Sanafir - Passport Quest

Glowbal Passport Quest. As part of the promotion that Glowbal Group ran in February - March 2012, I visited all seven of the restaurants. Here is my post of Sanafir.
I also have posts for:
Glowbal Grill
Society
Coast
Italian Kitchen
Trattoria
Black and Blue

Because I haven't had much success with the menu at Sanafir, and also because they have a new chef in Ray Bear, We decided to try the tasting menu and placed our trust with him. Our first course was Prosciutto Orange Watermelon starter. The freshness of the fruits with the saltiness of the prosciutto works really well and definitely served to whet the appetite

Our next course was a Just warmed lobster on a bed of mango chutney. On the other side of the plate was a Scallop ceviche with avocado and beet/olive dust. Though not a fan of avocado, once you peel back the layers of avo, you are treated to a ceviche at its best. 

For our main, we got the Pork cheek done as a confit in duck fat,  as well as the Pork Belly. This was served with a side of Poached Shrimp, some fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I guess this is Surf and Turf, Ray Bear style! Loved how everything went together in this dish. 

Already full from our first three dishes, Chef brought out our "last course", pre-dessert. This was as Pineapple Glazed Ahi Tuna over a bed of Duck Fried Rice. This was beautifully plated with some root veggies and a spear of pineapple. Really outstanding. Probably my favourite of the night. 

And to top it all off, we got a lovely Creme Caramel with Strawberries and Passionfruit coulis. Although the portion is quite large, you can polish this dessert off easily as the texture is really light and it's not overly sweet either.

Supping at Sanafir

A few months ago, I tried dinner at Sanafir on Granville. It's one of those places you tend to have a few drinks in, but never really have a sit down meal. So this time, we decided we were going to go for it. Their menu is broken up into Tapas and Ceviche, a few more substantial items in the Mezze section, and then rounded out with a Mussels and Clams section, a few Curries, and finished off with Larger Plates. We kicked things off with the Grilled Octopus from the Mezze Section. 

For ~$8, you get a smattering ofgrilled octopus, but also some potatoes, musssls and chorizio, and chillies! Oh, yes, this had a kick to it, not overwhelming, but definitely heated! 

The next dish to arrive was the Large plate of Vegetarian Mushroom Risotto. This was made with farro, so not your usual aborio rice. I actually enjoyed this better, since this gave the dish an added depth of texture that you wouldn't normally expect. There was a variety of wild mushrooms, so you could get something different in every bite. Oh, and yes, fresh peas! I never realize how much I like them until I get them, but yes, definitely a nice spring touch! 

Now here is where my camera gets a little stupid. The food isn't nearly as "yellow" as it comes across...these were NOT the Yellow Curry Mussels, even though it may look like that. In fact, we ordered the Roasted Garlic and Tomato Clams. 

These clams were really good, every clam still sitting pretty in its shell. Lopped with lots of chorizo, this was another mildly spicy dish. Good thing they werve it with some grilled naan bread. Perfect to soak up the sauce! 

We were treated to a dessert from the staff and it was a labour of love...times three! 

I didn't take notes of the dessert, but from what I can remember, this was a chocolate ganache with crispy rice. I remember it being really rich and I don't think the two of us even finished it! 

The second one (and my favourite) was the chocolate cake...the mint was a nice light touch compared to the heaviness of the cake...dark, chocolate cake...and dense, almost like a really rich brownie.

For the life of me, I can't remember which one this was...if you've had it and recognize it...please comment below!