The Engine Room is probably a bit more expensive that where we would usually go for dinner, but it was a special occasion so we splurged.
Location
We already knew from going to the bridgeway cinema across the road, that parking there sucks. So we took an Uber. It was much easier. The Engine Room is in Northcote, which is a very car-heavy area. Ain't no link buses in this hood.
Menu
I've been watching a lot of Gordon Ramsey clips on youtube so I've picked up some stuff.
One is that having a lot of things on the menu is bad, because it means they keep stuff frozen on hand and microwave on request. You should have a smaller menu, but do those few things well.
The Engine Room are obviously not a microwave the frozen meal type. They didn't even have a permanent menu- the items were written on the wall and updated when necessary. I took this as a very good sign, as it means they were deciding on menu items based on what was available and in season i.e. fresh.
Drinks
There was a very fancy bar with a bartender who seemed to be doing very good stuff. There was some shaking of things and some straining of stuff. There was pouring and holding things up to the light for some purpose. It seemed very profesh. I appreciated that there was a lot of non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu. Sometimes you have a choice of water or water, it was nice to have something a little bit more exciting on offer.
Service
The service was very good and staff were very friendly and attentive without being annoyingly in your face all the time. I hate it when they ask you if you need anything every five minutes.
The food
We ordered the Twice Baked Goat's Cheese Souffle, The Tofu salad and Cauliflower cheese gratin.
Everything was so delicious. The souffle was even more amazing than I imagined in my head. I don't know what the twice-baked thing is about, but obviously that is the right amount of times to bake the souffle. The cauliflower cheese was so creamy and flavourful that all other cauliflower cheese is ruined for me now. I'll take a bite and weep for the cauliflower cheese that I once had and lost.
Dessert
I had dessert. It was profiteroles. The profiteroles themselves were good, but fairly standard. However the chocolate sauce that was poured on them was INCREDIBLE. It tasted like how I imagine the chocolate river in Willy Wonka must taste.
I'd also like to congratulate The Engine Room on having tea. After a meal I like to have a nice cup of tea. It settles my stomach, it's comforting and warm and hardly any places offer it, it's always coffee. So it was great to have a cup of tea and relax before ubering home.
Final rating: One head nod from Gordon Ramsey.
Comments
Post a Comment