After The Shore Club closed earlier this year, it was slated to be reinvented as The Keg. I finally paid a visit for lunch last month, and I'd say that most of the decor remained the same, but it had been slightly "keg-afied". The entrance wasn't very well organized, as there was a lineup out the door at lunchtime, despite a fairly empty restaurant inside. It seems as though there are a lot of hostesses manning the entry, but not enough people to actually bring people to their table. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon. Instead of the usual basket where the bread is encased in, the bread here is simply served on a place. And it's not as crusty as I remember. But at least it is served piping hot! One thing that I've always loved the Keg for is their French Onion Soup. IMHO, it's the best in the city. I like my cheese just a bit burnt, and I always ask for extra cheese. They never disappoint and this was the case again. Their broth isn't too salty, and there are loads of onions and the gooey cheese is amazing. This is a perfect way to ward off any winter chills. For my main, and to be slightly healthy, I opted for the Steak Sandwich with a side Caesar. I asked for a light dressing on the Caesar instead of dressing on the side, since the thick dressing makes it harder to DIY. The open-faced sandwich was loaded with sliced medium rare steak and a generous portion of cremini mushrooms. The bread had a nice char on it, but regrettably, I passed on it and just devoured the steak and mushrooms. This isn't so much due to an effort to avoid carbs as a result of the fact that open-faced sandwiches always confuse me. I find it weird eating a sandwich with a knife and fork.
Take Note:
Making reservations doesnt mean you'll get seated faster
The new location of Dinesty has been opened for a few months now, and I was delighted to give it a try with some friends last month. I have been to the Richmond location several times, and hoped that the food would be just as good. We started off with the Xiao Long Baos (obviously), since it's a tradition at most Shanghainese places, sometimes for dinner but always for lunch! As with the Richmond locations, these are deliciously soupy, and the skin is just chewy enough to hold all the delicious pork and soup inside. Another steamer basket arrived filled with Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai. The pork layer is on the bottom with the shrimp on top. I found the pork a bit dry but the shrimp was nice and juicy. I tend to deconstruct my food when I am eating, so it might have been just fine if I ate it as it was served. This dish is new to me, it's Deep Fried Chicken With Asparagus And Ham. The coating on this was nice and light, and the chicken was really juicy. I didn't find the mayonnaise sauce necessary as the chicken had enough seasoning. I did, however, use some hot sauce to give this dish a bit more punch. It's a fairly large portion, but the beauty is that it can be packed as leftovers quite easily. Our final savoury dish was the Pork Potstickers. I loved the presentation, love how they fry all the potstickers together and serve it as one gigantic dish. And lots of extra crispiness, which I always appreciate. The potstickers are larger than normal, about 3-4 inches long, The filling to wrapper ratio is good, although I could used a bit of more of ginger in the filling. For dessert, we got the Black Sesame Buns. These were really good, with lots of black sesame on the inside. The bun is soft and the whole package is a warm handful. It's probably too filling after a full lunch, but it's still a good treat. Eat half and share with a friend.
Take Note:
Go before noon to avoid long lines
Avoid the lunch "Specials" menu, it's reminiscent of mall food court dishes
Service is quick and it's a good option for a quick lunch
After an amaing Spot Prawn Tasting Menu back in Spring, I've been looking forward to revisiting Mosaic and try their new Fall menu. I went last week with Sherman and we got to try "almost" everything on the new menu. First up is the Apple and Roasted Chestnut Bisque. It is served tableside, but before they pour the bisque, you can see all the delicate fall treats inside, including apples, mushrooms and pumpkin. The presentation is pretty, vibrant and rustic. The finished product has a pretty yin and yang effect. The creme fraiche has a spiciness to it, and blends well with the rich and creamy bisque. This dish is a rich, soothing and full of fall comfort. Then we were served a Duo of Salads. First was a Beet Salad. On the right side of the plate is some pumpernickel soil, more beets, crumbled goat cheese. Dead centre in the plate is a bed of beet vinaigrette and a light and fluffy beet foam. The flavours were quite delicate, with the goat cheese being the strongest. The soil is slightly sweet and enhances the beets flavour and texture. On a side note, the beet foam totally looked like a mooncake to me. The Fall Salad was the other one we sampled, and it had baby carrots, more beets, a few turnips and endive as well. The puree is made with butternut squash and is suprisingly light. There is also a bit of zingy tangerine dressing and a chive flavoured gel. For those who want their veggies deep fried, Chef Heinrich has you covered with the Crispy Brussels Sprouts, topped with a crunchy pork belly, a scotched egg, and edible flowers. Whenever pork belly and deep fried goodness get together, the result is usually amazing, and that was certainly true in this case as well. The egg was a little odd, as it lacked the meat layer. The quincy jelly was really flavourful, fruity and served to evoked feelings of autumn. Our next dish was Alaskan King Crab. This was served with pickled shimeji, a smear of leek puree and some crispy, fried leeks. The butter poached king crab was very sweet and was a great contrast to the pickled mushrooms. I really enjoyed the crispy leeks too. These mushrooms are just too precious. Next up were two fish dishes, the first being the Ling Cod. The Lobster Pomme Puree was buttery but light. The fish was perfectly cooked, flaking easily with a fork but with a nice crusty sear on the outside. The sweet beets and beet jus completed the dish nicely, in taste and visually as well. . Our Skoona Bay Salmon was nestled perfectly atop a bed of truffle mushroom risotto and swiss chards. There was some mushroom puree and shaved truffles too. A hearty dish with an earthy aroma that hits you as the plate descends onto the table. A dish that would satisfy any vegan is the Cauliflower Cake. In addition to cauliflower, there are assorted root veggies, (yes, the baby corn again) as well as come corn. To give the dish some sweetness, there was also dates, drunken dates which were super sweet! And if you are not a vegan, you'll appreciate this dish of Sous Vide Lamb, with a walnut crust. We found the crust to be a bit crumbly to eat, but the texture of the lamb was super tender. Some pumpkin, buttternut squash and broccolini rabe finished off the dish. The sauce is a simple lamb jus. Two dessert options were presented, and I really liked the Salted Chocolate Pear & White Chocolate Mousse. It was light in texture but had a good depth of pear flavour. It's topped by a bit of port wine gellee.
Our final place was the Pumpkin Creme Brulee, and although, I was stuffed, I couldn't resist trying a bit of the biscotti. And once I had the biscotti in my hand, I couldn't resist dipping it into the brulee. It wasn't as sweet as I expected, which I appreciated, and the crunchy sugary coating had a very caramel flavour.
Take Note:
The chef like to change the menu to reflect the best of the season
Lots of playful and inventive plating ideas
Great options for vegetarians, gluten-free guests too
Instead of the usual basket where the bread is encased in, the bread here is simply served on a place. And it's not as crusty as I remember. But at least it is served piping hot! 
One thing that I've always loved the Keg for is their French Onion Soup. IMHO, it's the best in the city. I like my cheese just a bit burnt, and I always ask for extra cheese. They never disappoint and this was the case again. Their broth isn't too salty, and there are loads of onions and the gooey cheese is amazing. This is a perfect way to ward off any winter chills. 
For my main, and to be slightly healthy, I opted for the Steak Sandwich with a side Caesar. I asked for a light dressing on the Caesar instead of dressing on the side, since the thick dressing makes it harder to DIY.
The open-faced sandwich was loaded with sliced medium rare steak and a generous portion of cremini mushrooms. The bread had a nice char on it, but regrettably, I passed on it and just devoured the steak and mushrooms. This isn't so much due to an effort to avoid carbs as a result of the fact that open-faced sandwiches always confuse me. I find it weird eating a sandwich with a knife and fork.
