Azure

I had planned to head to Azure for Valentines day but the set menu wouldn't have been very appealing to Rebecca. Out of ideas of places to go, we headed there for our Saturday instead.

I was torn between the gnocchi and ravioli, but the ravioli won out. These are not the standard 3 cm square ravioli, these were round, nearly 5 cm across, and were filled with a light pork mixture, more like an Asian dumpling. The pasta skin was much lighter in wheat and binder, almost to the texture of ha gao. With each bite I expected the harsh kick of ginger, but it never appeared, but something that tasted like spring onions was present and gave a small lift. Don't be fooled by the serving size - they can be quite filling, The sauce was very rich and strong, but it felt overall a little flat. More spring onions or coriander would have brightened it up a touch.

Rebecca ordered a market salad as a side - it was very well presented and had plump, fresh leaves and a nice twist of pine nuts, raw betroot and carrots, as well as some sort of sprouting bean.

Still hungry, I went for the Venezuelan chocolate (basically a fondant) and ice cream. This one was dressed with a lash of what tasted like sliced almonds on a thin meringue. Very tasty, a bit bitter but delicious.

With our entertainment card, our meal came in at $60, amazing value. Four and a half stars.