. In celebration of food and dining experiences .

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Jason's birthday celebration

Chocolate goodness perfect for the occasion

Double Chocolate Cake

I bought the sour cream and M&Ms from Carrefour on Friday afternoon so that I could bake J's birthday cake. I had to tell him a white lie that the M&Ms were for my sister which was kind of believable because my sis adores chocolates and plain M&Ms.

On saturday, I woke up real early to start off baking before J came over to my place. I decided to make a chocolate cake as it's something that he likes. I also wanted to try baking two layer of cake and fill the center with chocolate fudge instead of baking only one layer.

Thankfully, I didn't do anything stupid and the cake turned out pretty well though everyone's comments was that I should have slapped on more chocolate frosting. The sides were a teeny weeny bit overbaked because I was too preoccupied with making the frosting.

As you can probably tell, I'm not the most artistic person when it comes to food decoration. J does it much better! Though the surprise did not turned out as I planned, we still went through the singing of the birthday songs. My sis even attempted a Cantonese rendition of the birthday song.

Slices and slices of cake waiting to be devoured

***

Il Lido dining

We headed to il Lido, at Sentosa Golf Club. I've heard lots about this restaurant- Mainly that it was a restaurant for occasions because it has the perfect romantic ambience.

Tucked away at a far and remote area of Sentosa, it's really quite a pretty place for a quiet dinner for two. I made reservations for the inside dining area because I was not sure how the weather will be and though sitting outdoor may give you a great sea view, I did not want to be out on a humid night or a stormy night.

The restaurant was tastefully done up- modernistic look with a touch of fantasy. Service was immaculate and friendly. The waiter that served us was definitely well-versed in the menu and the food served. I'm quite impressed.

The first dish was the bread- thinly sliced crusty bread with olive oil and herbs. Light, warm and crunchy. I couldn't stop munching on them.

Midsummer's night dream-like candle and the bread served in a basket bowl

I opted for the festive season menu as I couldn't decide what to order. J went for the ala carte. He chose the antipasto platter to start while I had the joy of savouring over two appetisers- crab salad served on a bed of avocado pulp with citrus sauce on the side and the homemade tagliolini pasta with goose liver with poached pear sauce and marsala wine. I loved the appetisers.

The crab salad was really simple. I would not expect them to screw up on this one. This dish is simple and it emphasise on using fresh quality ingredients. It paved the way for the next appetiser- the pasta. When I saw the menu, I was really intrigued how this pasta would taste like. Our waiter told us that it's unique but a perfect match. Upon taking the first bite, I was completely won over. I loved the fresh tagliolini, the al dente pasta and the sauce was pretty mind blowing. The diced foie gras and pears really went very well. I really enjoyed this starter.

J loved his antipasto platter too. It consisted of a variety- parma ham on a bed of rocket leaves, salami, grilled prawns with balsamic vinegar, cheddar cheese etc.

We anticipated our mains. Mine was the beef tenderloin with porcini mushrooms and truffle sauce. It was a big disappointment as both the beef slices and the mushrooms were a little on the salty side. Apart from the overdose of salt, the beef slices were a little plain for my liking. I like it if it come served with sauce of some sorts. I always loved porcini mushrooms plus a pairing with truffle sauce sounds like a perfect match in heaven. However, the two were not that great after all. The mushrooms were not seared enough and there wasn't much truffle taste to talk about, lastly, it was a tad too salty.

J didn't have too much complaints. After weeks of having stews and braised meats, he decided to turn his back on the dark side and ordered beef tenderloin with sweetbreads, asparagus and truffle sauce. He didn't really comment much on his mains but our general consensus was that we still very much prefer our favourite Garibaldi. It's still the best!


Antipasto platter


Blue Swimmer Crab Salad with Avocado and Sicilian Citrus Sauce


Homemade Tagliolini Pasta with Goose Liver, Pears and Marsala Wine

Beef Tenderloin with Porcini Mushrooms and Truffle Sauce

J's main: beef tenderloin with sweetbreads and asparagus topped with truffle sauce

Dolci (or desserts) were coffee bavaroise with chocolate heart and saffron sauce. This dome shaped dessert was filled with coffee flavoured cream with a cold chocolate lava center with coated coffee beans on the side. It was not a bad dessert in itself but a little too rich for me as I was too full by this time.

The other dessert was a triple chocolate mousse( dark, milk and white chocolate) cake with liqueur soaked biscuit base. It was topped with tiny meringues. Much better than the first but overall, I felt that desserts were a tad forgettable.

coffee bavaroise with chocolate heart and saffron sauce


Triple chocolate mousse cake

Even though I felt that the food was not completely satisfying. I think the both of us had an enjoyable evening of chatting both in the restaurant and along the beaches of Sentosa. I do hope that J had a good time and had a great birthday celebration because all I want is for him to be happy.

***

il Lido restaurant
Sentosa Golf Club
Bukit Manis Road
Singapore 099 892
Tel: 6866 1977

link | posted by simin at 4:33 PM |

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