When I saw “Salted Egg Yolk Cream Puffs” as the dessert offering on Sai Woo’s $35 Dine Out menu, I made a reservation immediately. Having eaten here several times, I noticed that their Dine Out menu offered a lot of dishes that aren’t offered on their regular menu. I think that’s a great way for a chef to experiment and to try out new dishes as well as offering diners a unique experience.
There was one scallop very thinly sliced alternating with radish slices. It fell short for me in terms of flavour. I had a similar dish earlier in the week and this one just lacked punch and interest.
I preferred this appetizer over the scallops. The veal cheeks were tender and fell apart. The dish was flavourful and the portion size was quite large for an appetizer.
The steak was served medium rare and was cooked well but the steak was quite tough. Overall this dish was quite mediocre. Presentation was beautiful, however the shallot puree overpowered everything.
The black bean dashi broth was very flavourful and the mountain of clams presented was very impressive. The little croutons of mantou added a nice textural contrast.
This was my most anticipated dish of the evening and by far my favourite. I had been expecting smaller cream puffs, so one large one was a bit surprising. The salted egg yolk creme on the inside was quite liquid, but it really packed a strong salted egg yolk flavour. There was a small quenelle of whipped cream on the side on top of a pile of salted egg yolk dust which helped to cut the creaminess of the cream puff. The choux was very well down – light and crispy.
Overall I felt the menu was serviceable. I had high expectations for tonight and I had recommended Sai Woo as one of my Dine Out top picks, but I felt the menu was lackluster in its execution. The stand out dish by far was the Salted Egg Yolk cream puff, so I hope it’s something they will consider putting on their regular menu.
