So the story goes like this: He participated in the Japan's Iron Chef cooking competition and lost by a mere half point. He is Chris Mills, a Canadian chef, who help inspired many of the items at Joey Don Mills. It was a wonderful day with plenty of Sunshine and light breezes as well. People were sitting outside enjoying their lunch under the warmth of the sun.
Showing posts with label Mexican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexican. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Toronto - May 2010 - Day 6 (Joey Don Mills)
So the story goes like this: He participated in the Japan's Iron Chef cooking competition and lost by a mere half point. He is Chris Mills, a Canadian chef, who help inspired many of the items at Joey Don Mills. It was a wonderful day with plenty of Sunshine and light breezes as well. People were sitting outside enjoying their lunch under the warmth of the sun.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Cafe Iguana @ Elements (Revisited II)
Because of Jin's comment on finger food, I have been thinking about it for the whole week! When talking about finger food, the first thing that came me was Mexican Nacho with plenty of cheese! O yes, and also honey garlic chicken wings! My serious craving for Mexican food led me back to Cafe Iguana for the Nth time. With a slight breeze in the air, it was indeed a nice place to enjoy a relaxing lunch under the sun on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I was not a big fan of the sun a few years but as time passes, I find myself more and more fond of it, wishing to spend time under the naked sun, to be embraced by the gentle touch of its warmth. How I come about having such big change towards sunshine is beyond me!
I was surprised to find that offered lunch sets on a Saturday. It was a pleasant surprise and the items being offered seem interesting enough to give them a try. While waiting for the orders, I ordered a Mexican beer named Carta Blanca, recommended by the staff. It was very smooth as informed but the taste / flavor was rather light to my liking. Was it too early to have beer? Not at all; but it would be too early if I am to have Chili Infused Tequila!
(1) Salad (Grilled Pear, cherry tomato, musclun with honey mustard vinaigrette and toasted peanut)
The use of ingredients was interesting enough and it was indeed very refreshing as I expected it because of the use of pear / fruit. It wasn't the taste or flavors of the salad that "shine," it was the combination of contrasting textures that I enjoyed the most. The softness of the pear against the crispiness of the toasted peanuts made a good combination indeed.
(2) Sea Bass Taco in Achiote, oregano and garlic spicy mango salsa
The vibrant colors captured my undivided attention. It certainly reminded me of a happy spring / summer time. The skin of the sea bass was thin and crisp (lightly seasoned), together with the tender fish meat and soft taco wrap, it was very nice indeed. Only traces of sauce can be found which helped the true taste of the sea bass to be tasted on every bite. Aside from the "lady-on-diet" portion of the two soft tacos being served, it was a thumbs up dish!
(3) Chicken in chocolate and chili sauce topped with toasted peanut and zucchini black beans and rice. (2 soft taco wraps)
Although chocolate was used in preparation of the sauce, not much of such flavor was present. I doubt it was the intention to have strong chocolate flavor in this dish, but the adding of the chocolate would make the sauce more creamy for sure. I guess it was a love it a hate it kind of thing; but for me, I loved it. The combination of chocolate and chili is not new and I found a few varying recipes online related to this. One called the sauce a Cincinnati Chili sauce and the other Chocolate Chili.
(4) Pie de Limon (Key lime tequila pie)
On first sight, I thought the top was a meringue layer but it turned out to be pure whipped cream which was slightly torched! The flavors of the pie was alright but the crust was too soft and there were too much whipped cream on top!
Likes:
- Environment + Great Service
- Sea Bass Taco - colorful presentation wonderfully done; but more like a Tapas than a main dish.
- Salad (Grilled Pear) - very refreshing to start start with. The contrasting texture was great.
- Pie de Limon - too much whipped cream!
Cafe Iguana
Shop R004, Civic Squre, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, TST
Tel: 2196 8733
http://www.igors.com/
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Friday, August 7, 2009
Cafe Iguana @ Elements (Revisted)
After our Happy Hour session at SOHO No. 8, we headed over to Elements for some Mexican food because my friend who worked late wanted some Fajitas and what a great idea it was! Chili infused Tequila, here I come!! Compared with the last time I was here about a few weeks ago (First Visit), tonight the place was fully packed! I guess they did some very successful promotion. Fortunately, we did not have to wait long and we got the bench seat as well.
(1) Nachos
Lovely dish indeed! Not only does it look nice, it tasted very good. It was surprisingly good actually especially with the addition of corns. That is not a common ingredient you find ion Nachos (at least from my experiences) but the sweetness of it added a very good and refreshing flavors to it. Wonderfully prepared.
(2) Quesadillas
Another wonderful dish. The diced chicken tasted less dry than many other places so I asked the staff. Apparently chicken thighs were were instead of breast so the diced chicken remained relatively tender and juicy even after being grilled. The supply for various condiments was a nice touch too.
(3) Fajitas (steak)
We ordered this last time as well and we loved it. This time though, the sliced steak seemed smaller and a bit overcooked compared to last time. Actually there was more onions this time. Humm ... Anyhow, we enjoyed it and had to order more tortillas.
(4) Chili Infused Tequila
How can I come here without having this Chili Infused Tequila. This time it was served in a special rack with both the tequilas and the chaser. Try to drink down the tequila first and wait for a while before going for the chaser to allow the chili flavors to come out and rest in your mouth & throats. It was a great sensation indeed.
(1) Nachos
Lovely dish indeed! Not only does it look nice, it tasted very good. It was surprisingly good actually especially with the addition of corns. That is not a common ingredient you find ion Nachos (at least from my experiences) but the sweetness of it added a very good and refreshing flavors to it. Wonderfully prepared.
(2) Quesadillas
Another wonderful dish. The diced chicken tasted less dry than many other places so I asked the staff. Apparently chicken thighs were were instead of breast so the diced chicken remained relatively tender and juicy even after being grilled. The supply for various condiments was a nice touch too.
(3) Fajitas (steak)
We ordered this last time as well and we loved it. This time though, the sliced steak seemed smaller and a bit overcooked compared to last time. Actually there was more onions this time. Humm ... Anyhow, we enjoyed it and had to order more tortillas.
(4) Chili Infused Tequila
How can I come here without having this Chili Infused Tequila. This time it was served in a special rack with both the tequilas and the chaser. Try to drink down the tequila first and wait for a while before going for the chaser to allow the chili flavors to come out and rest in your mouth & throats. It was a great sensation indeed.
Likes:
- Nachos - especially the addition of corns
- Quesadillas - the use of chicken thighs is a good idea
- Fajitas (steak) - still good but slightly disappointing compare with last time
- Lack of air conditioning once again.
Cafe Iguana
Shop R004, Civic Square, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, TST
Tel: 2196 8733
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cafe Iguana @ Elements
I have passed by this new Mexican restaurant many times over the past two weeks and finally I got the chance to give it a try. Apparently it belongs to the Igor's Group. Anyways, the first thing you would notice when you arrive is its limited amount of 'proper' seating for dinners. Only a few bench seats arrangement but many bar tables. Don't get me wrong, I am fine with both arrangements but I doubt many people in Hong Kong would prefer the bar tables located outdoors. Oh yes, another thing is that because of the layout of the restaurant with a huge opening area facing the podium, there tends to be a lack of air conditioning for most seats. However, think about it, isn't this perfect for Mexican food? I am perfectly happy with it. :)
(1) Strawberries and Cranberries Sangria
We started off with a Strawberry and Cranberry Sangria which was a perfect choice under this climate. However, the jar of Sangria seemed smaller than we expected. It was very refreshing but I personally prefer the so-called tradition style with various kinds of fruits. In addition to the Strawberries and Cranberries Sangria, it also offers Sangria with Rose and one with White wine. Interesting indeed and maybe worth a try next time. One thing I like to mention is their great services. Staff were very friendly and tentative and would come by once in a while to check to see how we are doing. They would also chit chat with us and explain in details the various drinks and dishes on their menu. As a result of the lovely chit chat, we order the following shots.
(2) Chili Infused Tequila (with Chaser)
Wow ! The chili infused tequila was lovely but it was the chaser, the so-called bloody Mary chili flavored chaser that elevated the sense of spiciness to the next level. It woke up instantly! We asked them to show us the bottle of the infused tequila and o my, look at the number of chili in that bottle ! By the way, the chaser was only of mild spiciness according to the staff, just imagine it with normal spiciness. Thumbs Up and definitely worth a try !!
(3) Tostada de Salpicon
Basically this dish consisted of shredded beef salad on crispy corn tortilla. A very refreshing dish indeed. Not only does it look nice, it tasted very good as well. The slightly marinated beef went well with the tomato and avocado. The dressing was very light but strong enough to give a touch of citrus flavor which made it a prefect dish to start with. Thumbs Up !
(4) Gorditas
Corn masa boats filled with pawns in citrus-chipotle adobo. I loved the presentation of this dish. The sauce was slightly sweet but with a nice chili taste to it. (or was it from the chili infused tequila? ... hum) Again, the diced tomatoes and onion gave the dish a very refreshing sensation. Each "boat" has two large prawns but I think they can have a new dish without the prawns.
(5) Fajitas (steak)
How can we not order fajitas in a Mexican restaurant! Just look at the presentation of the dish, the all-on-one set with a little drawer to hold the tortillas. The whole set was very impressive. Apparently it was tailored made to their specifications. Thumbs up on the design! As for the food, another Thumbs Up! The steak was medium cooked and with the various condiments like baked beans, sour cream, diced tomatoes and avocado paste. Very good! My friend and I really missed Mexican food and so far we were very satisfied with the food, service and atmosphere here.
(6) Alambres AL Pastor
Everything was great until this dish. Not that it was bad or anything, but relatively disappointing compared with the dishes we had before. The presentation was great again but the chicken, while still tender and juicy in the inside, the outer layer seemed a bit over-cooked / over-grilled; same with the potato wedges. I would definitely order it again next time looking for improvement since I already reflected my opinion on this dish to the staff.
(1) Strawberries and Cranberries Sangria
We started off with a Strawberry and Cranberry Sangria which was a perfect choice under this climate. However, the jar of Sangria seemed smaller than we expected. It was very refreshing but I personally prefer the so-called tradition style with various kinds of fruits. In addition to the Strawberries and Cranberries Sangria, it also offers Sangria with Rose and one with White wine. Interesting indeed and maybe worth a try next time. One thing I like to mention is their great services. Staff were very friendly and tentative and would come by once in a while to check to see how we are doing. They would also chit chat with us and explain in details the various drinks and dishes on their menu. As a result of the lovely chit chat, we order the following shots.
(2) Chili Infused Tequila (with Chaser)
Wow ! The chili infused tequila was lovely but it was the chaser, the so-called bloody Mary chili flavored chaser that elevated the sense of spiciness to the next level. It woke up instantly! We asked them to show us the bottle of the infused tequila and o my, look at the number of chili in that bottle ! By the way, the chaser was only of mild spiciness according to the staff, just imagine it with normal spiciness. Thumbs Up and definitely worth a try !!
(3) Tostada de Salpicon
Basically this dish consisted of shredded beef salad on crispy corn tortilla. A very refreshing dish indeed. Not only does it look nice, it tasted very good as well. The slightly marinated beef went well with the tomato and avocado. The dressing was very light but strong enough to give a touch of citrus flavor which made it a prefect dish to start with. Thumbs Up !
(4) Gorditas
Corn masa boats filled with pawns in citrus-chipotle adobo. I loved the presentation of this dish. The sauce was slightly sweet but with a nice chili taste to it. (or was it from the chili infused tequila? ... hum) Again, the diced tomatoes and onion gave the dish a very refreshing sensation. Each "boat" has two large prawns but I think they can have a new dish without the prawns.
(5) Fajitas (steak)
How can we not order fajitas in a Mexican restaurant! Just look at the presentation of the dish, the all-on-one set with a little drawer to hold the tortillas. The whole set was very impressive. Apparently it was tailored made to their specifications. Thumbs up on the design! As for the food, another Thumbs Up! The steak was medium cooked and with the various condiments like baked beans, sour cream, diced tomatoes and avocado paste. Very good! My friend and I really missed Mexican food and so far we were very satisfied with the food, service and atmosphere here.
(6) Alambres AL Pastor
Everything was great until this dish. Not that it was bad or anything, but relatively disappointing compared with the dishes we had before. The presentation was great again but the chicken, while still tender and juicy in the inside, the outer layer seemed a bit over-cooked / over-grilled; same with the potato wedges. I would definitely order it again next time looking for improvement since I already reflected my opinion on this dish to the staff.
Likes:
- Great Services and atmosphere
- Chili Infused Tequila (with the Chaser) - a must try !
- Fajitas (steak) - wonderful !
- Alambres AL Pastor (grilled Chicken Skews, a bit over cooked)
- Lack of air conditioning
Cafe Iguana
Shop R004, Civic Square, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, TST
Tel: 2196 8733
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