rev:text
| - Stunningly mediocre and massively disappointing. I don't know if we ordered the wrong things, but there were too many misses when my wife and I visited Constantine for dinner. We were all hyped up for a great meal as we sat at the chef's table and saw all these gorgeous dishes they were making. Sadly, it was a big letdown when we got our food:
APPETIZERS
- Mezze Plates with Flatbread (eggplant, garlic, sumac, labneh, cucumber, hazelnut, muhammara, walnuts, herbs): The "spreads" were standard fare, the flatbread was overly salty.
- Grilled Halloumi on Panella: The halloumi was a bit rubbery, and maybe I haven't had a lot of panella to know what it should taste like but this was much blander than I thought it should be (and not in a good complement-the-cheese type of way).
- Crudo of the Day: This turned out to be tuna. It was fresh and had a light taste to it, which was good. Though for the price, I was expecting a bit more (i.e., bigger serving, more differentiated taste).
MAINS
- Gnocchi alla Norma: The gnocchi had different consistencies (i.e., some were harder others softer), the tomato sauce was pedestrian, and I was hoping the eggplant and whipped ricotta would be more imaginatively integrated into the dish versus just being plopped into it.
- Wagyu Picanah: They said the beef would be on the rare side, and it was cooked to the right temperature, though it was a bit tough - we've had much better wagyu elsewhere. The star of the dish was the tabouleh (good mix, loved the different textures).
DESSERTS (this was the standout part of the meal for us)
- Labneh Mille-Feuilles: Really soft and tender yogurt and coffee mousse, and the caramelized white chocolate and figs were a nice complement (both from a taste and texture perspective).
- Chocolate dessert with kalamansi and lemonquat: Think this was the best dish for me from a "taste + this-is-new" perspective. The cake was moist and oozing with chocolate, and the kalamansi sauce and lemonquat really added a nice and citrusy counterbalance to the sweetness.
If it weren't for the desserts and the experience of sitting at the chef's table, I likely would have given Constantine a lower rating. For the price you pay, there are much better Mediterranean restaurants out there. Such a disappointment.
|