweet and tangy tomato without being overly sweet or sharp which can happen with a tomato soup. Thumbs up!
Also have to mention the delicious crusty bread rolls served warm and the most decadent French butter. Bread and butter so simple yet so worthy of a mention.
Also have to mention the delicious crusty bread rolls served warm and the most decadent French butter. Bread and butter so simple yet so worthy of a mention.
Next we enjoyed the Ceas Spanner Crab which came in a bolognese sauce, fresh cappelini pasta and basil with a shellfish foam. The savoury bolognese sauce tasted great with the sweet crab. I'm used to light crab dishes so it was refreshing to sample a heavier take on crab and learn that it can indeed stand up to a meaty bolognese style sauce.
Apparently the degustation menu is about sharing so we would have to split the dish and plate it up ourselves.
The dégustation charcuterie was the PM 24 selection of cured meats, pain de campagne, pickled vegetables, a slab of terrine and roasted beetroot and Meredith handmade goat curd salad. This type of picnic food was a great compliment to our chit chat which was going at full chortle so ideal we could just graze as and when we took breath! The terrine for me could have done with a touch more seasoning but other than that no real complaints.
Apparently the degustation menu is about sharing so we would have to split the dish and plate it up ourselves.
The dégustation charcuterie was the PM 24 selection of cured meats, pain de campagne, pickled vegetables, a slab of terrine and roasted beetroot and Meredith handmade goat curd salad. This type of picnic food was a great compliment to our chit chat which was going at full chortle so ideal we could just graze as and when we took breath! The terrine for me could have done with a touch more seasoning but other than that no real complaints.
The fish dish as Harpuka fillet with
Bouillabaisse fumet, seafood ragout. The fish came with with a dark crust that shattered beneath the slightest of pressure. The seafood ragout was tasty but the fish itself was a bit bland and we couldn't quite figure out the crust. I enjoyed the crust - kind of vanilla ish but Stef thought it was too weird. The fish itself was dense and meaty and touch dry.
Now for the palate cleanser which was a short glass of mint sorbet. This to me was weird and I didn't really enjoy it. Kinda fruity with a strong mint flavour. Nope...next please!
So we'd changed the Organic Milawa chickent with rosemary and preserved lemon, sautéed potato to the rotisserie of the day which was leg of lamb and it came with mashed potato and atop some green beans. We'd ummed and aahed between leg of lamb and rack of lamb.
Lucky us in that the leg of lamb came with a cutlet each so in a way we got rack and leg. The lamb was beautifully flavoured and tender. The leg meat wasn't quite what I was expecting as it had been described as almost braised but this was definitely roast meat. Not that it mattered as it tasted good. I felt the sides of mashed potato were a touch on the small size as the meat to carb ratio was heavily towards meat.
Lucky us in that the leg of lamb came with a cutlet each so in a way we got rack and leg. The lamb was beautifully flavoured and tender. The leg meat wasn't quite what I was expecting as it had been described as almost braised but this was definitely roast meat. Not that it mattered as it tasted good. I felt the sides of mashed potato were a touch on the small size as the meat to carb ratio was heavily towards meat.
Dessert on the degustation menu is either a shared choice of three but if the crepes are ordered it's a choice of two. We went for the French Crepes a la Minute, lemon curd, raspberry, caramel suzette and the chocolate and caramel tart with a passionfruit cream.
The crepes was divine and I loved the tangy lemon card and sharp berry flavours. I think it would have been nicer with a sweeter cream or ice cream than the berry sorbet. The tart was heavy and sweet and very full on and again I didn't feel the passionfruit cream was pleasant with it. It may have worked better if the berry sorbet and passionfruit cream were switched. I think the sorbet would have cut through the chocolate tart better and berries and chocolate are a great combo and the sweet passionfruit cream would have gone well with the crepes. That or vanilla ice cream with both!
In spite of some hit and miss I did really enjoy the food here. I guess I'm a sucker for French flavours and roast meat! Slightly reminscent of Bistro Vue but with a wider menu it's a good place to bring people because there is something for everyone. With the several cocktails and a glass of wine I had and some pretty decent food I thought it was priced at an acceptable level. One to bear in mind for when the parents visit.
The crepes was divine and I loved the tangy lemon card and sharp berry flavours. I think it would have been nicer with a sweeter cream or ice cream than the berry sorbet. The tart was heavy and sweet and very full on and again I didn't feel the passionfruit cream was pleasant with it. It may have worked better if the berry sorbet and passionfruit cream were switched. I think the sorbet would have cut through the chocolate tart better and berries and chocolate are a great combo and the sweet passionfruit cream would have gone well with the crepes. That or vanilla ice cream with both!
In spite of some hit and miss I did really enjoy the food here. I guess I'm a sucker for French flavours and roast meat! Slightly reminscent of Bistro Vue but with a wider menu it's a good place to bring people because there is something for everyone. With the several cocktails and a glass of wine I had and some pretty decent food I thought it was priced at an acceptable level. One to bear in mind for when the parents visit.
RSS Feed
