Pouring Enchantment

The storied history of this renovated three-storey masterpiece lends a touch of mystique to a one of the city's most romantic settings. But while the surroundings are disarming, the prices are not. Given this fair warning, those willing to spare the expense will find it a delightful experience. Torn over what dishes to order as we sat languidly by candlelight in the backyard patio, we discovered that if you don't want to do the thinking, the sommelier—whose taste we will vouch for—will prepare an entire pairing menu for you based on your food and wine preferences, offering tasting instructions and pairing explanations as well. On average, most glasses of wine will run you between YY40-60 depending on your selections, the most expensive being YY180. We chose our starters and went from there, beginning with the house-cured salmon with honey mustard dill sauce (YY95), a nicely harmonized dish rendered more impressive when paired with a dry white Marques de Riscale Reuda 2006. The variation of foie gras (YY158) followed, a well-presented selection of terrine and pan-seared foie gras as well as the more inventive crème brulee and praline covered versions, the latter creamy, flavorful and by far our favorite of the four. An accompanying glass of Trimbach Gewürztraminer 2005 with a heady nose of lychee and rose was the perfect complement. Next, a starter size olive oil poached black cod (YY98, YY178 for main size) offered an ample portion of succulently tender cod with caper-chardonnay-veloute all atop a citrus potato mash and was, in short, to die for, proceeded by rare, juicy beef tenderloin with braised oxtail (YY218) in a merlot glaze. Mains are largely without accompaniments but you can order a range of side dishes from about YY40 up. We then finished off with a frozen cappuccino (YY55) topped with a tangy berry sauce whose bitterness helped cleanse our palate. While it may not be for the light of wallet, this venue affords a level of intimacy and detail that makes for a truly enchanting evening. --Trista Baldwin