This isn't my first time eating here. On this occasion, it was obviously a quiet night which is rarely the case.
Whiskey and I, on this particular evening had joined a friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in over 15 years, she happened to be staying at Dolphin's resort for the night and we wanted to visit, and also we injected ourselves into her dinner reservations.
I dine at Angler's maybe twice a year, and have as of yet, never had a bad meal there. On this particular evening I was a bit more concerned with catching up with an old friend with some drinks, so immediately we ordered a bottle of wine without first deciding on food. We settled on a bottle of Summerhill organic Merlot. Opulent yet soft, this wine was everything I wanted it to be this evening, and the markup on such a bottle was very reasonable for a dining room with a good, hand selected (albeit small) wine list.
Shortly after some catching up I finally opened the food menu. Right away my eyes scanned the starters section of the menu, knowing full well I was not having only one course. after some consideration and consultation with Whiskey, we decided to share the Tuna Tataki (Local Albacore Tuna, Cured Cucumber, Green Onion, Ginger Tare, Basil so the description says). This dish, while certainly a bit uninspired (the tuna was rolled in some form of cajun spice, perhaps made in-house but confusingly generic in flavour) was worth the price of admission if only for the cured cucumber. This particular component was ingenious. Surprising in colour and texture, a sesame quick pickle yielded to the fresh crispness of the cucumber. This was literally one of the best things I have put on the end of a fork in a long time, rarely does something tickle my taste buds in such a way.
Not wanting to make this an all night affair, I was the last close to close my menu and ordered up the Short Rib entree. ( Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib, Seared Potato Gnocchi, Caramelized Red Cabbage ). I'll start with the gnocchi. Assuredly made fresh in house that day by our server, it was good, maybe even very good. The gnocchi itself was a bit bland, if only slightly, but the pan sear on the potato morsels was perfect. Golden brown on both sides of every single piece, the care taken was not unnoticed by me, this detail, in my opinion, is the advantage of showing up to a best in class restaurant on a slow night. The short Ribs themselves were tender and falling apart in a way they should be. I'm not going to go off about the merits of slow cooking and the details of short ribs, but they were done in such a way that there is no way anyone would complain, if I had one gripe about them, it would only be that I wanted more on the plate. The cabbage, was simultaneously both the best and the worst part of the plate if that makes any sense at all. The treatment of the cabbage left the leaves being an really interesting texture, almost rubbery and dry. This was the part I liked. It was weird and chewy. It combination of textures of the dish made me want to scoop up different parts of the dish in different mouthfuls to get unique bites one by one. It was actually fun to eat! Now, for the nitpicky details I feel obliged to you, the reader, to disclose: The red cabbage while neat on texture on the tongue was certainly over caramelized. the flavour was just ever so slightly burned and like carbon. I'm not sure one could get both that chewy texture and a delicate flavour without sacrificing one or the other, so I gave it a pass. Also, to be absurdly picky, the colours on the plate were monochromatic and the purple-brown of the cabbage and the brown-red of the short ribs could have done with some kind of bright green garnish or some kind of additional component for colour, although I would never advise to just add something that didn't make sense one the plate just for "pretty" factor. The mouthfuls of wine I was savouring paired absolutely perfectly this entree by nothing but pure coincidence I might add, which elevated my overall experience.
Again, Angler's dining room has impressed me. Although some details could be improved, these details were only tiny factors. The service was excellent, even though for most of our meal, we were the only table there, our server never doted on us. She left us alone while we were enraptured in conversations a decade left unsaid, and swiftly cleared our dishes when appropriate to do so, in a professional sensory perception that only comes with experience.
Cheers, and bon appetit,
- D
8.75/10
Whiskey and I, on this particular evening had joined a friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in over 15 years, she happened to be staying at Dolphin's resort for the night and we wanted to visit, and also we injected ourselves into her dinner reservations.
I dine at Angler's maybe twice a year, and have as of yet, never had a bad meal there. On this particular evening I was a bit more concerned with catching up with an old friend with some drinks, so immediately we ordered a bottle of wine without first deciding on food. We settled on a bottle of Summerhill organic Merlot. Opulent yet soft, this wine was everything I wanted it to be this evening, and the markup on such a bottle was very reasonable for a dining room with a good, hand selected (albeit small) wine list.
Shortly after some catching up I finally opened the food menu. Right away my eyes scanned the starters section of the menu, knowing full well I was not having only one course. after some consideration and consultation with Whiskey, we decided to share the Tuna Tataki (Local Albacore Tuna, Cured Cucumber, Green Onion, Ginger Tare, Basil so the description says). This dish, while certainly a bit uninspired (the tuna was rolled in some form of cajun spice, perhaps made in-house but confusingly generic in flavour) was worth the price of admission if only for the cured cucumber. This particular component was ingenious. Surprising in colour and texture, a sesame quick pickle yielded to the fresh crispness of the cucumber. This was literally one of the best things I have put on the end of a fork in a long time, rarely does something tickle my taste buds in such a way.
Not wanting to make this an all night affair, I was the last close to close my menu and ordered up the Short Rib entree. ( Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib, Seared Potato Gnocchi, Caramelized Red Cabbage ). I'll start with the gnocchi. Assuredly made fresh in house that day by our server, it was good, maybe even very good. The gnocchi itself was a bit bland, if only slightly, but the pan sear on the potato morsels was perfect. Golden brown on both sides of every single piece, the care taken was not unnoticed by me, this detail, in my opinion, is the advantage of showing up to a best in class restaurant on a slow night. The short Ribs themselves were tender and falling apart in a way they should be. I'm not going to go off about the merits of slow cooking and the details of short ribs, but they were done in such a way that there is no way anyone would complain, if I had one gripe about them, it would only be that I wanted more on the plate. The cabbage, was simultaneously both the best and the worst part of the plate if that makes any sense at all. The treatment of the cabbage left the leaves being an really interesting texture, almost rubbery and dry. This was the part I liked. It was weird and chewy. It combination of textures of the dish made me want to scoop up different parts of the dish in different mouthfuls to get unique bites one by one. It was actually fun to eat! Now, for the nitpicky details I feel obliged to you, the reader, to disclose: The red cabbage while neat on texture on the tongue was certainly over caramelized. the flavour was just ever so slightly burned and like carbon. I'm not sure one could get both that chewy texture and a delicate flavour without sacrificing one or the other, so I gave it a pass. Also, to be absurdly picky, the colours on the plate were monochromatic and the purple-brown of the cabbage and the brown-red of the short ribs could have done with some kind of bright green garnish or some kind of additional component for colour, although I would never advise to just add something that didn't make sense one the plate just for "pretty" factor. The mouthfuls of wine I was savouring paired absolutely perfectly this entree by nothing but pure coincidence I might add, which elevated my overall experience.
Again, Angler's dining room has impressed me. Although some details could be improved, these details were only tiny factors. The service was excellent, even though for most of our meal, we were the only table there, our server never doted on us. She left us alone while we were enraptured in conversations a decade left unsaid, and swiftly cleared our dishes when appropriate to do so, in a professional sensory perception that only comes with experience.
Cheers, and bon appetit,
- D
8.75/10
Oh Angler's!
There are not alot of places that I will go back to again and again to eat. Angler's is that place.
I have never been let down by a meal and never been forced to eat the same thing twice.
This particular night the dining room had its usual wood smoke scented charm. It has been awhile since we went and I can only truly remember the feeling that this place always gives me. Warmth, comfort, the anticipation of an excellent meal. I would recommend anyone to go eat here
9/10
Cheers and Bon appetite!
Whiskey G
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