I know I'd be in for a treat when Simon, my very own MasterChef told me he's going to prepare a 6 course degustation menu for Valentine's.
But calling him a chef is perhaps somewhat a misnomer.
He is more of an artist, the plate his canvas and carrots and potatoes his crayons.
You never know what you're going to get when you're dining at Chef Simon's table.
Not that they were asleep in the first place, but boy did they they wake up with the fiery hot salami served.
Just for context, I grew up eating Szechuan food and breathing chilli and they were still a challenge for me to finish.
more haunting than Doctor Tj Eckleburg's glasses in gatsby
I washed it down with the lovely glass of Rosé paired. I don't usually drink, but I know I might need more than a healthy dose of alcohol to survive this meal.
In case you were wondering where the missing bits of salami eye socket went, Simon ate it.
As you can probably tell from its name, it's inspired by the David statue by Michelangelo and is quite a masterpiece in itself.
somebody call MOMA please! David's balls seem disproportionately large...
'Very romantic baby,' I said, mouth full with David's cheesy balls.
To his credit, David's balls are actually pretty delicious. They're rich and creamy, with a refreshing hint of olive that does not overwhelm.
The trick in this dish lies in its seasoning, Simon's oven baked flake and potato fries are served with two gentle mountains of salt.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it's a biblical reference to Lot's wife and a gentle nod to the consequence of not listening to one's husband, but then remembered with relief that Simon is not a practising Christian.
Balsmic vinegar and olive oil are carefully poured into the salt heaps to resemble the colourful pools of Huang Long (黄龙), where we had vacationed earlier this year with his parents.
The liquids formed two shallow crator pools for a second, before the salt heap became soggy from the liquid and flattened into a sad puddle.
Huang Long pools - Simon's inspiration for the dish
Chef Simon is somewhat disappointed with the presentation.
'I'm a terrible chef', he mourned, in a fleeting moment of sobering self-reflection.
'You're brilliant!', I beamed.
So we jumped straight into the desserts.
For the desserts, Simon chose a more straightforward what-you-see-is-what-you-get concrete-literal style of 'cooking'.
Mango and Kiwi Cubes
The sweetness of the freshly ripe mango perfectly complement the acidity of the kiwi.
'The cutting is very neat', I offered him a compliment.
Triple Flavored Ice-cream
'It's just a cup of ice cream with three flavors', the Chef seemed reluctant to elaborate further on this dish.
'Did you pick out the ice cream from three different tubes or did you just buy a cartoon of ice cream with three different flavors ?' I asked
The chef is not pleased with my questioning.
He asked me to stop asking questions and eat my ice cream.
(I checked in the freezer the next day and confirmed that it was the latter. The flavors are: chocolate, vanilla and choco mint )
Chocolate and Coffee
Simon presents his Magnum opus: chocolate and coffee
Taking French minimalism to a new extreme, this dish comprises of a single piece of chocolate centered on a massive square plate and a cup of instant coffee.
It's simple yet effective, an understated but perfect finishing note to the evening's exciting menu of enlightened modern Greek/Aussie fusion.
It was so good that I had to help myself to a second, even third piece of chocolate from the fridge myself.
Three cheers to the chef for pulling off such a daring yet delicious degustation. I can't wait to return next year !
Simon: Give me my Chef Hat already !
He is more of an artist, the plate his canvas and carrots and potatoes his crayons.
You never know what you're going to get when you're dining at Chef Simon's table.
Aperitif: Antipasto with Rosé
'This is meant to awaken the tastebud,' says the Chef as he presents a plate of olives, salami and bread carefully arranged to resemble an Angry Bird.Not that they were asleep in the first place, but boy did they they wake up with the fiery hot salami served.
Just for context, I grew up eating Szechuan food and breathing chilli and they were still a challenge for me to finish.
I washed it down with the lovely glass of Rosé paired. I don't usually drink, but I know I might need more than a healthy dose of alcohol to survive this meal.
In case you were wondering where the missing bits of salami eye socket went, Simon ate it.
Appetizer: David's Balls
For appetiser, Simon served up his own version of the classic Greek salad, deconstructed and condensed to 'challenge' my tastebuds.As you can probably tell from its name, it's inspired by the David statue by Michelangelo and is quite a masterpiece in itself.
'Very romantic baby,' I said, mouth full with David's cheesy balls.
To his credit, David's balls are actually pretty delicious. They're rich and creamy, with a refreshing hint of olive that does not overwhelm.
Main: Friday Night Fish and Chips
If you think this is just a plain old boring Aussie Fish and Chips, you're mistaken.The trick in this dish lies in its seasoning, Simon's oven baked flake and potato fries are served with two gentle mountains of salt.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it's a biblical reference to Lot's wife and a gentle nod to the consequence of not listening to one's husband, but then remembered with relief that Simon is not a practising Christian.
The liquids formed two shallow crator pools for a second, before the salt heap became soggy from the liquid and flattened into a sad puddle.
Chef Simon is somewhat disappointed with the presentation.
'I'm a terrible chef', he mourned, in a fleeting moment of sobering self-reflection.
'You're brilliant!', I beamed.
Desserts
Simon had originally prepared another main: classic Aussie barbie of rare seared red meat and chicken skewers, but decided to forgo it after the disheartening lukewarm reception of his discerning diner who had requested to skip the second main after failing to finish the first.So we jumped straight into the desserts.
For the desserts, Simon chose a more straightforward what-you-see-is-what-you-get concrete-literal style of 'cooking'.
Mango and Kiwi Cubes
'The cutting is very neat', I offered him a compliment.
Triple Flavored Ice-cream
'Did you pick out the ice cream from three different tubes or did you just buy a cartoon of ice cream with three different flavors ?' I asked
The chef is not pleased with my questioning.
He asked me to stop asking questions and eat my ice cream.
(I checked in the freezer the next day and confirmed that it was the latter. The flavors are: chocolate, vanilla and choco mint )
Chocolate and Coffee
Simon presents his Magnum opus: chocolate and coffee
It's simple yet effective, an understated but perfect finishing note to the evening's exciting menu of enlightened modern Greek/Aussie fusion.
It was so good that I had to help myself to a second, even third piece of chocolate from the fridge myself.
Three cheers to the chef for pulling off such a daring yet delicious degustation. I can't wait to return next year !
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