Food Reviews: An edible ode to autumn
By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-19 09:46
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Autumn sees an abundance of mellow fruits and meat treats at VIC restaurant as Swiss chef Christian Werdenberg pays tribute to some of the best of nature's bounty with a seasonal special buffet until Sept 26.
Starters and salads celebrate seasonal ingredients, such as the venison terrine, served with dry apricots and cranberry sauce, which goes well with the Chinese belief that more meat should be consumed as weather gets cooler. The smoked salmon carpaccio is deliciously paired with walnuts, while the forest mushroom mousse is light, but retains the full mushroom fragrance, while the endive salad with grapes and chestnuts offers the crisp scents of autumn.
Venison "civet" is marinated with wine and slow cooked to absorb the flavor. The combination of glazed chestnuts with caramel reminds me of tasty Chinese sugar-fried chestnut. Apple compote is served to degrease the liver sausage, while mussels in white wine are nice to eat along with garlic bread.
VIC has a big variety of tempting looking desserts, among which the red wine pear and white chocolate mousse cake is my favorite, though the vermicelle chestnut puree with meringues runs it close. If you are looking for strong flavors then try the poached fig in red wine.
Apart from these dishes, there are a range of Chinese main dishes, cold dishes, along with soups, and a lot of desserts.
Lunch buffet costs 198 yuan ($29.4) per person, and dinner buffet 268 yuan per p
erson. There is a Sunday brunch on Sept 26.