In short, this place was stellar. Deer + Almond was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. It's on the pricier side but if you're looking for a more upscale dinner location that serves incredibly unique food, this would be the place to go.
Our server greeted us with with an amazingly relaxed and zen energy. She explained menu to us; essentially, it was a 4 course meal (2 starters/apps, one main, and one dessert). Each person got to choose 4 dishes, and it was recommended that each person chose a different dish so that everyone could share and have a taste of everything, so we did exactly that.
They gave us an amuse-bouche, which was a tortilla chip with some veggies and herbs on it. We weren't expecting to get it so it was a nice suprise. There was lots of flavour packed into the tiny cracker, so we knew we were in for a ride.
For our first course, we ordered the lavash with onion spread and the shaved dear. Both were stellar (and this is my personal favourite course). The lavash with the spread had an interesting array of flavours and although there was a lot happening it worked really well. The shaved deer was likewise just as good. The herbs and peanut really came through.
We then ordered the scallops and the quesadilla. The mushroom quesadilla came in a pocket form, with a mushroom filling. The sauce combination worked really well, and the filling was creamy and well-flavoured. The scallops were fine, though a little disappointing. The pickled rhubarb, although amazing, kind of took attention from the scallops themselves, which was just decent.
Our mains were the drunk prik chicken and the ravioli. The chicken was really good, and it was reminiscent of an elevated Chinese fried rice dish. The chicken was cooked perfectly and it was deceptively huge. The ravioli was quite nice as well. The filling was pork filling was great and savoury, though I wasn't a big fan of the braised vegetable.
Finally, the dessert came. We ordered the tres leches and the coconut sorbet. The sorbet was really refreshing and I liked how every aspect incorporated the coconut (from the ice cream to the whip). The tres leches cake was next level and is probably my favourite thing I had that day. The cake was moist and sweet, and the tortilla ice cream elevated it.
They gave us free chocolates to end our meal, which was again a nice surprise to an amazing dinner.
I like how their menu incorporates different cuisines (such as Chinese, Mexican, and Filipino) and they do so in an elevated interesting way. Do keep in mind that this place is more of an upscale dining experience so you may find the 4-course portions lacking, in which case you can order the honey buns which I heard great things about.
Overall, this dinner place is amazing and I would highly recommend it! read more