Goodbye, 2009!
The best way of saying goodbye to 2009 was with one fancy culinary adventure: a six course meal at Riva restaurant, Park Lane hotel, created by Chef Gilles Marx.
It was only the two of us, my hubby and I, and we reserved a table for two at 7 p.m. for the New Years gala dinner. The restaurant was busier than usual (or at least busier than the other two times I have been here). 
The six course meal started with ‘orange-vanilla marinated fresh Canadian scallop Carpaccio and tender lamb lettuce’. I don’t particularly like seafood, but this one was surprisingly nice because of the orange flavour which ‘kills’ the typical fishy smell of seafood. Of course I should have known better than to expect less than excellent food at this place, given the raving reviews this restaurant has received. The Indonesia Tatler magazine described it as “best quality dining experience in Jakarta”, and it was awarded as the “most outstanding restaurant to open in the last two years” by the Jakarta Good Food Guide in 2001.
Anyway, back to the menu. The second course was ‘soupe aux Truffes Eysee’, which was a very rich tasting truffle soup with a pastry topping. It was served in a small coffee-cup-like cup, which I found very cute. The third course was ‘pan-seared duck liver, sautéed fresinette banana and sauternes jus’. Well I have to tell you that the duck liver was sinfully delicious – literally. The banana and sauce helped tone down the fattiness of the duck liver, and it made an excellent combination for heavenly bites. The fourth course was ‘crispy breaded Atlantic plaice, blue swimmer crab cannelloni and crab jus’, and to be honest, I preferred the plaice to the crab cannelloni, as the crab seemed to leave a certain unexplainable aftertaste on my tongue. Again – this is a personal preference, as I am not a big fan of seafood. 
So I’m probably the least qualified to make a judgment for how seafood tastes!
The fifth course, also the main course, was the star of the evening, as well it should be. It was ‘double cut grilled wagyu beef sirloin, spring vegetables and bordelaise sauce’. The beef was sooooo tender, it almost just melted in my mouth, and the sauce suited perfectly (note to self: need to find out how to make this sauce). The last course was purely delish, a real soothing treat to every single taste buds after such an adventure: ‘fresh strawberry sable, pistachio foam and balsamic sorbet’. My mouth is watering just to thinking back on that lovely finale. But just when I thought the evening is over, we were served coffee with ‘fresh malt whisky flavoured chocolate truffle’. A really lovely way to end the evening – and a splendour end to the year.
Tags: dinner, Gilles Marx, New Year, Park Lane