of mojitos and other madness: going wild again at wild rocket!

this girl has always made a mental note to return to wild rocket after hearing about it's brand new modern yet chillax deco and matching brand new menu. so when it came to deciding where would be best to celebrate pak law's birthday this year as well as give a little bit of a farewell treat to cousins from vancouver, i literally jumped at the chance and suggested heading to wild rocket *grin*

there were a total of thirteen of us that evening and we were given a nice long booth-like table in the middle of the newly decked out restaurant. it was nice as we were early, giving us enough time to gush over the new menu and let the maitre'd take us through chef willin's new creations. there were many new entrees, from fresh frog legs to ngam lam pasta and to die for sounding desserts of a gong tng peanut and honey comb ice cream creation amongst others! literally spoilt for choice, we all decided to indulge in the four and six course menus as it seemed to encompass most of chef willin's new treats. the kids were of course not forgotten, and i'm not sure if it was from memory but nephew e adamantly insisted on having the cabonara. one taste of the cheesy creamy sauce over al dente pasta, i immediately knew why he insisted on having it!

the bulk of us had the four course menu which started off with either the burmese tomato and crab salad or a consomme with duck confit ravioli. the salad was fresh and refreshing with sweet tomatoes and equally sweet crab meat, topped with nice cubes of lime jelly and a tangy sauce. this was definitely a crowd pleaser and in my book, a more refreshing start to the meal compared to the soup which drew inspiration from the traditional 'xian chai ya tang'. don't get me wrong though, the duck confit ravioli and soup was good but i think i personally didn't quite like a salty start to a meal.

next in the four course meal was the pasta. it was a tough choice between the ngao lam beef pasta and the sesame ginger chicken confit pappardelle, as i love both the beef brisket and sesame ginger chicken flavors! i chose the beef in the end, but only after confirming that my sis was going with the chicken and promised to share! both turned out to be outstanding with al dente pastas, well braised ngao lam, tender chicken and awesome traditional flavors. the east and west flavors were fantastically balanced in both the pasta dishes, truly showcasing chef willin's ability to achieve authentic fusion in his dishes.

course three was either a main of fish or lamb. having already had the ngao lam, i chose the soon hock which was steamed and then pan fried (i think!) to perfection. think melt in your mouth textures, rich stock topped with a refreshing tangy mango cucumber relish...yum! the tandoori rack of lamb main saw a generous portion of meat marinated with a myraid of indian and tandoori spices, accompanied by freshly deep fried papardums. the meat was tender with a nice hint of tandoor and the papardums crisp and flavorful. the meat could have done with just a touch more spice in my opinion but other than that, the rack was pretty well done.

the six course menu kicked off with a blue swimmer crab congee soup and seabass carpaccio salad. again, another fantastic demonstration of chef willin's ability to fuse even the simplest traditional chinese elements like congee with western techniques of emulsion and carpaccio. the congee soup was really clever with a ball of rice sitting in a clear crab soup. the right way to enjoy the dish was to break up the rice ball and swirl everything together, very much like how one would enjoy a hot steaming bowl of congee! the seabass carpaccio followed the congee soup to a tee, reminding me of how i used to grow up having a bowl of porridge and a nice plate of raw fish. think paper thin slices of fresh fish sprinkled with a tangy truffle like oil...the combination of the sweet fish and tang of the orange shallot oil really put a nice spin on the traditional 'he seh' dish we are all so familiar with.

i really don't know where chef willin comes up with these ideas but the next two courses in the menu just affirmed the genius and creativity he has in mixing the old classics with the new favorites. i mean, who would think of using bee tai bak in place of pasta and tossing it in a classic bolognaise sauce whipped up with wagyu mince no less! and liquid nasi lemak? another really out there spin on the old school coconut rice fav....think a dollop of like pureed coconut rice, embracing a nice cut of pan fried chilean seabass topped with part salty part spicy ikan bilis and peanut. the result - an amazing combination with just the right amount of kick from the coconut to pair up with the sweet seabass, crunch from the nuts and salt from the ikan bilis.

i was about to vote the liquid nasi lemak as the must try dish of the evening until the seared ribeye with bovril onion sauce was served. having been spoiled rotten by the quality of pak law's steak, i have to admit that my bar for steak has definitely been raised. all i had was just about a centimeter slice of the ribeye and i was blown away. the meat was not only crisp on the outside, it truly melted in one's mouth and left a curious lingering aftertaste of a myriad of aromatic flavors. i can't quite put my finger on it...maybe its the bovril onion sauce, or the marinate chef willin used but this ribeye is to die for. perfectly marbled, perfectly seared, and served up in a perfect portion (at least in my book!), this definitely gets my vote as the die die must try and will return for dish!

last and by no means least, the dessert course. the four course menu included a gula melaka and ginger creme brulee. not being a huge custard person, this brulee version was so good, i polished it off..and mind you, it was served in quite a sizable ramekin! the hint of ginger really helped to cut the creaminess of the custard and off set the thick burnt gula melaka crusty layer. it was unexpectantly light and truly concluded the four course meal very well. if you do have space and or went a la carte, the dark chocolate lava gateau is a definite must try for chocoholics. we got to enjoy this as it was on the house for pak law's birthday celebration...but just imagine a light brownie-like cake encasing a heart of warm dark chocolate lava...just the right amount of sweetness to accompany the rich cocoa flavor. perfect for sharing (between two peeps max!) and trust me you will definitely have space for this!

the six course menu was meant to conclude with a raspberry champagne sorbet but both g and ben managed to swop them out for two new dessert entries - the gong tng, peanut brittle and honey comb ice cream and the lychee martini white chocolate tart. with names like that...i really don't need to say more than these were both heavenly! again bringing back memories from young of stuffing myself silly with gong tng and violet crumbles, this dessert creation truly brought together some old school sweets into one fantastic treat. i'm definitely going to have this the next time i'm back at wild rocket and yes...no sharing! the lychee martini was more of an adult dessert but true to its name, this had a real martini kick and was held together by a hundred percent chocolate shell...recommended for those who like to finish a meal with a martini in hand!

so there....we most definitely went wild at wild rocket and to be honest...i can't wait to run wild there again!