Being in the presence of the Seamstress brought me back to my childhood days. It distinctively reminds me of a store where I used to spend my summer days in, my Uncle W's cloth shop in Manila. His shop was relatively small, packed to the hilt with rolls and rolls of cloth in every possible color and texture--satin, silk, cotton, polyester, mixed textiles in all shades and prints of the season. As a little girl, I would used to sit in a corner of the shop, watching the world walk pass by with his numerous clients and retail customers. I used to love the smell of cloth, yes, it's the stark, crisp smell of moth balls and laundry soap and millions of thin threads laced together to form yards and yards of lovely or odd patterns. That's the smell I got when I entered the Dining Room in Seamstress, which is on the second floor. Near the doorway was an old Singer sewing machine, another familiar sight. I gingerly touched the Singer and I knew I am being trasported back to where I once was again, to my old home in Manila, where I can see my Grandma sewing our shorts and pajamas, tablecloths and curtains. Nostalgia.
What impressed me the most was the rawness of the interiors inside the Seamstress. It looked like there was little planning involved but every detail displayed originality and stayed true to the tailor shop theme. Where to begin. Ceiling. Draped with shades of cloth, creating the auburn, mahogany, red, orange brightness which sets the mood. Walls. White and left rustic with plants in glass tube vases in mid-air supported by metal hangers. Floor. Mid-toned brown wood with matching tables and chairs.
Servers are cheery and eager to help without being invasive and snooty. For the food, I opted for tonight's special "Tailor-Made" Dumpling which is beef, ginger and chilli, followed by the Twice Cooked Duck. The menu is simply divided into 4 sections for the savory part,: Small, Medium, Large and X-Large. I limited myself to the Small and Medium, and a dessert for later.
Tailor Dumplings - Beef, Ginger and Chilli - These dumplings weren't the best I've had in Melbourne. I kept comparing the very good dumplings I've had at Shanghai Dumplings but that's a different story. There are a couple of points to remember about dumplings. First, the dumpling wrapper. It has to be the perfect casing that can hold the filling and carry the sauce that oozes from the dumpling. When you bit into it, all the juices will come pouring out and dripping from your mouth. Wrapper-wise, too thin and a bit doughy. I kept having the feeling that it's not cooked but then it is. Next, the filling, has to be juicy and sweet and not overly salty since you HAVE to dip it in the tangy dippin sauce. I didn't like the beef inside as much as I wanted to.
Twice cooked Duck Breast, chrysanthemum leaves and toasted beechworth and chestnut praline - Wow. I really didn't know how they did this, but cooking the duck breast twice will end up with rubbery and tough meat. This duck breast, however, was supple and all lovely pink and sliced thickly. Another note, the skin was damn crispy, not soggy and oily. Everytime my table knife sliced into the meat, it's like a hot knife cutting through butter. Perfect. The greens addded freshness to the dish and I want a tub of those chestnut praline! I ended up scooping the chestnut praline underneath the greens. So good. The combination of the juicy duck breast and sweet crunchy praline then fresh greens was exceptional. Btw, the greens tasted like a cross between celery and parsley.
Dessert - Brown sugar and banana custard, peanut praline ice cream - The brown sugar came in the form of a caramelized crunchy top with a creamy banana custard but not too sweet. For me, it tasted naturally of bananas, without the fake banana essence. Another treat was the smooth peanut praline ice cream. I really hope this was made in their kitchen, because it tasted way better than Ben and Jerrys.
My last treat was my soy flat white from Coffee Supreme, which I think I'll rank as next best to Giancarlo coffee, with a fortune cookie :) I don't think that I've had fortune cookies before, so I have to admit that I'm feeling a bit excited as I cracked it. So I'll end my entry with my fortune cookie's message to me...
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