Waqu – Autumn 2009 menu

Wednesday, 13 May 09

Ah, Waqu… Tim had put his foot down and insisted, to my dismay, that we weren’t going until after all my assignments are due, i.e. the end of May. So I definitely need to thank visiting friend L for suggesting we go while she is in town! =D

5 Course menu for $55

After being absolutely wowed on our first visit, and having cast a critical eye over the autumn menu the moment it came out, we came with open minds, but a lingering disappointment that some of our favourite dishes, in particular, the sashimi course from last time, would not be present. That didn’t detract from the experience though, as we found a few gems to soothe the pain on missing out on plum wine jelly.

Amuse: Sweet potato soup, beetroot puree

The advantages of going to a place like Waqu or Rise where they have fixed menus is that the food tends to come out very quickly, which is a good thing if you’re hungry. We took a sip of this, and immediately put it down to savour in small portions. Taken like a shot, the soup wasn’t warm, but sweet and pure in taste. The beetroot added a touch of earthiness and vibrant colour.

Amuse: Fresh tofu, sweet miso and soy flavoured ground beef, ‘renkon’ chips

I was particularly enamoured with the lotus chips, not tending to be a fan of the fresh version. Its crispiness contrasted with the silky tofu and unami laden ground beef. A nice little bite. 

Amuse: Spicy soft shell crab taco

I felt a little disappointed, compared to last time. Perhaps memory had talked it up far too much in our minds, but somehow this time, it was less spicy and flavoursome. The combination of textures was still amazing, but it felt like the mayo overpowered the other flavours. Still, being fans of soft shell crab, we devoured, picking them up dutifully with our hands.

Amuse: Crystal bay prawn, persimmon, chorizo, cauliflower puree and tomato essence

I didn’t quite get this one. Simple, and an intriguing combination, but I didn’t quite realise the chef’s aim. The sauce was quite mild, hiding behind the flavours of the chorizo and persimmon. Tim swears he got a melon, and the menu says it is supposed to be peach.

Sashimi: Ocean trout tartare, wasabi cream sauce

This was probably my favourite course out of all the dishes I tried. The ocean trout was silky and rich in flavour (possibly my favourite type of sashimi now) and topped a mound of mashed potatoes. The wasabi cream was mild enough for even people who can’t take wasabi, the cream mellowing out that shoot-up-your-nose feeling, and leaving the sharply refreshing flavour. And anything with salmon roe in it tends to win me over.

Entree 1: Lightly fried ground calamari cake, abalone and squid ink risotto

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Even though we collectively tried everything on the menu, I didn’t get to try this entree. It looked stunning though, the blackness of the squid ink adds such mystery to the dish!

Entree 2: Salt baked barramundi fillet, asparagus and tomato tempura, grated ‘daikon’ soy sauce

This was my choice of entree, though it was more to try take photos of everything. The barramundi was nicely cooked, not too salty, and I liked how the tomato tempura practically exploded at any attempt to pick it up. Daikon isn’t really my favourite though, and the soy sauce probably was a little too simple to elevate the dish. Apologies for this photo and the next – it seems my camera really doesn’t like low lighting, and it seems to be sheer luck when I get a good photo, rather than skill these days. Time to upgrade.

Entree 3: ‘Panko’ and herb crusted rack of lamb, dry miso, ‘tamari’ garlic sauce

Tim’s lamb was pretty good. I liked the ‘panko’ crust, though the lamb was too cooked for my liking (there’s an ongoing joke that my friends and I like our red meats still running – this was most definitely a medium-well!) I was particularly curious about the red strands topping the dish. Too long for saffron, but what are they, I wonder?

Main 1: Beef tenderloin steak, red wine sauce, ‘satoimo’ potato, baby carrot, ‘eringi’ mushroom

A last minute change of mind brought steak to my table rather than snapper. I loved the potato – reminiscent of the korean banchan, soy sauce marinated potatoes. Following the amazing wagyu at Satsuma though, this steak could not hope to live up to the previous night’s, though the red wine sauce complimented it well.

Main 2: Roasted quail, ‘yuzu’ butter sauce, hoba leaf, ‘satsuma’ potato

Main 3: Slow cooked snapper fillet, sweet corn foam, zucchini and leek ribbons

I was regretting my choice when H and L’s mains were brought out though – look at the presentation! Unfortunately again, no taste for me. H reported that the yuzu, having drawn her attention in the description, was not as pronounced as she had hoped, but otherwise looked like she was enjoying it. L loved the freshly ‘exploded’ look of her dish (I spy pomegranate axils!), and found the snapper nice and sweet, if slightly overcooked, requiring cutting rather than folding away at the touch of her fork.

Desserts: Vanilla icecream, chocolate cake, green tea creme caramel

A trio of desserts greeted us to round off the meal. Particularly striking was the green tea creme caramel – not being a sencha fan, I was cautious, but the sweetness of the caramel and silky texture of the custard made this intensely enjoyable, reminding us of grass jelly with its mixture of bitterness and sweet.

On another note, Waqu is now also open for lunch on Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm to 2.30pm. Visit soon, and receive a complimentary glass of wine with your lunch! (offer ends 29th May 2009).

Ironically, Tim’s prohibition on my visiting Waqu until the end of May would have brought us to the end of the Autumn menu season (ends 31st May). Oh well, I guess he’ll have to treat me to the winter menu, right?

7 Comments

1. The food looks very nicely presented! I should give this place a try one night as it’s pretty close by! Great pics :)

   Comment by Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella — May 13, 2009 @ 10:23 pm

2. Mmmm must go Waqu again! Loved my first visit even when the food was a bit slow sometimes :) the taco ommmggggg but pity it wasn’t as good as last time :(

   Comment by FFichiban — May 14, 2009 @ 12:46 am

3. hi christina,
   silent reader,
   but a friend of mine and i have decided to check it out :)
   thank youu

   Comment by mell — May 14, 2009 @ 9:37 pm

4. What a coincidence that we had the same menu. The highlights for me were the soft shell crab taco, the ocean trout tartare (perfect amount of wasabi; pity the cream sauce was sweet (?) and I didn’t like the cold mashed potato underneath), and the green tea creme caramel (although I wish it had been unmoulded, because isn’t that the point of a creme caramel?). Funny, I noticed you got cherry sauce on your ice-cream despite the fact it states lychee on your menu, while it was the other way round for us! The squid ink risotto unfortunately looked better than it tasted.

   Comment by Y — May 17, 2009 @ 8:38 am

5. your pictures are great! all the food looks incredibly good! mm… i love lotus chips :) The price is pretty good too.

   Comment by Betty — May 18, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

6. Nice photos and the food looks pretty tasty. I still haven’t made it here yet. It’s on a very long “to eat at” list..

   Comment by Forager — May 25, 2009 @ 4:24 pm

7. awesum pics!
   i wasnt a fan of the corn foam that didnt feel like eating it …

   Comment by betty — June 18, 2009 @ 6:05 pm

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