The seal claps still

We were graced by another visit from the King, who is in town for a few days for an event.  A few of us were around to catch up with him, and guess who got to pick the restaurant?  Well... I was trying to pick something interesting without a lengthy tasting menu, since there would only be three or four of us - which pretty much ruled out Chinese.  I was already visiting two of my favorite restaurants earlier in the week, so I was forced to pick something else.

As the King was staying in Wanchai, the idea of revisiting Serge et le Phoque popped into my head.  I had heard that these guys were gonna close up shop, which was surprising given that they had just gotten themselves a coveted macaron back in November, but hey... what the hell do I know?  It's no secret that lots of restaurants in town were having a hard time, what with ever rising rents and other costs.

So I was kinda surprised when someone actually picked up the phone when I called.  The person on the line was equally surprised, upon hearing me inquire whether they were closing.  Well, I guess that means they ain't going nowhere...

I do have to say, though, that I was remiss in not giving out instructions on getting there to the others.  I was the only one who had visited the restaurant before, and the others all had some trouble finding the rather non-descript space, walking back and forth on the street a few times before suddenly seeing the small neon letters above the door.

The gang even left it up to me to decide whether we would order à la carte or take the chef's menu.  As much as I was tempted to cherry pick exactly what I wanted to eat - and be able to take the dry-aged Galician cote de boeuf - in the end I chickened out and went back to the chef's menu.

Our amuse bouche was half a cherry sitting in a bowl of cherry juice.  The acidity certainly helped whet our appetites, and the toasted buckwheat was a real nice touch.

Buchot mussels: with karashi miso - pretty decent, with a slight kick.


Tapioca: deep fried with Comté cheese and harissa - honestly didn't taste too much of the Comté, although the harissa dip on the side gave things a little kick.

Ylellow tail: cevich, avocado, raspberry - the yellowtail was pretty good, and this being a ceviche and all, it wasn't surprising that the acidity was pretty high.  I guess the raspberry was meant to deliver some sweetness to balance out the acidity, while the avocado would add a little creamy smoothness in the mouth.  Interesting addition, though, of the red onion and celery leaves.

Scallops: pan fried with Cantabria anchovies and yuzu kosho - a dish I remember well from my last visit.  The scallops were nicely done, and the salty flavors came primarily from the Cantabrian anchovy fillet.  The deep-fried garlic leek roots were delicious, and there was some additional umami coming from wafers of shiitake (椎茸) mushrooms.  While the dish was delicious as is, dabbing a little of the yuzukosho (柚子胡椒) on the side of the plate got the tastebuds dancing (and flaming) a little...

Red Mullet: with octopus, squid ink - pretty decent, although I found the octopus (both tentacle as well as the head) to be a lot more interesting than the mullet itself.  The squid ink with smoked garlic on the side added a slightly heavier and more interesting touch.

Cabbage: grilled with beurre noisette - I thought I tasted a slight hint of cumin.  In any case, a generous serving of green veg was much appreciated.

Charlotte potatoes: crushed with salted butter - this was very, very yummy.  If I weren't on a diet, I would have asked for another plate.

Lamb: milk fed from Pyrenees with cauliflower and potatoes - the lamb was absolutely delicious - especially the chop.  I would have gladly taken another two of those...

I decided to go for dessert instead of cheese, and ended up with ones I have already tasted on previous visits.

Lemon cream: with capsicum jelly - always thought the use of capsicum here was interesting.

Dacquoise: almond biscuit, vanilla cream and nougatine - always a crowd favorite, and the chilled vanilla cream was very nice.

Chocolate: tart with umeboshi salt - another crowd favorite.  Can't fault them on this, and the salted plum salt always adds an interesting twist.

I brought a bottle of red, and we decided to order a bottle off the list from a winery that I've been wanting to try for a long time.  This meant the corkage was waived on the bottle I brought.

2013 Gauby Côtes Catalanes Blanc Vieilles Vignes - very cloudy due to extended skin contact and non-filtration.  Initially it smelled like cider and a little pear.  Ripe on the nose and a little honey, but also has a little pungent side to it... a little jarring and elements not integrating well.  Pretty short finish.

2004 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - opened for 1½ hours prior to serving.  Very fragrant nose with nice fruit, very sweet.  After 2 hours the sweetness in the nose intensified even further, but the palate deteriorated and was no longer pleasant.

It was good to see my old friends again, and I am glad that Serge et le Phoque is still around.  Perhaps I should think about going a little more frequently than once a year...