Quality food is one thing. The other thing is whether you can prepare it. The bf and I came here hoping for a Sunday brunch special, but we were disappointed to find out that we'd just missed breakfast (hint: it would be *nice* if more places could keep the breakfast menu options open for a little longer on Sundays. It makes a lot more people - or at least two more - happier).

So anyway, since we'd already been seated and were rather unwilling to get up and leave considering that our iced waters had already been served, the heat was sweltering outside, and the other restaurants and bistros were far too crowded, we decided to see what we could do with the lunch menu.

I've come to the conclusion that I tend to order the wrong things. There is a whole range of stuff to choose from, and I order the baked canneloni with crab meat ($28.00). What the hell is it? I don't know. All I know is that it's a pasta, it's baked and it has crab meat.

The bf ordered the foie gras with macarons ($22.00) for his starter, and the duck leg confit ($24.00) for his main.

Now, he was impressed with the starter. Probably because for $22.00, it was one huge piece of goose liver. And it was so soft and fatty and tender and well-marinated; slid down his throat like silk, apparently. His only gripe was that it was a little bloody; a little on the undercooked side. I guess my bf doesn't exactly like raw.

Then came the mains. My dish consisted of three giant tubes of pasta completely drenched in a creamy sauce, and stuffed with crab meat. They were really generous with the crab meat, I have to say. But I think I made the wrong choice. Because the dish was too rich and heavy, and the cream drowned out the taste of the crab meat, and for all I knew I could have just been eating pasta stuffed with yong tau foo fish meat and not have known the difference. *sigh*

My bf's main looked prettier than mine; one piece of duck meat, mashed potato and salad. Unfortunately, he said that it was too marinated and too gamey. My bf doesn't mind duck, but only if it is cooked in such a way that the gamey taste of duck is masked. In this case unfortunately, it was a little too undercooked for his liking, and therefore too gamey.

Suffice to say, paying for quality food is one thing. But if it isn't cooked to one's liking, it's difficult to justify the prices.