I decided to head to Hawksworth for lunch with my boss last month. We usually go to Kirin but I wanted a change of pace. I am not a huge scallop fan, but when I saw this on the menu, I couldn't resist.The Pan Seared Scallop caught my eye, not because of the scallops, but because of the accompaniments. It arrives on a bed of rice noodles, in a Vietnamese broth with some crispy pork. So, it's like Pho? Yes, this was super reminiscent of pho. Complete with a bit of sprouts and jalapenos. The crispy pork is really interesting, I haven't had anything like this before. When dipped into the broth, it softens and has a nice chew to it. There's plenty of scallops (about 8 in total) and they were seared to a perfect doneness. You are also presented with some chilies and limes to fully evoke the sense of Pho. I used a bit of the lime but all of the chilies. This was really fun and elegant version of pho. Loved it!My boss went for another option of a high-end version of a "low brow" food He got the Hot Dog. It was a bison sausage in a poppy seed pretzel bun, topped with greens and fried onions. On the side was some tempura cauliflower. He throughly enjoyed it, although eating it was a bit messy. Better to knife and fork this baby. Take Note: Prices are higher than normal, but you are dining at the Georgia. Bar menu's Beef Burger is huge and you could probably share it with a friend. Brunch is served 10:30-2 on Saturdays and Sundays
Although I have had Chef Heinrich's food at Mosaic for dinner several times, most notably the Spot Prawn Tasting, this would be the first time I'm visiting at lunch. The space has lots of natural light during the day. Although it's located in the Hyatt Regency, it's a popular lunch spot for the downtown work crowd, so it's great for locals and tourists alike. If there is Bread and Butter on the table, I find it hard to resist taking a photo, since I'm still trying to learn how to take good shots of paler foods (like butter, cheese, etc.) I was actually surprised that they served bread and butter even at lunch. It's something I do expect or enjoy for dinner, but didn't think it would be offered at lunch. For starters, we tried the Weathervane Scallops off the bar menu. These were gigantic, and just simply seasoned and then quickly seared. There sit atop a few thin slices of tomatoes and a pile of lovely greens. The scallops were so thick you could actually halve them through the middle. The special of the day was a Seafood Curry with Basmati Rice. The rice was nice and fluffy, but it was sure hard to take this picture (foiled by paler foods again). Thankfully, the rest of the dish was brilliantly coloured! Nestled on top of the rice is a variety of seafood consisting of white fish, salmon, mussels and clams. Rounding out the dish are some carrots and broccoli. This curry is not a super heavy curry, rather light in texture, more fragrant than overwhelming pungent, as some curries can be. The light Thai flavours were clear and crisp, with hints of lemongrass and coriander. And although there was a bit of heat, it was very mild. And this is the Big Salad, well, they don't actually call it that, it's called the Cobb Salad. Underneath the toppings of bacon, blue cheese, chicken breast, hard boiled eggs and chopped tomatoes, there is a large mound of romaine as well. The dressing is a lemon-dijon vinaigrette, but I didn't really use too much of it. Instead, I just squired some lemon juice on everything. I only finished a third of this...mostly the tomato, eggs and some bacon! I packed the rest to go and still think I have enough toppings for another whole salad. Note: said salad usually comes with avocado, but I asked for it without.
Take Note:
Great for working lunches, bright and lots of large tables
Staff are friendly and very courteous
Chef's Tasting Menus rotate every two weeks and are amazing!
The Pan Seared Scallop caught my eye, not because of the scallops, but because of the accompaniments. It arrives on a bed of rice noodles, in a Vietnamese broth with some crispy pork. So, it's like Pho? Yes, this was super reminiscent of pho. Complete with a bit of sprouts and jalapenos. The crispy pork is really interesting, I haven't had anything like this before. When dipped into the broth, it softens and has a nice chew to it. There's plenty of scallops (about 8 in total) and they were seared to a perfect doneness.
You are also presented with some chilies and limes to fully evoke the sense of Pho. I used a bit of the lime but all of the chilies. This was really fun and elegant version of pho. Loved it!
My boss went for another option of a high-end version of a "low brow" food He got the Hot Dog. It was a bison sausage in a poppy seed pretzel bun, topped with greens and fried onions. On the side was some tempura cauliflower. He throughly enjoyed it, although eating it was a bit messy. Better to knife and fork this baby.
