MUSI

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG......................OMG. Sounding like a tween girl who's just discovered a ghost fan-site for naked pictures of Robert Pattinson is TOTALLY unintentional. I just can't help myself - Oh My God. "SEAFOOD NIGHT" at MUSI, two Fridays ago, still not fully recovered. That's how bad it was and I didn't even get sick.

Other than the great company I kept that night, everything else was borderline psychotic Japanese slasher-horror-armageddon-somethingelse movie-like. Well that's not true, that one Oyster did taste alright. One oyster out of 15, plus shrimp, plus scallops, plus sardines, plus mussels, plus clams, plus KULDKOGER( I will get back to this one in a minute). Not exactly a respectable batting average there. So we had everything and a lot of wine and here comes the thumbs-up for MUSI, wine was not priced greedily. See - I can give an objective evaluation to any kind of eating establishment.

Bad service, over-cooked shrimp, oysters that died of natural causes ( some of them confused and searching for elephant graveyards), scallops sliced and diced to make them look like there's a lot and...... over-cooked, bad mussels, bad clams, bad everything. None of it bad in a fresh way.

Bad service meaning this time that we had to ask for cutlery then napkins then wine then a wine cooler then ice for the wine cooler and so on. I do get it that they are trying to be niche in a "we don't even try to be a real restaurant" type of way, but for some reason they think that I still need to be a real customer with real money. I really should have brought "Monopoly" money with me. It's perfect for occasions like this.

Now, I saved the best for last. KULDKOGER, KULDKOGER. Man, there's nothing like terribly undercooked white fish in the culinary world. It is the equivalent of getting plague in the 21st century. There's no need for it, nobody does it and it almost never happens. That's not it and this was the first for me. My friend announced in an apologizing manner that eating this dish the way it is, is just unthinkable and sent it back to the kitchen. By the way, that was the very first time, ever.

The same half-eaten fish was put back in a oven, then back on the same plate and then was brought back to the table.
THE END.

In Studio Vinum New Menu

New menu is always exciting. For many so are the so called SilverSpoons and In Studio Vinum got couple of them this time around. Anyway...I've always liked the place. Not really the place, mainly the food and wine and Imre for making truthful and unpretentious recommendations.

So I went. Had pâté with a salad. It was delicious, salad fresh and the pâté rich. Tasted duck fat and maybe some bacon. Then followed with a classic Coq au vin and this was real good. Maybe I personally prefer the sauce little fruitier. I'm not even sure if that's the right description for the sensation that the taste buds take to the cortex, but hey that's the best I got. The accompanying risotto could've also been little cheesier, but don't get me wrong everything was real good plus the new prices seem to go little better with the times.

Recommended wine was good as usual and I love that you can ask for a recommended pairing without having to ask for the price. They are not out there to take advantage of you, so step in and let Imre and Allar take care of you.

Hai Long

Pleasant surprises are hard to come by in these times. Hai Long is one of them. For reasons unknown to me I kept passing them by for couple of years, with no attempt whatsoever to walk in their door. Just couple of weeks ago I took a chance and I'm glad. I've been back three times since.

Sure, if you're planning a romantic dinner or a celebratory dinner or a dinner function that requires any kind of pleasant atmosphere, this is not the place. The food on a other hand is real nice, well prepared and you can actually taste the freshness. Hai Long is not a Korean reaturant, nor is it Chinese. Not sure where to place them, since they even have some Thai and possibly Indian influenced dishes on the menu.

I have tasted at least 10 different dishes and of course some are better than others, but all of them are good. If I would have to pick on anything then it would have to be the desserts. Even that is not their fault. It's me. Whenever I think of a dessert, my mind skips the whole continent of Asia. Then again I absolutely have to praise the chefs of Hai Long for not being afraid to make dishes little spicy. We all need spice, some of us just don't know it.

I have to bring up MSG. I have couple of friends who are seriously allergic to it. Since I personally don't have a strong reaction to it I can't say that it's not used in their kitchen. I've had some food seriously laced with MSG in a past and remember that it did not sit well with me either, so there's a chance it's pretty safe at Hai Long. Hey, take little bites.

Now I'm going to bring up a different question. They're real proud of the fact that the guys working in the kitchen are of real Korean ethnicity. Why is it that so many people think that as long as you're of right ethnicity, you'll be able to cook better food originating your home country? I have had the best pizza in a world made by Puerto Ricans, best Ratatouille prepared by Ecuadorians and the most mouth-watering croissants by Albanians. Same time I have a feeling that there's gotta be at least a billion Chinese who are not all excellent chefs. I think it's time to get over this silliness and for everybodys sake just hope for a good, talented and hard-working chef, no matter his or hers background.