Our family has a thing for celebrating birthdays. The one celebrating is the one paying for the meal. It is normal for us to do this, so growing up in a large extended family, imagine all the meals we eat almost every month. It maybe simple but the best part really was when everyone was gathered around the table, telling stories and making fun of each other. This time though, with my cousin and his wife here, I get to celebrate it with them.I can't say enough good things about Cumulus Inc. I've always enjoyed the food here ever since I came through its doors - alone or with company - 5 years ago. I'm so glad that nothing much has changed and the menu always changed for the better so this year, I chose this place to celebrate my birthday with good food.
I almost know the menu by heart and I kind of already know what I want to have even before I sat down but I gave my cousins a chance to browse through it. Any dish from the menu is going to be good, it is really just a matter of preference and taste. Btw, I think because it's a Sunday, everything on the menu costs 10% more.So we started with...
Cracked wheat & freekeh salad, preserved lemon, barberries ($12) - If you haven't tried this, you're missing out.
Boudin noir, smoked tomato & parsley salad ($15) - My cousin liked this dish and so do I. It was quite intense though but the naked sausage had a clean and non-gamey taste. Although I do suggest that if you had a bad experience with blood sausage, just give these a try, you might get converted. I prefer to have this with a lot of parsley salad.
Foie gras parfait with toasted brioche ($19) - This is one of my favorite dishes. I'm always a sucker for foie gras and it is always so special to see an item like this on the menu. The server offered additional brioche after all 4 slices were out and we didn't say no.
Grilled cuttlefish, chickpeas, braised tomato & espelette ($14) - The cuttlefish was tender and I really liked the smokey braised tomato sauce. The chickpeas were fried and crunchy - it added a texture to the dish. The serve was quite small though but the flavour of the dish was intense. If you don't like cumin, this is not the dish for you.
Whole slow roast lamb shoulder to share ($69) - Tender, succulent, rich. The skin of the lamb shoulder was just astonishingly satisfying. We were so full by this time that we couldn't eat anymore...or so we thought...
Salted caramel tart, spiced quince & clementine ice cream ($16) - This was a bit of a let down. No one liked the pastry. Too bad. It was almost perfect.
Comments