Restaurant : Sage
October 18th, 2011 at 11:26:30 PM
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I had the early evening tasting menu from Sage about three weeks back. 3 courses for $59, plus taxes, tip and any drinks.
We hadn't booked and were only able to get to eat in the lounge area, which was a rather spartan space next to the bar. The staff initially didn't seem to pleased to either serve us or give us the early evening menu. But once we ordered a cocktail or three, the frostiness seemed to evaporate, and we had good and cheerful service.
The set menu I had a was a Onion soup, poached chicken and a peanut butter/caramel desert. This I accompanied with a very nice gin cocktail and as much water as the water waiter seemed to be able to cram into my glass. The soup was served with a small dollop of creme freche... which was all they served us initially. This confused me, and I wondered if "soup" meant something else. However, this was quickly fixed with a kettle of soup being poured carefully around it, making sure the dish was piping hot when served.
The poached chicken was excellent... moist, tender and the liquid I think had some sort of miso in it. However, I was told that the wrapped Atlantic char was the best thing ever. It certainly looked excellent, wrapped in spinach that was crispy while the char was still pink and moist. Both dishes are highly recommended.
Desert was good. A posh peanut butter slice, effectively, but rich, slightly salty and sweet.
Excellent meal, with slightly awkward service at first. Probably worth booking ahead. Sage is easy to find, being directly off the entrance to Aria, near the reception desks.
The rest of Aria... a bloody mess that no-one can find their way into, out of or around. It's a shame, as a lot of the parts of Aria (and city centre) seem to be worth the time and effort of visiting, but I always feel frustrated when trying to get around that place, which I can do without.
We hadn't booked and were only able to get to eat in the lounge area, which was a rather spartan space next to the bar. The staff initially didn't seem to pleased to either serve us or give us the early evening menu. But once we ordered a cocktail or three, the frostiness seemed to evaporate, and we had good and cheerful service.
The set menu I had a was a Onion soup, poached chicken and a peanut butter/caramel desert. This I accompanied with a very nice gin cocktail and as much water as the water waiter seemed to be able to cram into my glass. The soup was served with a small dollop of creme freche... which was all they served us initially. This confused me, and I wondered if "soup" meant something else. However, this was quickly fixed with a kettle of soup being poured carefully around it, making sure the dish was piping hot when served.
The poached chicken was excellent... moist, tender and the liquid I think had some sort of miso in it. However, I was told that the wrapped Atlantic char was the best thing ever. It certainly looked excellent, wrapped in spinach that was crispy while the char was still pink and moist. Both dishes are highly recommended.
Desert was good. A posh peanut butter slice, effectively, but rich, slightly salty and sweet.
Excellent meal, with slightly awkward service at first. Probably worth booking ahead. Sage is easy to find, being directly off the entrance to Aria, near the reception desks.
The rest of Aria... a bloody mess that no-one can find their way into, out of or around. It's a shame, as a lot of the parts of Aria (and city centre) seem to be worth the time and effort of visiting, but I always feel frustrated when trying to get around that place, which I can do without.
"Then you can admire the real gambler, who has neither eaten, slept, thought nor lived, he has so smarted under the scourge of his martingale, so suffered on the rack of his desire for a coup at trente-et-quarante" - Honore de Balzac, 1829
October 18th, 2011 at 11:56:13 PM
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Quote: thecesspitSage is easy to find, being directly off the entrance to Aria, near the reception desks.
The rest of Aria... a bloody mess that no-one can find their way into, out of or around. It's a shame, as a lot of the parts of Aria (and city centre) seem to be worth the time and effort of visiting, but I always feel frustrated when trying to get around that place, which I can do without.
Its inevitable that these nuggets of great quality will eventually disappear.
I've often tried to express disclosure of risk from the point of view of a half-drunk tourist who just happens to wander past a new game. Its the same way with restaurants: if the mildly curious can't quite remember the name and can't quite find the location, its not going to succeed. Crowd flow, signage ... such things are critical concepts.
