Food Friday #4: Mother’s Restaurant
Penny's opinion
When I first heard about Mother’s restaurant, it came to me as an Asian restaurant. Don’t ask me why. Okay, I was wrong, it’s actually an American and Asian fusion restaurant. Located on a quaint street in the city, we walked in and were pleasantly surprised of the ambiance. Though it’s a tad noisy because at the adjacent, crowded bar but everything else’s perfect. The food’s very well prepared and luscious. On top of these 3 entrees, we also shared two mussels and oysters appetizers. There’s a lot of food and the average price for each of us is about $25. Rating: 4/5
Kelvin's opinion
Firstly, let me turn on my slanglator: "The food is totally delish!"- Slanglator turned off.
We should have gotten a reservation. The dining area wasn't full, but they were booked the entire night. Luckily, we managed to get a table on condition that we have to finish by 7:30pm.
The menu was simple. 2 pieces of Letter-size paper, one like a resume paper, the other a normal photocopier paper. We heard so much about the mussels so we had to try them. The mussels were in a mild red curry with is good for dipping the bread in. Speaking of bread, the starter bread wa kind of hard, and the butter was cold and hard too. But the presentation made up for it.
Other than the mussels, we order raw osyters which were present good. Very fresh. My main entree is the NY Strip Steak. Came with mash potato and green "pod-like" vegetable. First the steak. It was huge. This was the first time I had to have a to-go box for FF. the meat was juicy and flavorful. The mash potato was great too... So much favor in the potato you could eat it alone. And the green "pod-like" vegetable... I was never a fan, until now. They were so soft and tasted really good. In all, I think the preparation of the food really made the difference.
Kevin's opinion
Looking innocuously quiet from the outside, you'd think that you arrived a little too early to this hidden little joint. A step later though the heavy door and you'd swear you were in the middle of New York City. Smooth jazz plays over the overcrowded bar area as we snaked our way through the crowd for a dive towards the dining host. This tall assuming man first gave me the impression that we were never going to get tables without a reservation (yes people book in advance for this), but we were much relieved when we discovered how a no-show reservation gave us the opportunity to sample Mother's fusion delights.
As Kelvin mentioned, we went all out for Bluepoint oysters and mussles in red curry. Both were an absolute delight. Honestly speaking, the oysters bettered the mussles because the latter just seemed to provide little innovation to the palate. Fresh oysters are a natural winner... mmm, I can't remember the last time since I had such smooth oysters go down my throat. My main entree consisted of the Grilled Swordfish, with a hint of Orange Garlic reduction sauce with wasabi to kick it up a notch. The fish was unlike any fish I've tasted... it seemed fresh since it was so juicy with the firm bounce for that satisfying bite. The flavors went well together, though it did still feel a little thin in flavor for my liking. The risk of eating fusion food is that you're in for unexpected tastes, and that's what I got. Good fusion I believe needs little conviction to like. Gladly, Mothers is quite close to that. :)
