Why do people get so lazy about pasta? If Te (the Japanese pasta chain) can do it for $60, why can't JAR do it for $125 (+ 10%)? It's pasta + sauce. Even I, a totally untrained cook, can make a good, tasty, comforting pasta. These two points basically summarise what I felt about JAR (Just-A-Restaurant).
It started well enough. The bread basket/sack was that smart little contraption that Singapore's FiftyThree also uses, a raw linen bag with a compartment for warmed pebbles that kept bread warm. The French onion soup was decent - cheesy, full-flavoured, and the fried camembert was fine, even if the wedges did look dangerously similar to potato gems.
We had a variety of mains - a lamb rack, a pancetta-wrapped rainbow trout and two pastas. The fish was very nice, especially for $195. I would never be bothered to do this at home, and even if I did, I would probably screw it up - i.e. I feel good about leaving my front door to eat this.
Now, the pasta. You call this a ragout? It was tomato paste, with sugo (I don't know if I'd even call it that) that had about as much depth as a flattened saucer, plus some mince, probably tossed together in a pan in a matter of minutes. It was like a reduced Dolmio's. I don't know what more to say.
This pasta was undercooked (and no, it wasn't al dente, it was undercooked - chewy and tough), the ribbons were sticking to each other. There wasn't much sauce (not that there should be) yet when you ate a mushroom it felt heavy.
The earl grey pannacotta was too jelly-like and tasted pretty artificial (like synthetic vanilla essence vs. vanilla pods).
Look, none of the food was horrible, and it's not like I paid through my nose for it (actually, I didn't pay at all because it was my birthday - now that I'm nearing twenty-something and a half, you can tell how lazy I've been about posting...), but I'm just getting frustrated with these dolled-up restaurants that can't even seem to be bothered to dish up a decent pasta. It doesn't need to be all truffled up, you can use the cheapest cuts of meat to make a good ragout. Show some love, people. Show me you put in more than 2 minutes into that plate. Please.
This is their famous Banoffi pie. (I just realised I failed to mention till this point that JAR is the grown-up sibling of 798 Unit & Co., the mid-priced bistros in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay - and they too, are 'famous' for the Banoffi - or is it Banoffee?). The cream was a bit bland and the pie crust unsatisfying (too cold? Fridge sogginess?), but the banana on the side was good, and I really shouldn't judge my 'birthday cake'. I should be grateful that the candle didn't sink into the 'cream', or that it didn't come with a red syrup squiggle.
Anyway. As I wrote in my Openrice profile about 5 years ago, we (Hong Kong) can all work harder.
I agree with you on the pasta issue. I also read up on a couple of the local chef's recipes, even the Italian chefs ones, and they are quite simple in design and not exactly rocket science or that costly to make.
So if I am paying a premium, please at least execute it well, I am not even looking for surprises anymore. And the portioning... its embarrassing. One just don't see such tiny primi's with so aggressive pricing in Italy. I am going to cook pasta at home from now on. :) Happy Birthday to you ~ wish u good Eating as always !!
Im scared. I just made a reservation for tomorrow for a friend's birthday.
So how was it JJ? For the price it's not horrible, I just felt disappointed because they could do much better.