likebyregina After creating the Le Big Mac N’ Cheese Burger back in September, CAVU Kitchen Bar just launches a new burger, incorporating the concept of surf & turf – The Baller. Putting both lobster and beef into one burger sounds like a very baller thing to do, yet CAVU Kitchen Bar did it again. We also tried other dishes, including cheese that is made in house.
Before we even started our party, our host, Vivian has already prepared the signature CAVU Sea Salt Chips. They are fresh and lightly salted, and I got addicted to them. I started to nibble on them while waiting for everyone to arrive. This item is only available on the happy hour menu, which is available from 3 – 6 pm and 10 – 11 pm from Monday to Friday.
We officially started our party with some appetizers: Mediterranean Labneh and Fried Chicken Basket.
Mediterranean Labneh is a soft cheese spread, which is made in house. It is dressed with arbequina olive oil and garnished with dukkah, olives, and rosemary. It also comes with naan bread for dipping. What I suggest to do to get the best flavour out of this dish is to get a small piece of the soft cheese and first cover it with the olive oil. Then spread it on the bread with the addition of dukkah and/or olives.
You can choose between the regular or nashville hot style for the Fried Chicken Basket. It also comes with the frank’s red hot sauce. After trying both, I prefer the nashville hot style, because the batter from the regular is bland. And I think the red hot sauce is way too spicy which dominates the flavor of the dish. It numbs my palette, and I would prefer the natural, easy-going spice from the nashville hot style fried chicken.
Crispy Chilli Fried Squid and Prawns is quite bland, and I can barely feel the heat from the togarashi spice and shishito pepper nor any seasonings. The dish may want to mimic a Chinese snack, deep-fried squid tentacles (????). Unfortunately, it is just like normal calamari. I will pass by this dish.
Our entrees arrived. The first dish is the Stout Braised Beef Short Rib. It is well seasoned and tender. I love the pairing with steak mushrooms, peas, and carrots. For the side, it is the pomme pont neuf (aka the Parisian Fried Potatoes). I also call it the potato bricks, because they do look like mini bricks!
Cioppino came next. It is a fisherman’s stew, using spiced tomato broth as a base. It has rockfish, mussels, squid, and prawns. It is flavorful, and I like to dip the crusty bread into the stew. The seafood is fresh and perfectly cooked.
After introducing all the appetizers and entrees, it is time to talk about the Baller, the December Special incorporating both beef and lobster into one masterpiece. The buns are sandwiching the 8oz beef patty and sauteed lobster. It also has bearnaise sauce, asparagus, arugula, dijonaise, and brioche. I like the surf n turf idea, but I think the patty lacks seasoning. The lobster is nicely cooked, but I think this burger is not my cup of tea. If the patty is more flavorful, it will be more enjoyable to eat the burger.
After all these dishes, we were full and satisfied. AND THEN… Vivian surprised me with a birthday dessert. The plate is decorated with vanilla macarons, chocolate lava cake, and vanilla ice cream. It is delicious, and I really love small surprises like this!
Overall Impression
This is my third time coming to CAVU Kitchen Bar, and I think there are definitely some outstanding dishes, such as the Mediterranean Labneh, Stout Braised Beef Short Rib, and CAVU Sea Salt Chips. In previous blog post on CAVU, I also recommend the “Which Came First” Burger. However, there are also some dishes that need improvements in seasoning. I lovely the restaurant’s ambiance, because it is not too noisy and spacious. It is also good for large groups if you are looking for a place that offers an extensive menu during happy hour.
Taste : 3.5/5 • Service: N/A • Ambiance: 4/5 • Quality-Price: 4/5
