WOAP2015: Muse on Allen
Where? Muse on Allen (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu
When? Saturday August 22, 2015
Who? Juliann, James, Navi, Reuben, Shereen, Sam, Andrew, Julia, Thomas, Astrid, Rob, Jill, My parents
Food Style? European Fine Dining
Muse on Allen won last year's Best Dish award for Wellington on a Plate 2014, with their Textures of Mandarin - a skillful and artistic dessert that tantalised your sense of taste and feel. I had their Wellington on a Plate menu last year, and was quite impressed, so I was back again this year with a big party. This year, they've served a three course meal with two options for each course; I'm greedy and I've partnered with Andrew to cover the whole menu for maximum variety.
Amuse-bouche: Spiced pumpkin soup with toasted pinenuts
Wonderful and warming with some nice richness from the coconut. A great way to start the night.
Entree #1: Kāpiti paddle crab tortellini
With Wairarapa lemon bubbles and crab bisque
This wonderful seafoody aroma wafted down the table when it was first served. It was rich but not as thick as I imagined it to be. I think the champagne was subtle but added some nice acidity. It wasn't to everyone's liking, apparently, but I thought it was nice.
Entree #2: Capital Produce purple cauliflower textures
With Scotty's Meats bacon and thyme
A skillfully executed dish that was reminiscent of their mandarin dish last year. It delivered exactly what it said. Great use of the cauliflower in so many different ways, and the bacon gave the dish some additional texture and flavour. The moral of the story is that bacon goes well with almost anything.
Mains #1: Preston's lamb rump
With lamb shoulder with Parkvale mushroom jus
Nicely cooked, but I would have liked the fat to be rendered a bit more to make it soft. The pea puree worked well and the potato top having more meat on the inside was a nice surprise.
Mains #2: Stephan’s Cook Strait Butterfish
With Te Horo parsnips and red pepper textures
Good buttery flavour with plenty of bite to the fish, and nicely charred on the outside to give it that crispiness. The unexpected winner was the pieces of sweet and intensely-flavoured capsicum that really brought some life and freshness to the dish.
Dessert #1: Ōtaki Carrot Cake My Way
A deconstructed carrot cake with none of the textures that you would expect. Full of delicate flavours that worked very well together. I think this was the stronger dessert of the two.
Dessert #2: Capital Produce poached pear, almond and raisin crumble
With Whittaker's White Chocolate sorbet
Would have been nicer with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg to spice the pear. It could have used a bit more poaching too. The crumb wasn't too bad either.
Cocktail: Espresso Martini with Dessert Donut Burger
L'afarre espresso martini, vodka, butterscotch and Whittaker's chocolate snow. Accompanied by Dessert Donut Burger: Clareville Bakery doughnut bun with Whittaker's chocolate marquise, rhubarb jelly and housemade Zany Zeus custard.
Extremely clever use of the ingredients to create a dessert that looks exactly like a burger. Masterfully executed. Cocktail on the other hand... should have had it before the dessert. >_>
A few of us had ordered some sides as well - last year's brussel sprouts with bacon were quite memorable so Thomas and Astrid were keen to get those again. Unfortunately, the sprouts were inconsistently cooked, some being completely raw and inedible. It felt like a few things had been rushed to cater for so many people, and those at the other end of the table had quite a bad experience with their food. Furthermore, their unpreparedness showed further when they tried to charge us for an extra meal, exacerbating what was a rather disappointing night. Their menu was definitely stronger last year, and the whole payment debacle left quite a bitter taste in my mouth.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:48am on Monday August 31, 2015 :: 0 comments :: 