Bloom is the restaurant part of Lily & Bloom, the bar and restaurant with a design concept based on the New York speakeasy from the 1920s. Upstairs is Lily, the romantic Parisian salon-style bar, which we did not peruse except to get to the restaurant downstairs. Downstairs is Bloom, a casual New York-style supper club and bar with an intimate atmosphere, even in the middle of the day. Service was attentive and friendly, even providing crayons and paper for our 3-year-old son. We were given both the brunch menu and the special Festival of Restaurants menu, and although we were there for the latter, my mum and I decided to order from the brunch menu.
An amuse-bouche-style donut ball (a croustillon, perhaps?), served to whet our appetites:
My mum ordered the Grilled Salmon, served with corn and black beans salad, which both parents said was good:
I got the Bloom Benny, an eggs benedict with poached organic eggs and smoked pork loin on top of focaccia toast with brown butter hollandaise. The eggs were perfectly cooked with runny yolk, and the smoked pork was a nice change from the usual salty cured ham/bacon:
Ordered some fries as a side dish, and the boy loved it:
The following were my dad's and hubby's orders from the special Festival of Restaurants menu. There were four choices to choose from for the appetiser and main courses, and two dessert options with coffee/tea included.
My dad ordered the Artichoke & Shiitake Fritter with truffle bagna càuda. I had a little taste, and it was good - very flavourful and crispy:
Hubby's Shrimp & Grits was less impressive. The grits needed more seasoning and the shrimps were quite tasteless. :
My dad got the Salmon & Potato Napoleon, with leek-saffron cream and salmon roe. I liked the streamlined presentation, and it tasted quite good too:
Hubby's main course was Bresciole, an Italian stewed beef, stuffed with goat's cheese, ricotta, pine nuts and prosciutto, and rolled up roulade-style. The beef was tender and you could taste the distinctive flavour of goat's cheese in the filling. The brussel sprouts were prepared well and tasted pretty good:
Close-up of the filling of the Bresciole:
Chocolate Brownie Monkey Bar - a biscuit topped with banana slices and chocolate syrup. The biscuit base didn't resemble much like brownies, more like a choc chip cookie, but it was yummy:
Caramel Pot de Crème - very sweet and tasted just like the caramel candies. The glacé kumquats on top was a nice touch:
I love the double-wall glass that the cappuccino was served in:
Overall, it was a good dining experience at Bloom, with only one dud dish out of ten. Hubby's drink order of lemon, lime & bitters was forgotten, and when it finally arrived after I reordered, the bartender had gotten the mix wrong. The drink was replaced quickly, and the managress came over to apologise and explained that LLB is still relatively unknown to her staff. It wasn't a big deal, and we were happy with how quickly the matter was resolved. My parents enjoyed the meal (although they thought it was too expensive), and I hope that the experience took away some of their food prejudice against 'western' food.
Bloom
5th Floor, LKF Tower
33 Wyndham St
Central
Tel. +85 2 2810 6166.
Hi there :) American cuisine depends on which region you are in... in the South... for instance... they might have shrimp po' boys or fried pickles. In the midwest... it is all steak & potatoes. In California... fresh ingredients consisting of seafood... avocado and other produce... Mexican & Japanese food come to mind. It is definitely a melting pot and American cuisine cannot be defined by any one particular group. :) Personally... I think Bloom should be more specific! :) Also... I have NEVER seen eggs benedict served on top of focaccia toast. I prefer eggs benedict with smoked salmon... YUM!
ReplyDeleteSo, I LOVE shrimp and grits and to hear hubby did not have a good taste his first time, I was a bit sad! Being from the south, the best place to have shrimp and grits is Charleston, South Carolina. IT is a must, and a order of sweet tea must go along side it. Did you ever try Roti in Tokyo? This restaurant reminds me of Roti's.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie for enlightening me on the American cuisine. Lots of variety!
ReplyDeleteShari, I think we would love shrimp and grits if we had a good one, but this one really was flavourless - perhaps the chef missed the salt. We didn't go to Roti in Tokyo, but I heard of it as it was quite popular with the American expats there.