Like the souffle this was presented beautifully and seemed excellent in theory. Seared scallops with a shredded duck pattie, served with chilli and mint on fresh pineapple. Unfortunately the dish had one noticeable flaw, which became more apparent the more you ate.
The duck pattie had a very interesting, gamey and rustic mouthfeel which proved very pleasing. There was a strong presence of ginger evident throughout, and I'm not a huge fan of ginger. The scallops however, were completely overpowered in this dish, first texturally by the duck, then flavour wise by the pineapple.
The pineapple seemed under ripe (it even looks under ripe and white glancing at my photo)and had searing acidty, which totally dominated the palate, finish and lingering sour aftertaste. Something less intense, potato maybe, would've improved the dish greatly.
Any indication of seafood character was almost non-existent. Sadly, a problem shared with the crab souffle, but to a greater extent with the scallops.
Regrettably, the whole dish seemed a bit out of balance.
continued next post.....
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThis looks a version of David Thompson's - Ma Hor - ie galloping horses.
It's a lovely dish - but awful with wine. Too much pineapple seems to numb the taste buds, or at least make them furry. Pineapple has an enzyme that 'buggers' up protein.