The
philosophy of Enomod is “social dinning”. I must admit that I first found the idea of “social
dinning” similar to “the sun rises in the east”. Food connects
people; it is not rocket science. However, Enomod’s interpretation of
this idea through painstaking attention to detail certainly justified its claim
as a place where people can eat to socialize. It also won my respect. Surely
even the pickiest foodies in the town will be satisfied in Enomod.
The
interior design of Enomod was, according to its owner, inspired by the 1930s
America. The main themes of the age include migration, the Depression, the ban
on alcohol, hedonism, Hollywood, and so on... While personally I think some of
the decorations Enomod slightly too “modern”,
together they give a fairly good job of shaping the ambiance of that rather
interesting (though not necessarily good) times.
I always
enjoy watching someone cooking. This is the second best way of learning to cook
a dish other than trying it yourself, which may not be always feasible. The owner, Ermanno, kindly demonstrated his skill by cooking us a plate of penne, which is a happy
combination of zestfulness of oranges, fresh acidity of tomatoes and the
saltiness of chorizos.
The
menu was divided into four categories, Stone, Copper, Wood and Ceramics.
No, this is not the Gold, Wood, Water,
Fire cliche (the utterly tasteless Elements Mall...), these are the materials
of the plates for the dishes.
Wood:
Groccery platter
The
eggplant, bell pepper and olive were well-marinated. I always love to have
house-marinated items in restaurants because their quality are usually good. I
was not disappointed by this dish.
Stone:
Six hours lamb rump, pistachio crust
Stone
was always used to keep the temperature of the food, but this one worked
differently. The lamb was a bit too chewy to my liking, but the seasoning was
quite stimulating. This might be the less appealing dish of the whole night, at
least to me.
In
the midst of dinner, we were served with
the same
penne, but this time, cooked by the chef. It was evenly
covered with a chilli tomato sauce. Again, we all liked it, though it was
difficult to tell whether the chef's penne or the owner's pasta was better.
Copper:
Chicken Saltimbocca with Buffalo Mozzarella and Lemon Sauce
Despite
the well-cooked chicken, the lemon sauce was the star of the dish. The sauce
was infused with lemon and meat flavour. I wish I had the palate of Christine
Ha, the winner of 3th US Master Chef, so that I could figure out every
ingredient and replicate one at home myself.
Ceramic:
Crispy prawns, citrus scented
The
freshly fried prawn was good enough, but this one surprised me more by adding
the orange zest. While the prawn was crispy, the orange zest worked like the
sweet and sour sauce of Thai-style fried prawn cakes.
The
Ricotta cheesecake was served in a jar. The cake was topped with pistachio and
candied orange peel. It seems that orange zest was a major theme of Enomod that
ran through various dishes.The
air-tight jar helped to keep the aroma of orange peels. This not only smelled
inviting but also tasted good. I would suggest putting the spoon deep down to
the bottom to get all the layers, biscuit base, ricotta cheese, pistachio and
orange peel together. I literally cleaned the jar.
Overall,
the dishes were awesomely seasoned and decently executed. Both the chef and the
owner were attentive to details. Enomod was definitely able to satisfy the
picky dinners who want both quality food and ambience. I am looking forward to
trying its wet-aged beef and more Mediterranean dishes.
Enomod
1/F, 1-5 Elgin Street,
Central
Service:wwwwww
Environment: wwwwww
