28/11/2022
Tua Madre
Rating
I would recommend visiting this place
Expected experience
I was expecting something new and fun
Actual experience
It turned out to be a nice little place. The chef is still finding his style, but the food is above average in taste and quality.
The menu changes daily based on what's available. The chef explained that he was trying to fuse Italian with Portuguese cuisine. The chef seems young and eager. They cook right in front of you, so if you pay attention, you can smell what they are cooking, how they are preparing it, and of course, if it's good or not.
I got the olives & bread couvert, lamb ravioli, Iberic pork, and grilled amberjack. I finished it off with a French toast dessert.
Couvert
Olives were not all the same sort, so some were better than others. The bread was sourdough but lacked salt. In the restaurants where I got "sourdough" bread, it was often regular fermented bread. It lacked the homemade yeast, which adds flavor, and then it also lacked salt.
So if you are going through the trouble of dealing with a high-hydration dough, at least make it properly and use enough salt.
Ana Ros from Slovenia has written an excellent book on sourdough, so anybody that wants to learn the secrets of sourdough should read that book.
Lamb ravioli
High expectations from this dish as we did something similar in the restaurant where I worked. The dish exceeded my expectations. The lamb was succulent and seasoned beautifully. The whole dish was drizzled with Jous, Aceto, grana Padano, and walnut crumble.
It was a dish that the Italians would be proud of, and that is saying much. The dish was really well combined. The ravioli cooked to a perfect al dente state; just by smelling this, you had to wipe your mouth because of all the drooling.
It was soo good I gobbled it up in seconds.
Iberic pork
It was a medium rare loin which is quite nice to see for a change. The dish was served with fennel and onions accompanied by orange supremes (peeled orange slices). The dish was good but nothing special that I would write home about.
Grilled amberjack
The amberjack was served with some interesting sides, which I forgot the composition of. After this, I started recording my notes as I eat.
The dish did not make an impression. Otherwise, I would have remembered it more. I remember that the fish had a bit of a nice taste to it, but it was not cooked equally, so the taste was not the same throughout.
French toast
I tried it, and it was really sugary. I would say done perfectly, but I'm not too fond of cinnamon, so it was not for me, but the textures were there, and it was a pleasure to eat.
