PUBLISHED July 24th, 2014 12:16 pm | UPDATED April 18th, 2016 06:02 pm
Wow. W-o-w.
I could finish my review here, but that wouldn’t really fill the space, so I’d better tell you why. Seasons Bistro is ostensibly a generic ‘Americas’ mall restaurant serving hungry shoppers. But oh, it is so much more. Beneath the somewhat uninspiring interior lies the bubbling furnace of Benjamin Fong’s passion and creativity, combined with skilled execution. I think the food here is good enough to be $40-$60 a plate (especially the foie gras, but more of that later) but remarkably most dishes are under $30.
The dishes range from light salads and tacos to hearty ribs and steaks, so there is something for everyone. If you are indeed a hungry shopper, then step right up for the Louisiana style Surf and Turf Gumbo ($27), overflowing with chunky prawns and homemade chorizo sourced from an expert butcher, topped with SB’s own chow chow relish, or get your fingers dirty with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($22) which would make Colonel Sanders weep with joy: crisp, dry batter, and moist, herb infused chicken, with a mindblowing homemade catsup (that’s authentic ketchup to you and me).
Oh yeah, they make all of their own sauces, relishes and marinades and every one is a triumph. If that weren’t enough all of their meat is carefully sourced. Their USDA beef comes from Harris Ranch in Colorado and all of their seafood including the exceptional Yellowfin Tuna Taco ($14) and Seared Albacore Tuna ($26) is MSC certified, so no oceanic guilt trips here.
But I promised to tell you about the Pan Seared Foie Gras ($16). I don’t like foie gras. I have had it in France, at the Ritz, at the Mandarin and always found it too oily and bland for my taste. Season Bistro’s foie gras, however, I would eat all day. It is served with chocolate ganache, bacon jam, granola and caramelised bananas, and as is so often true, madness and genius are close bedfellows. What the dish does is electrify each one of your taste buds: bacon for saltiness, chocolate for bitterness, bananas for sweetness and the foie gras itself which stands strong among these bold flavours for that rich savoury tone, while the texture of the granola offsets the foie gras’ natural oiliness. It is nothing short of a masterpiece.
There is so much more I could say about this menu, the fantastic management team and the delights that await you, but you should stop reading this article, and JUST GO!
Written by Lady Libertine
On this occasion the meal was compliments of Seasons Bistro