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Welcoming the hotel's new chef, Indigo on the Roof celebrates with a new menu. I've been visiting Indigo for a long time now, it's a restaurant I enjoy but always felt the food could go the extra mile. Today we enjoyed lunch, trying many of the menu's specialties and I'm happy to have met Chef Darren Andow.
To start with, bread is distributed, that bread I found interesting. Fluffy, warm and fresh bread.
Lunch was all about seafood, meat, salads and desserts, the whole deal! Start with the oysters which are given a section of their own. A section of oysters made Rockefeller style and others with a sesame crust. Premium quality oysters, tender and moist covered with a sauce, fried or baked. Sesame crusted, half a dozen oysters, cucumber radish salsa, wasabi and soya sauce aioli. Another baked Rockefeller oyster.
- Grilled asparagus salad, mixed leaves, a soft poached egg, shaved Parmesan and Parma ham. Top ingredients... Loved the egg but strongly believe the mix needs to blend more together. It needs a sauce and more marinating.
- Endive Roquefort salad, with walnuts, pears and grain mustard dressing. A beautiful salad made of violet endives and fresh green ones set like a mountain of cards and dripping with sauce, a flavorful, full-bodied mustard sauce. I loved the freshness, the sauce and the chunks of Roquefort.
- Salmon tiradito, coriander, avocado, onion salsa and yellow pepper sauce. The mix of textures and sweetness combined erupting from the yellow capsicum cream, the melting salmon slices and the chunks of avocado. Lovely and simple, flavorful and neat.
- Crispy duck salad; watermelon, mint, roasted cashews and sweet tamarind dressing. It's not the most traditional dish you can have. Crispy, fried and chewy duck, I personally loved but it's a connoisseur's kind of salad not everyone would appreciate. Flavorful and juicy, watermelon adds freshness and sweetness, tangy and rich. The cashews add the last crunch.
- Shrimp and lobster "Louie" cocktail: Thick, juicy shrimp, chunks of lobster and cocktail sauce. Even though a kick of flavor would have been superb, this plate is surely recommended and will be appreciated.
- Grilled Calamari: Best until now, the plate to have. A generous plate of grilled calamari ready to take you on a journey of taste. It starts with the grill aromas, a bite, an explosion of acidity from the tomatoes and the olive oil. Chunks of artichokes and preserved lemon dressing. Loved it!
- Whole grilled sea bass, mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. As good as it should be, simply neat.
- Certified grain-fed black Angus, well cooked and tender. With that another plate is the chargrilled veal chop served with Portobello mushrooms, vine tomatoes and Roquefort cheese. Also tender and well done. The meat preserves its juiciness without losing any of its body.
- Miso marinated salmon served with pickled cucumber, edamame and crispy potatoes. As good as it sounds.
Lovely it was! Dessert followed:
- A lovely creme brûlée served in a soup plate topped with a coconut ice cream.
- Shortbread whipped cream and strawberries. The layering doesn't work! Moist and sweet whipped cream, fresh strawberries and a dry, crumbling shortcake. Disturbing.
- Chocolate mousse with a caramel filling served with caramelized hazelnuts.
That was lunch at Indigo, this is Indigo's new menu you might consider giving a try. Have I told you that Le Gray is my favorite hotel around the country and Indigo is that spot I enjoy a view of Beirut from?
