Tongue & Groove - New Menu Tasting

A few weeks back, I was privileged to be invited to try Tongue & Groove's new menu by their new head chef, Ayhan Erkoc, who has previously worked at The Manse, Noma and Celcius. I haven't been back for a while (previous visit blog post) but the atmosphere at T&G remains relaxed, modern and chic. I would also like to thank the friendly team at T&G especially Andrew Duong (Senior Restaurant Manager), Luke Cathcart (Restaurant Manager) and Sophia for their attentiveness and the awesome service on the night! 

We started out the night with some lovely tapas and drinks. Since I could not have any alcohol, T&G made some lovely mocktails for me instead!

From left to right: Lychee Delight, Berry Mojito & Espresso Martini (I didn't actually have this as it contained alcohol)

Both the Lychee Delight and Berry Mojito were nice. I love lychees so the Lychee Delight was perfect but unfortunately it wasn't enough to satisfy my lychee craving! Berry Mojito was more refreshing and fruity, which I also liked as well! Espresso Martini looked dark and sinfully rich...i didn't get to try it as it contained alcohol. 

Moving on to the tapas, we first started with the Salmon Tartare, avocado, roe, cured egg yolk served with fried Salmon skin. The salmon skins were fried perfectly and best of all, they didn't feel oily. The light pieces of salmon skin went really well with the salmon tartare which was very tasty and fresh. 

The smoked beetroot dip was served in a tightly sealed jar surrounded by balloon-like housemade pita bread. The smoke that came out of the jar wasn't very pleasant at first but the dip was seriously delicious with the pita bread. 

Next up was a twist on the traditional Asian buns - pork bun, pickled cucumber and hoi sin. It was an open bun filled with tender pork pieces, cucumber and some green shallots. The bun was light and fluffy which was paired deliciously with the well-marinated pork pieces and the cucumber added a refreshing touch to the bun.

Last on the list of tapas was the Globe Artichoke, jerusalem artichoke and goat chèvre. When I first saw this dish on the menu, I wasn't particularly excited just because I am not a fan of goat chèvre. This dish, however, had a good balance of textures and flavours and  the goat chèvre wasn't overpowering at all. Quite lovely =) I could have had another one of this...

After the run of tapas we got started on our entrees which was a confit Spanish mackerel, bacon, celeriac with salsa verde on the side. The mackerel was cooked beautifully and dusted with bacon crisps and the salsa verde was definitely essential to bring the whole dish together.

Our most awaited dish for the night was finally here! The Slow roasted pork belly was served like a roast-type of dish which was to be shared around accompanied by a few side dishes which were: Cumin & honey carrots, Parsnips with oregano & lemon, Beans with garlic & almond and lastly, Beans with mint. We also had a Water Cress, parsley, onion and sumac salad (no photo) going around the table.

The pork belly was roasted nicely which produced a glorious golden and crispy skin. The pork belly was soft and juicy but sadly the skin was a tad salty for my taste. I would have loved the pork belly if it wasn't for the a-bit-too-salty skin...

I hearted the side dishes though! Simple fresh ingredients cooked in a simple way with simple and lovely combination of flavours.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

Cumin & Honey Carrots

Parsnips with Oregano & Lemon

Dessert time had arrived and we were presented with a beautiful dessert which was not only pleasant to the eye but to our taste buds too! Yoghurt and White Chocolate Ganache with berries, rhubarb granita and pistachio was a pretty dessert dish which combined an array of flavours that worked well together. The ganache was a bit sweet but it was cleverly matched with the rhubarb granita to tone it down. Loved the berries for adding colour and a refreshing taste to the dish and also, the pistachio 'soil' and the rose water jelly for adding some texture to the dessert and a visual appeal to the whole dish. *Liked this delicious and refreshing dessert! Perfect for spring =)

As dinner was approaching to an end we were served some petit fours and tea. Being a big fan of salted caramel, i just couldn't pass on the Hazelnut truffle with salted caramel! It was perfect with tea and Oohlala to the gooey salted caramel filling! I also couldn't pass on the Beurre Noisette Madeleines which had just come out of the oven. They were light, warm and not too sweet for my liking...no photos for these since I had to finish them before they got cold. *sorry

Hazelnut Truffles with Salted Caramel

The night was great and the menu tasting went well. I enjoyed my alcohol-free drinks and I was particularly impressed with the tapas menu for being exciting and well-executed. I also enjoyed the dessert very much and thank you for not offering 'boring' desserts (not uncommon here in Canberra)! Keep up the good work and I will be back for more tapas, mains and desserts =)

Once again, I would like to thank Phil (from The Mark Agency) for organising this menu tasting event and the friendly T&G team for being awesome hosts!