Thanks so much! It’s over after this weekend but I’ve managed to stretch it out for 2 weekends. Not bad hey?

Hi Maria-Thankyou so much! Hehe yes I was trying to be healthy but really what was I thinking?

Hi chocolatesuze-I’m off there tomorrow night. Happy Birthday for the 25th!

Hi Maria-He’s the kind of guy who likes to test waiters. At Sel et Poivre he routinely orders “Butt Cheeks” instead of “Beef cheeks”!

Oh that story of the spoon sounds ghastly! A food crusted, trodden over spoon? Makes you wonder what happens in the kitchen!

I suspect they used a home made harissa that was milder as the foam was harissa coloured. The real Harissa du Cap in the tube that we buy which is imported from Morocca is very hot, too hot in some cases so that you have to use it very sparingly or else!

I must admit I had a bit of a grumble to my husband over him giving me only half a round without the other things but from memory it was quite nutty and with pancetta. Nice but not as exciting as the pork or short rib.

I admit I like a lot of dressing, not drowning mind you but well coated. I had a really nice salad that they lightly sprayed with dressing so that it was a very light but thorough coat.

I wondered about the potatoes as they were just so disappointing to everyone. I can say that they definitely did sit under a heat lamp and for too long although I don’t usually eat Sebago potatoes so I am not that familiar with them.

Hehe don’t get me started on fudge, I find most of it achingly sweet and I can’t stand it when I can taste the sugar granules. There is a wonderful fudge brand from Tasmania called Island Produce, that is the best fudge in the world. Have you tried that? It’s lovely and smooth.

Arrrgh! That’s funny but scary about the ganache on the plates. Will I be able to look at a ganache patterned plate the same way?

I always think that Bombe Alaska looks better than it tastes. That doesn’t stop me from ordering it but I sometimes feel a touch disappointed that it’s just ice cream in the centre. I feel like something else should be in there-a Chanel purse, a Dove should fly out…I don’t know

Thankyou! Only two more birthday dinners to go for this birthday girl

I laughed out loud when I read “Item 24 dollars”! That’s an interesting way to order, but I don’t know I’d have the guts to do it? :-/ !!

That was odd about the Harissa foam being the way it was. Which makes me think of a restuarant story I have: On boxing day, hubby and I tried an Indian restaurant in another town (we were staying with my inlaws). My hubby ordered something “hot” and it came out to him mild. I tasted it and there wasn’t any chilli in it AT ALL. Zero chilli. Just one mistake of many that night (I kept telling myself I’d write a letter of complaint but I STILL haven’t done it.. pfft)! Can I share another mistake.. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with this post..but I have to tell someone!

We were sitting there feeling pretty disappointed by the experience, almost ready to pay and leave. Our waitress (and I use that term loosely) walked past carrying a stack of dirty dishes collected from another table. When she walked past us, one of the spoons fell from her pile onto the carpet beside us. We thought it was obvious (at least audible) and she’d come back for it. She didn’t and kept coming and going, coming and going and ignoring and stepping over this dirty tablespoon. Eventually she picks it up and puts it on our table. In front of us! We were gobsmacked. Someone elses dirty spoon!

Anyway.. where I was getting with the harissa was that maybe they forgot the harissa part (which is unlikely..I know). It sounds like they created a very “safe” foam and didn’t want to scare anyone’s palates with anything fiery in the amuse bouche? (Note to themselves: don’t use harissa in the title of any amuse bouche if it’s not real harissa).

I did really like the look of that amuse bouche I must say! I love a good croquette too.

All of the dishes looked great.. your hubby’s looked the most “safe” as far as in the tasting would go. I’m curious about the stuffing in that chicken.

Your barramundi with duck confit sounds superb.. I love my fish done like that (The texture you described).

Re: the salad – at places I know that skimp on dressing I always ask for extra on the side when ordering. Then I feel a bit like a freak because maybe I just like things heavily dressed? I just don’t want to taste gourmet lettuce mix and nothing else, especially at restaurant prices. It has to stand out somehow. I know a few people who eat salad ingredients minus dressing and that is “salad” to them because they don’t like dressing. I think of them as “safe eaters”.

Re: the potatoes. Do you think by any chance they could have not used sebago’s? It was just a thought that popped into my mind. The wrong kind of potato. But yah.. after watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (and my own eating experiences) I know restaurants do leave things sitting under lamps.

I’m happy that you received some fudge/a truffle and a candle to honour your special occasion! Very small pieces though! At my birthday dinner.. we received a small square of house made fudge each with our hot drinks at the end of the night. The fudge was atrocious.. it was just like crystallised sugar that had been coloured with a weak cocoa mixture. I’ve tasted some superb local fudge..and what we had was gross. Didn’t get any photo’s of it.

Can I be honest and say I don’t like the ganache or whatever it is smeared on the white plates. (Pumpkin pie photo and your fudge/truffle). One picture reminds me of trying to get vegemite off a knife and the other reminds me of some porcelain cisterns I’ve seen in public loo’s..where you walk in and go “NOOOOO..”. That is a pretty gross analogy..but it was just what I thought regarding that kind of garnish. I’m sure it tasted good?!

I agree with you re: that copper pot dessert.. it just looks SO appealing! Love it.

I’ve only eaten Bombe Alaska once (I had it on the menu for my 1st wedding). That was in 1989 and I completely forget what it tasted like.

Thank you for sharing one of your lovely birthday dinners! p.s. I’m worrying that my poo analogy was out of line??!

have a terrific birthday week/month/however long you can draw it out!