their unorthodox approach to food that is bolder than most anything
Houston has to offer. My party of three had the restaurant all to
ourselves during a thursday lunch and we felt like we were being hosted
for a homecooked European meal. Their menu was certainly not for the faint of heart. Rabbit
and beef tongue are just a few exotic items they offer.
possible for three courses to satisfy two people, so I opted to go for
the full set, while my companions shared two appetizers and an entree.
Starters: I ordered the Welsh Rarebit while my companions shared the French Fish Soup with Rouille and Croutons and the Chicken Onion
melted cheese and various other ingredients that is served hot over
toasted bread. The smell of Worchestershire sauce is the first thing I
noticed, and I was very pleased that the cheddar did well at
neutralizing the sharp, pungent flavor of the sauce. It was not too
overpowering and finished with a slight tang. I enjoyed this
appetizer. Upon additional research on this dish, I discovered there
are alternative preparation methods and I’d be curious to taste one
with some ale or Guiness thrown into the spread.
advised us of how this dish is traditionally served: you place the
rouille on the crouton, let that float on the soup, and in his words,
“savor the fishy goodness” My companion commented that the fish
concentration of the soup reminded her of the Thai dish, Gang Som, but
the flavor is completely different from the sour Thai variant. This
soup had a wide array of herbs which gave it an earthy flavor with a
slight hint of spice.
The Chicken Onion was a pretty simple
dish. Some chicken skin with a little bit of meat on top of some sweet
red onion. The skin was crispy with a little bit of char, and had just
the right amount of grease, which unfortunately, changed the sweetness
of the red onion.
Mains: I ordered the Pan Fried Amberjack with Zesty Mashed
Potatoes and Kale, while my companions shared the Crispy Roasted Pork
Belly with Potato Cake and Red Cabbage with Apples.
The amberjack looked more like a steak to me, but as I tore into
the fish, it tasted quite similar to tuna. The fish was slightly tart
and worked well with the lemony zest of the mashed potatoes. Overall,
the fish was much larger than I expected and it was quite a challenge
to finish. Bitter kale seems like something you either love or hate and
I wasn’t a fan at all. I couldn’t touch it after two bites.
The
pork
belly was like lechon that could stand alone without sauce, and was executed extremely well. After
penetrating the crispy skin, the thick meat inside is tender and
the fat is juicy but not overpoweringly greasy.Just like the other
entree, the pork belly was quite massive and polishing it off required
a combined effort. I was more than happy to assist in the defeating the
pork belly and didn’t think about trying the sides that came.
My dessert
was an apple, plum, and pear tart.
This portion was actually pretty small, but it made sense considering
the quantity of the rest of the courses. The fruits tasted very fresh
and balanced sweet and sour without being overwhelmingly tart.
You updated! :OAnd wow, everything sounds so unique. I'd eat these, though, especially the pork belly. Lol
haha, i'm just now reading this. nice post! and written so descriptively in a way i don't think i ever could. i guess i should send you the pictures from our 2nd visit, so you can post it before you forget how it tasted. =]
Try the pork belly cubes at Catalan if you haven’t already done so — cubes of pork belly braised in Steen’s Ribbon Cane syrup and braised until they’re falling apart tender. Speared with sugar cane ‘toothpicks’. YUMMY!