I've been to "W" Espresso Sporting Club at Country Garden at least 5 times now in the past half year.
When I need a good coffee in Johor Bahru, "W" Espresso Sporting Club is one of the top choices that come to my mind.
Besides it's renowned coffee, "W" Espresso Sporting Club serves very impressive French and Italian fine dining.
Shawn is the man running the kitchen at "W" Espresso Sporting Club.
Shawn, the Executive Chef is 22 years old and had 8 years of experience in the kitchen before joining "W" Espresso. Straight after PMR (lower secondary), Shawn worked 4 years in restaurants in Johor Bahru and 4 years at Fullerton Hotel in Singapore specialising in French cuisine.
Shawn is passionate about his art. He believes that good food must be pleasing to the eye, so his food has many colours and shapes, and is always artistically presented. Good food must also please our taste buds, so Shawn makes sure his food has a variety of flavours, aromas and textures that surprise and delight.
Let's take a look at some of Shawn's craft from our lunch today.
Cured beet root salmon trout carpaccio with truffle dressing.
Shawn shared that his first year at Fullerton Hotel was spent almost entirely making cold dishes like this carpacio.
Salmon trout (which is a trout) has a softer, finer texture than salmon. The colourful dish was a fusion of delicate sweet, tangy, and savoury flavours that opened our eyes 眼开 and appetites 开胃, literally waking up our senses anticipating the dishes that follow.
The next dish, Smoked Porcini Mushroom Soup, was something new to me.
Just before serving the mushroom soup, Shawn lighted up a pinch of apple wood chips using a torch and "Smoke Gun".
After pumping in apple wood smoke from the "Smoke Gun", the smoke was trapped in the glass container with the mushroom soup to let the smoke infuse into the soup.
The creamy softly grainy soup was a blend of several different types of mushrooms, so we got layers of variations in the mushroomy flavours.
Add to this the smoky woody flavour from apple wood, and savouriness of the premium Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings, and we have an exquisite treat.
Milanese lamb rack with pumpkin puree and confit vine tomatoes.
The tender lamb was done slightly pink. The subtle lamb gaminess was balanced with sweet mayonnaise and pumpkin puree with a touch of tanginess from the tomatoes. The crispy bread crumbs complemented the tender flavourful juicy meat.
Pan seared sea bass with beurre (butter) sauce.
This really looked like a modern painting to me.
There were so many elements in this dish.
Crispy seared skin, juicy grilled meat, crunchy vegetable sides, melt in the mouth fish stock gelatin that reminded me of top grade wagyu fat, you just have to try this for yourself to see what I mean.
If you are a sea bass lover, I am sure you will enjoy this too.
Shawn always has little surprises in his dishes. Here a bit of the sea bass meat was blended with teriyaki sauce and a sprinkling of finely chopped chili pepper to give us a delightfully soft, sweet and subtly spicy treat.
Chicken Roulade with Carrot Puree and Thyme Sauce.
Again, Shawn gave us a feast of flavours, textures and colours. Biting through the outer layer of mildly flavoured chicken, we were greeted by the distinctive savouriness of smoked duck inside. At the side were colourful crunchy vegetables and spongy mushrooms. Flamboyant dashes of carrot puree and thyme sauce complete the dish.
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To me, coming to "W" Espresso Sporting Club without trying their renowned coffee is definitely a crime.
So, don't leave "W" Espresso Sporting Club without your cuppa.
Shawn has already come this far at age 22. If Shawn keeps up his hard work and passion for his art, stay creative and open to learning, he will be making bigger contributions to our dining pleasure and the F and B scene.
If you are looking for a special lunch or dinner for that special date, I recommend "W" Espresso Sporting Club at Country Garden.
You can just walk in or call +6016-7161-098 to arrange for private dinning.
My thanks to Shawn for the invite.
Restaurant name: "W" Espresso Sporting Club By Monsta Cafe
Address: Country Garden, Danga Bay (off Jalan Skudai), Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/5sPLu
GPS: 1.473481,103.724325
Hours: 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 4 Aug 2014
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Dear Tony, are the increased charges at the Johor Bahru end of the Causeway discouraging you form making more frequent trips to Johor?
ReplyDeletedon't have any choice really
DeleteWhat a big joke drop by after reading this posting and was surprised to see a very small outlet. The photos posted here is quite deceiving. Also the biggest joke was when we were told only coffee and deserts. We asked why no food , answer chef not here. We asked when will chef be here answer don't know .
ReplyDeletegive this place a miss guys