white rabbit @ Dempsey

39C Harding Road

64739965

Food:             5/10

Ambiance:    8/10

Service:         7/10

Price: $25-60 per person

Take a drive down Harding Road and steer your car into the direction of a historical and somewhat gothic looking chapel. As you get out of the car, you find yourself surrounded by lush greenery.  Emerald green leaves, light filtering through the branches,  a rich earthy smell exudes making one would feel transported back in time and place to an old English countryside.

As you walk further on, an entrance to a rabbit reveals, hidden in the folds of the dense greenery, ah the earthy smell of beginnings and endings.

White Rabbit had a promising beginning for me but sadly, not so much a happy ending. I began then night with high expectations, hoping to tuck into classic European comfort food.

The lobster bisque was good. It was full of flavor and had a subtle tangy hint which was a nice surprise. They were generous with the lobster claw usually i get versions with only the meat in it so this was another surprise. The paste at the center of the bowl is butterunt squash puree.

The seafood stock of the bisque is poignant and not overpowered by succulence, which is commendable. But my only complaint is that it is not creamy enough. Traditionally bisques are supposed to be smooth, creamy and rich but sadly this soup is lacking in that aspect.

 Now lets try the Tomato Fennel Consomme.  Beautiful presentation. Very very tangy. The views about this dish are very subjective. I thought it tasted like a Thai spa massage oil (not that i have tasted that but it reminded me of the fumes), my mother thought it was refreshing. Try it at your risk.

I love the name of the 48 hour braised beef short ribs,  numbers are always a good thing. It shows effort. It was soft and tender to the point you can feel the fibers of the meat separate in your mouth. The sauce was bourguignon or beef burgundy. Beef bourguinon was one of the peasant dishes in the past that became haute cuisine. Really it means beef stew. The beef is simmered in wine in order to break down the tough meat to make it easy to chew. The ribs were not bad but i have had better.

                        Lobster thermidor and steak combination

Lastly, we tried the Lobster thermidor and Steak Combination. They were generous with lobster meat for the dish. This became an issue for me after visiting Sydneys Harbour market where stallholders removed chunks of meat and used cream to cover it up.. incident had enraged me so much that now im a lobster meat nazi. The mornay sauce sauce at best, average. The steak was tender but average in taste as well.

The staff were pretty good though. They noticed that i was still reading the menu after i had ordered so they brought out their brunch menu as well for me to take a look at. Very attentive.