Anti:dote x Kirk Westaway
While Jaan by Kirk Westaway was closed down temporarily, Chef Kirk did a popup operation at Anti:dote. Given our fantastic experiences at Jaan, we made a dinner reservation to try Chef Kirk’s casual British fare.
I’d never been to Anti:dote although it has made the cut for lists hailing the best high teas etc. so this was a new experience in more ways than one. We were seated at a group counter-level table beside what seemed like a DJ station.
We each ordered the casual set menu, except Dennis who swapped out his main and added a dish to share since he’d been there before and so wanted to try something different.
Appetisers
English pickled cucumber, crispy cheese wafers, and rye sourdough with Devonshire butter.
Neither Dennis nor I was gonna touch the picked cucumbers so Liner got 3 servings of ‘em. He enjoyed it anyway! The crispy cheese wafers were unexpectedly delicious. I honestly didn’t think they’d be as fabulous as they were, The bread was good but hard to handle, though I did like the option of adding salt hohoho.
First course
Marinated heirloom tomatoes with basil sorbet. I’d initially asked if I could switch it out for anything and the waitress was very unhelpful, not the same kind of service you’d get at Jaan itself. Anyway, I tucked into the tomato and really it wasn’t too bad. Dennis did try to convince me that it was worth trying so there’s that. My general opinion is biased due to my dislike of vegetal crunch but Dennis and Liner liked it a lot and it was decent for me.
Drinks
This was about the time our drinks arrived. Liner got the Lemonade which was a gin-based cocktail, Dennis got himself a white, and I had a Bread and Butter Pudding cocktail which was whisky based (extremely unlike me). All the drinks were good, and I really liked the touch of toffee on mine. It added a lot to the drink for my sweet tooth.
Second course
Roasted scallop with Hipsy cabbage, and garlic and caviar sauce. Now, I’m used to seared scallops but definitely not roasted scallops! They were done so well, and were delicious. They also went great with the cabbage, which I decided to embrace. The sauce with caviar also elevated the dish as a whole. Yummmm.
Third course
Wagyu beef short rib. The short rib was delicious - smooth, melty, tasty and meaty. The mash was also great. I avoided the mustard seeds. Liner absolutely loved this dish.
Dennis swapped this out for fish n chips. It looked so legit and the fries were such an unusual size. It may seem like too few, but they’re thick af. Probably like a whole potato worth in there. They were made from Marks & Spencer potatoes - I didn’t know these were special but there was certainly something different about the potato texture.
The fish part was amazing. With a shape like that you’d expect a huge gap of air between the meat and the batter (from prior bad experiences probably) but there was none! It was fully stuffed with that good fish meat. It was fresh, smooth and juicy. If given the opportunity, I would order the fish and chips in general (even for the seemingly high price of around $30).
This was also the time Dennis’s added dish Scotch Eggs arrived. I’d always known of them and seen photos but never tried them. None of us had ever tried Scotch eggs. Time to dig in! They tasted good and looked beautiful. The mash that came with them was also fantastic. What is it about Marks & Spencer potatoes? This is making my mental grocery list.
Chef Kirk came out to chat with us a little around this time too, probably because of Dennis. Chef Kirk is a really cool guy.
Dessert
Last but not least, an Eton mess with Devonshire clotted cream. I am a sucker for clotted cream. The strawberries were really sour except for Dennis’s but everything else was good. If taken all together, it was a nice balance. Though I did wish the strawberries were a little sweeter - the sourness was a tad overwhelming.
Overall a good experience. The food was delicious and well worth it.
Food: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Price: About a hundred per head
Service: 3/5
My experience: 4/5