Buko Nero

C says:

Friday was Buko Nero night once again. The menu was:

Amuse Bouche: Chicken and mushroom wonton ravioli
Beef Carpaccio with Lemon, Grape and Mint
Cauliflower and Crab Meat Soup
Buko Nero Tau Kwa Tower (a la carte)
Orange and Passionfruit Sherbet
A’s main: Beef tenderloin with blueberry sauce and bacon
C’s main: Risotto with lamb proscuitto and marscapone
Coffee ice-cream with marshmallows

The amuse bouche was quite similar to the beef and red wine ravioli that we had on our last visit, so while it was very good, it wasn’t a new taste for us so it didn’t blow us away. The carpaccio was best eaten separately, because the lemon dressing, mint and grape combination tended to overpower the taste of the beef. But I had a mouthful of the beef on its own and it had a great intense beef flavour.

The soup was wonderful; I wish we could have ta bao-ed a whole tureen of it and had huge bowls of it with crusty baguette and lots of butter. I really don’t know how Chef Oscar manages to take a none-too-pleasant tasting vegetable, and turn it into an awesome soup that still tastes like cauliflower, but with none of its dodginess.

The tau kwa tower was interesting – we decided to share it this time because it’s their signature starter and we hadn’t tried it after so many visits. It was pretty good, mainly saved by the sauce which both sweet and slightly tart, and the shitake mushrooms that topped the tau kwa. It was worth trying but I don’t think we’ll order it again.

A’s beef was great as usual, and the blueberry sauce was really interesting. It wasn’t as sweet as I expected, just very concentrated and almost like a red wine sauce. My risotto, which is from the a la carte menu, was an unexpected delight. The rice had a good bite to it, it wasn’t too soupy, and while the risotto with the marscapone was a tad bland on its own, it was absolutely perfect when combined with the intensely flavourful lamb proscuitto. Even A, who is not a risotto fan, liked this and even preferred it to his main.

The coffee ice-cream was a major caffeine jolt. It was home-made and seriously high on espresso flavour. The little pieces of marshmallow embedded in the ice cream added a nice touch.

Note: Buko Nero is closed from 17th September for their summer vacation. They’re back in the beginning of October so we have to wait until then to try and make our next reservation.

A says:

Great as usual. I just hope their sherbet isn’t some weird fruit flavour next time.