I wanted to make some earl grey and rosewater panna cotta, and then garnish it with blueberries, blackberries and some sort of green leafy thing – I was thinking shiso rather than mint. But I didn’t want to spend money or time buying rosewater and shiso, so I used what I had instead – which was dried rose petals from a shopping spree ages back, to give the rose aroma without needing rosewater. I can’t figure out how to homogenise the panna cotta yet though, I always get the separation….
The story of how I came across Commune Social isn’t super long, but is a story nonetheless – once upon a time, I was stalking a tumblr about Benedict Cumberbatch, when I saw a post that he was at the opening of a fancy new restaurant in London called City Social. I decided to book it as it boasted a view, and I figured my brother might like it since it overlooked the Shard, Gherkin, Walkie Talkie and Cheese Grater. Then, upon further inspection of their website, it turns out their chef, Jason Atherton, had restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Singapore too. And thus, I got the opportunity to visit Commune Social.
The setup of the restaurant was quite Western, all courtyardy and open, and in a quick visit before actually going, we were advised that the food portions were very small – but luckily I had known that already, it being fancy and tapas style, so I was prepared. The downside was, I had never ordered tapas style food for more than four people, so it became awkward when we were dividing tiny portions into six! I should have doubled all the orders, and that would have been enough.
Not only is this kind of food grossly more expensive in China, but I felt that there was a far lower level of service than in a Western country – perhaps it was just this visit though. I also admit to having no experience or knowledge about how to adequately staff a restaurant, but I’ve been to a fair few and every now again observe the waitstaff observing customers because it’s interesting to watch. I use the “magical refilling water test” as a benchmark of restaurant service, but here it felt like there just wasn’t enough attentiveness overall – plus the waiters looked a little stressed out, and I had no way of knowing if they had staff call in sick. That being said, I was excited that I frequently saw the dessert chef popping out to present her dishes.
Beetroot, burrata, gingerbread
I was pleased with the prettiness of the plating, but having had only burrata once before where it came whole, this one was already broken up for sharing and just as tasty. I really liked the gingerbread component here as well.
So I’ve been looking for a replacement for Rockpool Bar and Grill, thinking I’d never find one, but lo and behold, after strolling down a dodgy-looking part of the city on a Sunday afternoon, I ran across a little treasure-looking-like place. That’s when I found out that it was a cute little wine bar that has all Victorian decor, and does high tea on Saturdays!
So I did a little research on it, and apparently it won best wine list in South Australia (cause Rockpool wins for Australia!). Plus they don’t advertise their list online, so I had to visit. My expectations were: giant wine list, and servings by the half glass, and was secretly hoping for varietal specific Riedels.
Of course, when I got there, they do indeed have a noteworthy wine list! Plenty of quotes throughout, as well as a Provenance to read through. Except… the list was much much smaller than I expected. Maybe 20 pages? I’m sorry, but I wanted a Rockpool-thick encyclopedia! They did have a great range of 75mL “tasters”, served in baby Riedels, which made me happy. Plus they were incredibly cheap at $5 – $5.50 per serving, considering at Rockpool I’m paying $16 for 75mL for their reserve stuff.
And while they don’t serve burgers, they do have a highly respectable bar menu much like Rockpool Bar and Grill, with excellent presentation and great range.
Goat curd, pink peppercorns and honey toast