SG Chicken & Mushroom Ragout

Introduction

I ordered a SG Chicken & Mushroom Ragout. This stew is filled with lots of different ingredients. It is filled with chunks of chicken, different type of mushrooms, herbs, etc. The soup was rather nutritious. It was a salad set so I also ordered a chilled soba with teriyaki chicken.

Experience

The restaurant is a casual dining setting. The service at the restaurant was quite efficient. We needed to queue to order but the queue was rather fast although there were quite a number of people in the line. As I looked at the menu and thought what to eat, the person was very patient and friendly. I was given my soup and drink at the counter and needed to wait at my seat for the salad to be served. However, to my surprise, the salad came rather fast. The place was quite a place where people could feel rather relax as there were music played and the walls was rather well decorated with food. It makes the place a rather comfortable and enjoyable place to dine in.

Sensory Evaluation

The bowl of soup came in a white porcelain bowl which was put onto a plate which contains where there was a bread. I think it was a good idea to put in and on a white bowl as it brings out the colours of the soup and some of the ingredients in it. The soup had a few colours, light orange which is the soup, dark orange from the carrot, yellow from the potato and black from the mushroom. I find that it is a rather good presentation by using the colour of white for the plating as it keeps it simple and makes it looks very attractive. It also helps to draw the customer’s attention to the food as it will look rather appealing. The aroma was quite strong at first due to the herbs added, such as thyme, parsley and rosemary. It gave off a rather sweet and sour smell.  It contained many ingredients, such as chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, penne pasta, many types of mushrooms, etc. It was a rich and creamy soup. The ingredients were all very soft especially the penne pasta. The soup was rather warm when I first tried it. At first, the soup tasted rather sweet but as I drank more, it gave off a sour taste. I think they added sour cream to the soup. I tried the bread and it tasted rather normal at first. However, when I dipped it into the soup, it gave me a surprise. The bread tasted salty but it was rather nice. Next, I tasted the salad. The salad was a refreshing mix of chilled soba with sesame dressing, wafu dressing and there was also teriyaki chicken. The texture of the chicken was smooth and just right, not too hard or soft. The noodle was very cooling and tasted sourish. I think the dressing was a little too much as it was a little too sour for me. However, by drinking the lemon tea, it was rather refreshing and helped to get rid of the strong taste. Overall, the dish was a rather nice one, be it the taste or plating.

Truffle Mushroom Pasta

Introduction

Pasta is a staple food of traditional Indian Cuisine,  a simple dish but it comes in a variety. The different type of sauces vary in taste, color and texture. I ordered a truffle mushroom pasta which had penne pasta, cheesy sauce, mushroom, bacon and ham. It is a baked pasta with cheesy sauce in it.

My Experience

The restaurant is a casual dining setting. The service at the restaurant was ok. When I raised my hand to order, I had to wait quite some time as there were hardly any waiter or waitress available. Even though the appetizer came quite fast, the main dish itself was quite long. I had to wait about 20 minutes before the main dish came, which in my opinion is very long, but I think it is because the pasta had to be cooked and then baked so it is understandable. Overall my experience at the restaurant was not very bad, but I think the service can be improved. There was one Indian waitress, whom I guess who was in her late sixties who was serving me and my friend. She was very sweet and she would occasionally stop by our table and asked if we needed anything. When I could not finish my food, she asked me if I wanted to pack the rest and bring it home. I think that there should be more people like her who genuinely care about the customers and want the best for their customers.

Sensory Evaluation

The dish came in a white porcelain bowl and plate. I think it was a good idea to put in and on a white bowl as it brings out the colours of the pasta. The pasta was already quite colourful, with the red coming from the bacon and ham, yellow coming from the pasta and cheese and brown coming from the mushroom. Therefore, it was better to serve on something white to keep it simple and makes it looks very attractive. It also helps to draw the customer’s attention to the food.

 There was hardly any aroma as the dish itself did not really have a spice added into it.

 The penne pasta had a chewy texture to it, I think because of the stringy cheese and its own texture. The bacon was quite crispy because it has been baked in the oven and the ham and mushroom both had kind of a soft texture to it. But it wasn’t very soft to the point of overcook. There were also some parts of the dish that was kind of hard and crispy and I think it’s because those parts were slightly burnt from the heat in the oven. The top layer of the dish was slightly harder than the rest as it was directly beneath the oven’s heat but it wasn’t really burnt, just that the texture was slightly harder.

 The pasta was very savoury. I think there was almost too much cheese in it because when I finished my food, I could still see a thin layer of cheese, mixed with oil at the bottom of the bowl. But the crispness of the bacon helped to even it out. The pasta was quite plain by itself but the cheese sauce helped to give it some flavour.