Tate Dining Room & Bar

Delicate food, the taste is amazing with combination of French and Asian. You do not feel them in the plate separately, and they are actually melted together. The serving is wonderful, waiters are professional at the dishes, and pretty nice atmosphere. Cocktails are unique and good.

I had my birthday dinner at the 1* Michelin Tate Dining Room & Bar where the chef Vicky Lau has been crowned Veuve Clicquot’s Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015 by the same committee which selects Asia’a 50 Best Restaurants! Known for her edible stories of French-​Asian cuisine, two Winter menus are offered at the moment with the Sensualist Menu 6 courses starting at $ 980 and the Gastronomy Menu 8 courses at $ 1280. My first impression of the restaurant was that it was pretty intimate with only 26 seats while the décor was soft, elegant and romantic which was perfect for celebrations or a special night out.
True to the chef’s background as a graphic designer/​artist, our amuse bouche of smoked eel and negi arrived in style on a piece of wood suspended in air from a golden cage!
«BONITO» with marinated katsuo /​bonito dashi geleé /​daikon roll /​datterino tomato confit.
«FOIE GRAS TERRINE» with duck foie gras terrine /​spices & curry tuile /​pommery mustard ice cream /​blueberry sauce.
Only available on the Gastronomy menu, this dish alone was well worth the upgrade with its ingenious use of mustard ice cream to balance the richness of the foie gras terrine.
«THE SEA» with black truffle scallop espuma /​taraba crab meat /​yuzu gelée /​marinated jelly fish /​osetra schrencki caviar /​rice paper.
The gorgeous colorful rice paper was truly a piece of edible art.
Wine Pairing: Weingut Knoll, Riesling Federspiel, Wachau Austria 2012
«WREATH» with lightly poached oyster /​chinese licorice root oxtail consummè /​kimchi pickled daikon /​sweetcorn kernels /​braised wagyu beef tongue slice.
Another very impressive dish as I never knew that oyster and beef can go together so well like this.
«LOBSTER» with Maine lobster /​barley /​sweetcorn purée /​tonka bean /​lobster sauce /​baby fennel.
I found the lobster a bit dry here while it could also be less cooked which would have been perfect.
«WILD BOAR TART» with jerusalem artichoke velouté /​pork belly slice /​wild boar ragout /​black pepper tart shell.
I have to say that I love the chef’s use of sauce in every dish and the artichoke velouté was exceptional.
«KAGOSHIMA BEEF» with A4 kagoshima beef sirloin /​fig & port compote /​white onion purée /​roasted red pepper purée /​red wine beef jus.
Perfect buttery beef that just melts in your mouth and it’s not even A5 yet.
«EXOTIC» with mango mousse /​banana bread pudding /​passion fruit gelée /​shiso coconut sorbet.
I love mango mousse and this is one of the best that I’ve had in a while with its rich and thick textures and flavors.
«ZEN GARDEN» with matcha opera cake, dark chocolat with coconut ganache, passion fruit marshmallow and jasmine macaron.
This has got the be the cutest dessert ever complete with a tiny wooden rake for you to get your zen on with this edible zen garden.
Verdict — a well-​deserved accolade for the chef at Tate with her gorgeous presentations, creative dishes and well-​balanced flavors. I can’t wait to come back and try her new creations in Spring.