When watching @cultivate.hk developing before its Soft Opening, I was a little uncertain of the direction it was going to take. You see, anyone who has followed @leonidas_xcii 's food for a while would have noticed 2 things: One, is that he's rather unconventional & inventive, sometimes borderline 'unpredictable' with his flexibility, with each dish taking many micro steps.
2ndly, he actually developed a bit of reputation for having a knack for making Vegetables taste great, but still, all these spring veggies photos popping up on my screen 🤔. In fact there are Vegetables based Dishes still remaining on HK Restaurant menus, which was co-invented by Leonard when he was working there, the famous Brussels Sprouts salad is one if u know what I am speaking of.
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Taste of Spring Bites:
🔸Roasted Vidalia Onion with Lemon Verbena Ricotta, Petit pois, Freeze Dried Tangerines, etc. The flavor explosion from this bite surprised me, as it is much more complex than it seems on paper. The Vidalia onions are highly seasonal, & US Georgia's answer to the French Cevennes Onions or other sweet onions in Japan, etc.
🔸A little very well cooked piece of Eel beneath
🔸Nasturtium with Green Apple, Sorbet, Whey & Lemon confit. This was very interesting, as there's a mixture of sourness, bitterness and leafiness from the herb & flower itself. It reminds me a bit of the Sorrel & Omija sorbet initially at Hansik Goo, which is quite 'out there' & great for palate training, exploratory, on the sour bitter spectrum
🔸Salted Celtuce with Creme Fraiche, Dill & Fennel presented on a fork, to start, also was more flavorful than the outlook suggested
