FG Restaurant**, Rotterdam
Most of my close friends and family know that I tend to make lists of things I want to do, and this includes lists of places I want to eat. One of the restaurants that has been on my list for restaurants to try in Rotterdam, is FG restaurant. It’s the last two-starred restaurant I still need to try, before I’ve tasted all of the two-starred restaurants in Rotterdam. I decided that it was time to try something new and test it out, so for my dad’s early birthday dinner we came to FG to see what all the fuss is about.
Our evening started with signature amuse, a Piccalilli Cone. Although this cone was tiny, the amount of flavor was huge. The sourness of the piccalilli came through nicely and since it was so cold, it was very refreshing.
The second amuse to come was the signature Canele. These are topped with a Foie Gras Mousse, which pairs wonderful with this sweet French pastry. Since I’d already informed them that I’d rather not have too much meat, they gave me an alternative with Granny Smith Apple. This was disappointing, because it just didn’t match very well. The richness of the foie was definitely missing in this case.
The final amuse was Roasted Leek topped with Oyster Mousse. I always love the charred flavor that comes from roasting vegetables and it came through nicely in this instance. The oyster mousse added a nice texture, although I think in terms of taste it wasn’t that memorable.
The first course was Oyster • Barley • Caviar. It was a lovely dish, and the taste was great. I especially enjoyed the oyster and caviar. The barley that was black because of the squid ink, was superfluous, as I didn't feel like it added much to the dish. Hence, I also just left it on the plate, and didn't finish it.
The next dish, Kombu • Cod • Lobster • Nage, was a favorite for my brother and I. I consider Japanese food one of the best. So the dashi that was added to this, just brought us back home to Asia. The Cod and the Lobster were perfectly cooked. The flavors in this dish, were on point, which makes this one of the most memorable dishes of the night.
The third course was the Quail Jelly • Langoustine Creme. There were two components to this dish, the first was the quaill jelly presented in the glass with the langoustine creme. The second was this little toast topped with a quail mousse. You were supposed to eat the jelly and concurrently take a bite from the little toast. This dish was full of flavor, the toast with quail mousse was rich and delicious. The quail jelly, cold, was rather refreshing and the pairing together was a well thought out idea.
Somewhat of a palate cleanser, and a signature here at FG, we had the Nitro Cocktail, a Clear Bloody Mary. The vodka is distilled here in the restaurant and has been infused with basil and tomato. The cocktail is prepared table side and we were first given the vodka to smell. The smell was very fragrant and the herbs shone through wonderfully. From the smell I had high expectations, but the cocktail didn't really appeal to my taste. The bruschetta we were given, on the other hand, was delicious. Disappointing dish, for one that is constantly featured in the media.
As per usual I went for fish instead of the meat dishes, the rest of the family had the meat dishes though, and even though I had a taste I don't think I can really give a well-informed opinion of them (since they were so tiny too, so couldn't taste too much). My first replacement dish instead of the Poussin • Asparagus, was Scallop • Pumpkin • Fennel • Pecorino. I loved this dish. The scallop was fresh and perfectly seared and the earthiness of the pumpkin was lovely. I especially also enjoyed the pecorino that came with it as it added some nice sharpness to the dish. I tried the poussin, and I thought it was nice and tender, but I think my replacement was nicer (the rest of the table also had food envy).
Then instead of Sukade • Parsnip • Tonka (which was miniscule, btw), I was served the Skate Wing • Beet • Turnip. Size wise, mine was a much better dish. I really enjoyed the vegetable elements on this plate, especially the beet. I did find that it was an interesting choice for the chef to leave the fish on the bone. It was quite tricky getting the flesh off, and at one point I did have a bone in my mouth, which wasn't very pleasant. In the process of getting the meat off, you basically massacred the fish, which made it less enjoyable. I don't mind working for my food, i.e., ribs, but at this standard I expected a little more.
As my final savory dish of the night I had the Plaice • Artichoke • Mushroom • Hazelnut. This was a lovely dish, especially after the last. They were very generous with the mushrooms and the fish, as I was given to filets. The fish was nice and tender and cooked to perfection. The hazelnuts added a nutty crunch, which was thoroughly enjoyed. Overall a great dish. The rest of the family was given the Deer • Turnip • Hazelnut. The taste of the dish was good, the meat was very tender, however the portion was tiny. For the two men at the table a bit too small I'd say, they could've used some extra meat.
We had two desserts as part of the menu, the first was the Popcorn • Chix • Pistachio. Originally it was a chocolate dessert, but both my parents don't enjoy chocolate in desserts so much, so we'd requested an alternate. The description of this dish made me very excited, hence the disappointment was great when it arrived and we had a taste. First, this was the most terrible popcorn I've eaten in a long time. A two-starred restaurant that doesn't know how to pop popcorn? The popcorn wasn't crisp and soft, which made it chewy. I also couldn't really detect any pistachio on the plate. What is meant to be in that cream smeared on the surface of the plate? And finally the tiny little scoop of ice cream, was finished within two bites. Overall probably one of the worst desserts I've eaten in quite some time. Considering how important my family and I find dessert, we were left unimpressed.
The second dessert and final course of the meal was the Macadamia • Vanilla • Masia el Altet. There was foie gras on top of the macadamia nut, which I'd specifically requested to be removed on mine, since I'm not such a big fan of foie and had more than enough when I ate the canele (I ate my mum's btw). When it arrived though it was there and the server told me he left it on, because I absolutely had to try it this way. Well I did, and didn't like it at all, so the second piece I quickly handed off to my brother. This dessert was a bit more interesting than the last, especially in terms of flavor combination. The olive oil went surprisingly well with the vanilla ice cream and I loved the caramelized macadamias (minus foie). Just once again, it wasn't very substantial. I noticed later as I was browsing social media, that most people got at least the double portion of this, so I'm wondering, did they run out? Or did they just think we didn't deserve as much?
Of course I still ordered my fresh mint tea to end the night. I was curious to see their friandises and to see whether it could somewhat compensate for the sad desserts. Their mint tea, was freshly picked and we could even choose some other plants to add to add a little twist to the traditional fresh mint tea. It was nice to see it freshly prepared at our table, although we were so tired (it was already 12:30 am) so we weren't feeling very excited about it. The friandises for the night consisted of this giant cotton candy in which there were two little treats (a brioche like thingie and a tiny candy), and a slushi that was served on the side. I was still thinking that there would be some form of madeleines or chocolate truffles presented, and my brother kept on asking me about it to. But nothing ever came. By the time we left it was 1:30, my mum had already nearly fallen asleep before dessert, and we were extremely tired. It was a nice meal, but a bit too long. Between some of the courses I think we waited around 30 minutes. Personally am I of the opinion that this restaurant has been hyped about too much in the media and it's extremely overrated. Their patisserie definitely needs some help, since their desserts are quite tragic. Having had very high expectations did not help in this case. Maybe instead of fluffing around in the lab, they should focus on the food itself a bit.