I'm beginning not to trust Tripadvisor for food reviews anymore...not that La Cuisine was over the top bad but with raving reviews and having an experience that went the other way was absolutely baffling. It was a choice between La Cuisine and La Camargue but since the latter screwed my reservation for me - First confirming then rejecting me (2 days before my visit!) after they received a private booking for 80 guests...that says alot does it not? Bobby Chinn's stardust can only shimmer and shine for so long...I was bent on not heading back after being snubbed - gently or not.
We did a random phone reservation and there we were at the doorsteps promptly for our 7pm reservation. Nested in an area that seemed cosy with shophouses of various concepts and risque names like Kitty Kitty...I was in for a treat when I realised we had stumbled upon the red light district! Sounds wrong being so excited about the red light district but I've always made a point to visit it...to see how things are different and well, things are not very different. Ladies clad in the skimpiest or the flowiest of dresses sitting in rows and a clucking mamasan on the phone or with a stern eye watching over her chicks. (Pardon the pun!) I wish I could snap some of the action but I feared being clawed alive. Just to sidetrack..La Cuisine's just doors away from Hoi An..yet another place I wanted to try but could not. I found it odd that La Cuisine would be located in such a district..and truth be told, it did stick out like a sore thumb...supposedly fine french dining.
First up, the phone reservation obviously went awry when the waitress gave me the most pained quizzical look when I told her about my reservation. She insisted it was by another hotel and I had to find a table to seat myself in...golly!
Neatly folded napkins.
Evian Medium (100,000 VND)
"Sparkling or still?"
"Warm water please."
"Oh...sparkling or still?"
I reckon the debate could go back and forth till the kingdom came but she had enough logic to realise sparkling water hardly comes warm. The amusement barely ended there when she returned with a warm bottle of Evian. Ask me not how they achieve that...but for the FIRST time, I had WARM Evian water!
The partner found a winged intruder in the glass and all the waitress did was stare really hard and moved off with the glass..only to return with another. For 100,000 VND (SGD 6.25), I could really get another dessert but for all the amusement provided..it has to be one of the most enterataining bottles of water ever drunk!
Complimentary baguette was served with salted butter. I still enjoy the therapeutic cracking of bread crusts very much and this, was melodious. If only the butter could match up with the awesome crusty bread, it would have been awesome but somehow the forced marriage did not work out. At least they bothered with refills without being prompted.
Tiger Shrimp (430,000 VND)
Gorgeous display of four succulent seared prawns with a delightful drizzle of sauce and peppers. Yet that was it, nothing too spectacular.
Duck Confit (340,000 VND)
Nowhere near crispy skin this was...neither was the meat tender. More braised than not, I did not think too highly of this.
Tarte Tartin (155,000 VND)
The only item that was from the Chef's signature..and I was keeping my fingers, toes and eyelashes crossed it would be more than fine. The display so far had been less than spectacular. When it arrived with a shooter of whipped cream, I heard the heart plummet yet another few notches. Silently I cursed "It's not even vanilla bean icecream!".
Judge not, seriously..for this proved to be one of the most amazing tarte tartins EVER. Curtis Stone's, L'Angelus and then La Cuisine's...apple tarts should never ever ever be classified in the same category as apple pie. EVER. The immense delicate layers of pastry were so crispy, a slight prod would cause a chain effect of crunching sounds...I sound like I'm pimping it but it was really so darn good. Moderately sweet caramelised halved apples cooked to such tendency, it was a delicate inbetween crunchy and mushy...paired with mildly sweetened cream, it was heaven on earth.
The one and only million dollar dong meal of the trip ended off on a brilliant note...thankfully! It was an unintrusive meal simply because there was no other table except ours and perhaps the waitress had issues trying to understand my accent. On hindsight, I should have just gone for all the Chef's reccomendations. I enjoyed the bread and tarte tartin though! I suppose the disappointment stems from the very fact that HCM used to be under the French colonial rule and I was expecting a french affair so unforgettable...which would triumph the local french establishments back in Singapore. That being said, it did fall short of expectations in more ways than one.
La Cuisine
28B Ngo Van Nam, District 1
Ho Chi Minh
We did a random phone reservation and there we were at the doorsteps promptly for our 7pm reservation. Nested in an area that seemed cosy with shophouses of various concepts and risque names like Kitty Kitty...I was in for a treat when I realised we had stumbled upon the red light district! Sounds wrong being so excited about the red light district but I've always made a point to visit it...to see how things are different and well, things are not very different. Ladies clad in the skimpiest or the flowiest of dresses sitting in rows and a clucking mamasan on the phone or with a stern eye watching over her chicks. (Pardon the pun!) I wish I could snap some of the action but I feared being clawed alive. Just to sidetrack..La Cuisine's just doors away from Hoi An..yet another place I wanted to try but could not. I found it odd that La Cuisine would be located in such a district..and truth be told, it did stick out like a sore thumb...supposedly fine french dining.
First up, the phone reservation obviously went awry when the waitress gave me the most pained quizzical look when I told her about my reservation. She insisted it was by another hotel and I had to find a table to seat myself in...golly!
Neatly folded napkins.
Evian Medium (100,000 VND)
"Sparkling or still?"
"Warm water please."
"Oh...sparkling or still?"
I reckon the debate could go back and forth till the kingdom came but she had enough logic to realise sparkling water hardly comes warm. The amusement barely ended there when she returned with a warm bottle of Evian. Ask me not how they achieve that...but for the FIRST time, I had WARM Evian water!
The partner found a winged intruder in the glass and all the waitress did was stare really hard and moved off with the glass..only to return with another. For 100,000 VND (SGD 6.25), I could really get another dessert but for all the amusement provided..it has to be one of the most enterataining bottles of water ever drunk!
Complimentary baguette was served with salted butter. I still enjoy the therapeutic cracking of bread crusts very much and this, was melodious. If only the butter could match up with the awesome crusty bread, it would have been awesome but somehow the forced marriage did not work out. At least they bothered with refills without being prompted.
Tiger Shrimp (430,000 VND)
Gorgeous display of four succulent seared prawns with a delightful drizzle of sauce and peppers. Yet that was it, nothing too spectacular.
Duck Confit (340,000 VND)
Nowhere near crispy skin this was...neither was the meat tender. More braised than not, I did not think too highly of this.
Tarte Tartin (155,000 VND)
The only item that was from the Chef's signature..and I was keeping my fingers, toes and eyelashes crossed it would be more than fine. The display so far had been less than spectacular. When it arrived with a shooter of whipped cream, I heard the heart plummet yet another few notches. Silently I cursed "It's not even vanilla bean icecream!".
Judge not, seriously..for this proved to be one of the most amazing tarte tartins EVER. Curtis Stone's, L'Angelus and then La Cuisine's...apple tarts should never ever ever be classified in the same category as apple pie. EVER. The immense delicate layers of pastry were so crispy, a slight prod would cause a chain effect of crunching sounds...I sound like I'm pimping it but it was really so darn good. Moderately sweet caramelised halved apples cooked to such tendency, it was a delicate inbetween crunchy and mushy...paired with mildly sweetened cream, it was heaven on earth.
The one and only million dollar dong meal of the trip ended off on a brilliant note...thankfully! It was an unintrusive meal simply because there was no other table except ours and perhaps the waitress had issues trying to understand my accent. On hindsight, I should have just gone for all the Chef's reccomendations. I enjoyed the bread and tarte tartin though! I suppose the disappointment stems from the very fact that HCM used to be under the French colonial rule and I was expecting a french affair so unforgettable...which would triumph the local french establishments back in Singapore. That being said, it did fall short of expectations in more ways than one.
La Cuisine
28B Ngo Van Nam, District 1
Ho Chi Minh
Before Bakerzin started serving free ice/hot water, I always ask them to boil the Evian. Dumb but they always oblige. Afterall, I'm paying $1.80 for that small bottle of Evian.
ReplyDeletelike seriously?! boil evian! of course they'd oblige...haha.
ReplyDeleteI just came back from La Cuisine... It's still bad... they no longer have the tarte on the menu....
ReplyDelete@calvinlim: sigh, oh dear...without the amazing tart! It was the most memorable! Bad decision by the kitchen.
ReplyDelete