Raw Bar is a Vietmodern restaurant inside the trendy Hotel Arts Hotel, with an ocean blue decor all over. It was formerly led by Duncan Ly, Chef and Owner of Foreign Concept and Takori. This year for Food and Drink Experience, they offered a three-course dinner menu for $30 with complimentary bubbles from Brightside! My family and I ended up going on a Friday because that’s when they have their $1 oysters (from 4 - 7 pm) and half price bottles of wine all night long.
$1 Oysters and Mandrarossa ‘Jummare’, Pinot Grigio, Sicily, Italy
The Tex Mex Maki Roll was the appetizer of the three-course meal. This dish was underwhelming as I didn’t get much of the bass ceviche in the roll. The rice to ceviche ratio was off as well (too much rice). But overall it was a good way to start!
TEX MEX MAKI ROLL - deepwater farms bass ceviche, avocado, crispy tortilla
For the main course, it was a choice between Thai Seafood Green Curry with coconut rice and General Tso’s Cauliflower however, none of us ordered the cauliflower because we lovee seafood. But wow, the curry was the star of the night! It had many layers of flavour and the perfectly cooked seafood was extremely fresh. We all packed up the left over curry to eat the next day. If you think Juree’s Thai Place is good, this is next level. I would definitely recommend getting the curry at Raw Bar.
Ending the meal was a Blackberry Ginger Crème Brûlée. It was presented deconstructed but tasted just alright. In order for the crème brûlée to stand on its own, the texture had to firmer. It was off-putting because when I think of crème brûlée, I’m imagining a soft and creamy texture; this was almost like a firm pudding. However, I really enjoyed the ginger coming through the tuile paired with the blackberry crème brûlée, and the acidity from the passionfruit/mango.
BLACKBERRY GINGER CRÈME BRÛLÉE - ginger snap tuile, blackberry gelee, mango and passion fruit chantilly, dehydrated mango
Overall I had a great time and would definitely come back to eat the curry again and check out their happy hour for half off small plates!
Recommend: Thai Seafood Curry
Price: $$$$$
Taste: 4/5
Environment: 4/5