roseberry: food review

i appreciate good food. and i love free food. good food coming by free of charge is therefore, welcomed like the rain after the year-long drought. a friend i met thru idle nites, georgette, recently invited me to go to a food review. georgette writes articles for the Borneo Posts' PostMag every sunday, usually on movies, music, food and current issues happening in and around kuching city. the venue was a restaurant called roseberry, located somewhere in the shophouses next to everise situated along penrissen road.

now, i have never been to a food review before so (apart from the initial adrenalin rush from the excitement) i was actually feeling a wee bit jittery. but my feelings of apprehension melted once we stepped into roseberry. for one thing, it is air-conditioned - a welcome treat especially since the weather these past few days have been slightly on the warm side. for another, the walls are draped with deep relaxing colours and the warm lighting really adds to the nice cosy ambience. the seating is very comfortable - so much so that we were reluctant to leave afterwards. the name roseberry, according to the owner, is derived from two words, rose and berry. the rose, a flower often associated with beauty stands for the physical space of the restaurant, it's interior and overall ambience. berry, or berries are often sweet and this (perhaps metaphorically) is reflected in the food, meaning that the food here tastes 'sweet'. full score on the usage of rose. berry? let's find out.

***bruschetta, roseberry style***

our first dish was bruschetta, roseberry style. lightly toasted slices of french loaf, spread with garlic butter and topped with fresh tomatoes, parmesan, mozzarella and dried parsley. one bite and i was in love. according to georgette, the addition of cheese lends an almost pizza-like quality to the bruschetta. i must agree. it was delicious!

***top: apple smoothie and bitter melon, bottom: mocha matterhorn***

next our drinks were sent to the table, georgette had the apple smoothie, isaac had the mocha matterhorn (i do not know how this is spelt), and i had the bitter melon, a blended bitter gourd with honey drink. i must say i'm not exactly the biggest fan of bitter food/drinks but after putting in extra honey, the drink tasted a lot better.

***caesar salad***

the caesar salad came with bacon! this was truly a surprise because some places skimp on this ingredient. however, before you jump off your seat jumping alleluia, it comes with beef bacon. hee.. :) but i'm a big fan of salads so it's okay.

***oxtail vol au' vent***

next came this masterpiece of a dish. unless i'm wrong, it is called oxtail vol au' vent. basically it is oxtail stew, served in a hollowed up 'french bun'. this is truly a meal in itself as it is quite filling. the oxtail was nicely flavoured and the bun did a spectacular job as an edible bowl, with no leaks.

***the amazingly fabulous lamb shank***

the lamb shank took my breath away. it was presented in such an appealing way that my eyes (and my tummy) were instantly drawn to it. it was 'stood up' on a bed of mashed potatoes and other vegetables. as it is prepared with the slow cooking method, the meat was so tender it literally falls of the bone. although tender, it is still tasty and the trademark taste of lamb wasn't disguised by the marinade. the mashed potatoes and the vegetables served as excellent companions to the lamb as they enhanced the taste. amazing dish, this one.

*** spicy beef mixed noodles***

this is the spicy mixed beef noodles, and i guess they were not kidding when they said spicy. georgette tried a little and ran for her drink. she says she has a 'wimpy continental tongue'. hahaha anyway i loved the taste of this dish as the broth is both tasty and spicy and the noodles were had the perfect consistency. there was tripe, tendon and some slices of beef as well as some radish (or turnip, as isaac insists). according to the owner, this single dish contains the most ingredients if compared to any other dish roseberry serves. some of the spices used in the broth come from as far as taiwan!

our dessert was a delicious concoction of vanilla ice-cream, some slices of peach and a drizzling of lovely chocolate syrup.

***georgette taking photographs of the food***

***the aftermath. i don't know about the other two, but i was famished***

the food review was fabulous and i had a wonderful, wonderful time sampling the lovingly prepared food. roseberry will be offering free wi-fi soon so hey, you can even surf the net while enjoying the delicious food. head on there ya'll!

pics taken with dad's Sony Cybershot T-50. my camera is still M.I.A. *sigh*