Timeout: Kirala

(From KC's review in Timeout)

Opened by the same folks who operate Sushi Dokoro Hikari in Tin Hau, Kirala is the latest venue to join the myriad Japanese restaurants inside Causeway Bay’s Henry House. Marketing itself as a kaiseki restaurant, Kirala offers no à la carte menus, only set meals with all the details dictated by the chef.


There are six different set menus served during lunch, plus a chef’s special kaseiki set, which we were initially quite interested in. However, when we asked about details of this set, the manageress implied that most diners would choose one of the normal sets rather than the special kaiseki here. After hearing this, it felt pointless to pay $480 for a set menu that even the staff wouldn’t recommend and we opted instead for the wagyu and toro set ($198) and the Kirala set ($178).


Both the main dishes in the wagyu and toro set were disappointing. The Australian beef was undergrilled and lacked both flavour and that melt-in-the-mouth texture. The tuna belly suffered as well. Not only was it a bit too soft, it tasted like it had spent too much time defrosting. The sushi in the Kirala set was equally dissatisfying. The sliced sama, for example, was fishy in taste, overly supple and was served with normal soy sauce instead of the proper mashed ginger seasoning. For the tempura, other than the slightly off-putting greasiness, the seafood was fresh and delicious. The steamed rice with sea eel and salmon roe was probably the best part of the set. The rice was soft with an al dente texture and was imbibed in the savory aromas of the sea.


Price-wise, Kirala is fairly reasonable and we were even given a 10 percent discount on our visit. But, overall, this place still needs plenty of time and work to reach the proper kaiseki standard.

Timeout: Mutekiya

(From KC's review in Timeout)

Although ramen is featured as the signature dish here, from talking to the staff, this newly opened Japanese restaurant has nothing to do with the famous Mutekiya ramen institution in Ikebukuro.


Still eager to give this place a try, we started with sliced Japanese yam ($48), which was cool and refreshingly crunchy, making it a great appetiser for the summer. We also tried some of the grilled and yakitori items as well (note that these are only served during the evenings). The homemade chicken meatball ($45) was delicious, especially with the crisp bits of chicken cartilage that were mixed into it. The sweet barbecue sauce, soy and egg yolk also added plenty of flavour to the minced meat skewer. This is a must-try item. The grilled chicken heart ($22) was another highlight, tender with plenty of chargrilled flavour. On the other hand, the grilled ox tongue ($68) arrived chewy and rubbery. A disappointment for a usual favourite.


We also tried the grilled veggies, the best of which was the French horn mushroom ($22) seasoned with barbecue sauce. The ginkgo nuts ($16) were bitter and the texture too hard and sticky. The Japanese green peppers ($16) were another letdown, undercooked, bland and despairingly soggy.


Moving onto the carbs, we were told that the tsukemen (noodle with thick sauce, $98) is more popular here than the soup rendition. These are of the thick, wheat grain variety designed to hold up its sauce. However, the sauce was watery and the flavour was lacking. It seems that this restaurant still has some way to go before it’s even close to the original Mutekiya.

(Also check out KC's reviews on Timeout here)

Timeout: E-Pai

(From KC's Review in Timeout)

If you’re a fan of The Yuu, you should find the interior and the menu at E-Pai quite familiar. This should be no surprise since both restaurants belong to King Parrot Group. With the dark wood décor and the menus hanging on walls, E-Pai almost feels like a traditional izakaya in Roppongi, Tokyo. Diners can choose to dine at the teppanyaki table, the sushi bar or the normal dining tables. We opted to sit in front of the teppanyaki chefs to enjoy their culinary show.


We started the meal with several grilled items. The fresh gingko nuts ($38) have a bit of chew and a delicate flavour enhanced by the sea salt. The grilled ox-tongue ($25) is equally tasty, succulent and marbled with fat. The grilled eel ($25) arrives moist, with a dry and crispy skin. Unfortunately, the eel still carried a strong fishy taste that even the salt seasoning couldn’t eliminate.


We also tried the E-Pai kansai-yaki ($58) – an Osaka-style savoury egg pancake loaded with beef tendons, mushrooms and cheese, among other things. As a signature dish, this was a let-down – the texture of the cake is too runny and the barbecue sauce used is overly sour, tasting like a supermarket product rather than a homespun offering.


Thankfully, the beef yaki ($68) fared a lot better. The meat is thin-cut with a juicy, fatty texture and intense beefy flavour that is further enhanced by cooking with spicy miso. We also ordered the rice with tea and plum ($50). Although the rice is not from Japan, it’s still cooked very well to deliver a soft yet still slightly al dente texture. Paired with an appetite-inducing sour plum and a tasty seafood soup, we polished off the rice in no time.


When we left the restaurant after our meal, there were still around 20 people waiting outside the door. Obviously, this is exactly the kind of Japanese eatery the Kwun Tong crowd was longing for.

（Here you go to Timeout.com for more restaurants reviews...）

（請表此參考中文食評）

Timeout: Manzo

(From KC's Review in Timeout)

When you talk about the Dining Concepts restaurant group, the first thing that comes to mind is steak. And plenty of it too. Recently, they’ve opened up yet another new outlet in Times Square, offering steak done the traditional Italian way.

To start, we ordered the baked eggplant with mozzarella and tomato ($98). The three classic ingredients are served sizzling hot in a cast iron casserole, seasoned nicely by fresh leaves of basil. The aubergines are baked until they become meltingly tender with the stretchy mozza cheese adding a lovely dimension to the wonderful appetiser. Next up, roasted veal marrow ($158) is served together with sliced toast on an iron plate. As a marrow lover, I couldn’t wait to greedily scoop the runny bits out of the bone and slather them onto the crisp pieces of toast. Unfortunately, the marrow was lacking a pinch of sea salt, which could’ve elevated the dish to a whole different level.



Of course, steak is a must here and we decided to go with the pure wagyu sirloin ($688). Ordered medium rare, the 11oz meat from Oakleigh Ranch, Australia, was grilled just right with a lovely, crusty char on the surface that yields to a moist and bloody red centre. The marbling on the wagyu provided a flavourful taste and an extremely tender and near melt-in-the-mouth texture. All beef lovers should be satisfied with this steak. We tried the top sirloin rump ($178) as well – a select US Department of Agriculture angus that was a bit chewy and rough, but still provided a juicy and tasty meat flavour.



We opted for the olio d’oliva cake ($68) to end the meal since we were told that it was one of the restaurant’s most popular items. The orange cake has a nice spring to it but, unfortunately, doesn’t carry much citric fruit flavour. Luckily, the hazelnut praline made up for that, and the rich and smooth chocolate ice cream on the side was also a crowd pleaser.



Being a steakhouse, the beef selection here is relatively inadequate with only eight choices provided on the regular menu. We were told that the restaurant will be adding more choices later on and we’ll definitely come back for a taste when that happens.

Kung Fu Dim Sum

(From KC's review in Timeout)

Following the success of Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan and One Dim Sum, there has been a rapid increase of eateries specialising in dim sum. Among the newcomers is this Tin Hau restaurant. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon to find the two-floor place packed with people with a long queue outside the shop. Luckily the turnover of customers was really quick and we were seated after a brief 15-minute wait.



The dim sum items are all prepared on an à la minute basis. The menu is divided into six categories (steamed, deep-fried, rice roll, rice pot, congee and dessert). To start, we had the double-boiled seafood soup ($28), which was delicately flavoured with a light aftertaste. Next, we tried several traditional steamed items, including shrimp dumplings ($12), siu mai ($10), char siu bun ($14) and Malay sponge cake ($14) – all served piping hot. The shrimp dumplings were really tasty with fresh shrimp fillings and a thin, non-sticky skin. The pork filling in the siu mai was juicy and meaty, but I would have preferred a more traditional version with less shrimp. The char siu bun was steamed just right – not too soft while retaining a bit of chew. But the pork inside was too sweet and thin. The Malay sponge cake was especially delicious, soft in texture and full of brown sugar sweetness. This is one of the must-try items.



We also opted for some innovative deep-fried items. The sesame radish cake ($20) was a combination of radish cake and sesame-studded Chinese pancake. Despite the greasy, crunchy sesame surface, the radish fillings were tasty and sweet. The long garlic shrimp spring roll ($19) was much crispier than the traditional versions. We also tried the char siu pork rice roll ($19) and found the exterior too thick and starchy. The meal ended with the sticky rice and mango roll, which was soft, sweet and deliciously chewy ($16). With no service charge, the total bill came to about $80each. This is not expensive, but it’s still surely not on the cheap side.

飯局報名處：香港仔魚市場海鮮餐廳

各位朋友，

第一次在部落開帖子報名飯局。

是次活動詳情如下：

地點：魚市場海鮮餐廳（食評參考請按此）
日期：2011年10月8日
時間：下午十二時三十分

報名安排如下：

1. 是次活動公開報名的位置是兩圍(26人)
2. 如果未是KC Facebook上的朋友又未「like」KC在facebook上的專頁的，大家很難同檯吃飯，請大家做左fb fd及like左我的專頁先。（KC在facebook是「KC Koo」，專頁是「KC賞味隨筆」）
3. 請在這裡的留言欄留下名字，並在Facebook上如我message去確認報名。
4. 所有位置先到先得，如果人數太多，之前參加過KC飯局的食友有參加的優先權。
5. 如果第一次來的朋友可能會被要求落足訂，因為我給人放飛機的情況也太多，唯有參與的朋友要信我
6. 吃什麼，KC會發辦，沒人有權干涉。幾百食友跟我吃了這麼多年，也是如此。
7. 因為未到最近幾天也未知找到什麼最好的海鮮，所以是次在開飯前未必出得切餐牌，對不起。

謝謝大家。

KC

No. 1 Rice Roll （第一腸粉）

(From my review in Timeout)

If you walk into Portland Street at Prince Edward’s end, you will easily find a lot of different eateries. There’s the Michelin recommended Wing Hap Lung, snake soup restaurants, wonton noodle stores... the list goes on. And now there’s another restaurant to add to the mix that specialises in steamed rice rolls. The space is tiny, seating no more than 20 in a comfortably clean and bright interior. The main attraction is the semi-open kitchen where customers can watch clearly as the chefs work their magic.



The signature house rice roll ($15) was our first choice. The skin is smooth and thin, served extremely hot with plenty of rice flavour. The rolls are filled with Taiwanese braised pork and chopped, crunchy leeks. The pig liver rice roll ($15) is another popular choice. The fresh pig liver is thinly sliced, cooked just right with a crispy feel in the mouth, followed by a lingering, light, gamey taste. It was the star of our meal. The courgettes and mushroom rice roll ($15) comes with green fillings that were sweet, juicy and tasty.



The restaurant also serves other snacks on top of their rice rolls. The dark green colour of the salty pork bone congee with dried bok choy ($16) is a testament to its lengthy cooking process. The congee is quite watery instead of being creamy and thick. But the dish is vibrant with dried vegetable flavour and is cooked sans MSG. Steamed turnip cakes ($10) are done in real authentic style, filled with shredded turnips and a little glutinous rice flour for an extremely sweet and soft end product. The accompanying XO sauce is spicy and rich with the aromas of dried scallops. It’s surely something that nobody should miss.



All of us were happily sated for less than $30 per head. No. 1 Rice Roll is a real bargain and a great place for a late night meal.

(Please type here for Chinese review)

Timeout: Cantopop

(From KC's Review in Timeout)

If you know Margaret Xu, the owner and chef of Yin Yang, you will at least have some idea of what to expect from Cantopop. A collaboration with the team behind Italian restaurant Posto Pubblico, the new establishment stays true to the “clean” eating philosophy adopted by both eateries by foregoing MSG and chemical additives during the cooking process and using mostly organic produce in their dishes. What else? Cantopop’s noodles are homemade in-store, as are the bacon, luncheon meat, ham and beef jerky.



One of Cantopop’s highlighted dishes is sous vide char siu with fried egg ($68) and this arrives beautifully presented with the sliced barbecued pork neatly arranged and topped with a sunny side egg. The char siu looks promising at first with the meat thinly layered with fat. Unfortunately, the taste and texture are both disappointing. Not only does it lack a rich, meaty flavour, the pork is chewy and near rubbery. Although it is made from all-natural pork and cooked by low temperature sous vide, we prefer the traditional type of char siu, which is far tastier. The stir-fried beef and sprouts with rice noodles ($58) is a little better and is served piping hot, straight from the kitchen. The thin, flat rice noodles are evenly seasoned with dark soy sauce and, combined together with the tender and tasty sliced beef, makes one of the best dishes for lunch.



Things take a downhill turn with their toast selection. The Chinese cheese and organic honey toast ($18) is not crispy enough and it’s not hot enough either. There is also too little Chinese cheese, leaving the sweetness of the honey to dominate the whole affair. The braised beef shin and lettuce sandwiches ($38) fare much better; the beef shin is tender and makes a delicious combination with the heap of shredded spring onions. If only the beef shin could be cut thicker, it would have further enhanced the mouthfeel.



But Cantopop’s real downfall is with its beverages. The milk tea cino ($18) claims to be another version of local hot milk tea but lacks the richness and smoothness that we’d expect from a quality cha chaan teng. Another traditional local drink – the red bean ice ($28) is equally unimpressive. The red bean is hard and the milk is not sweet enough. It’s definitely not up to scratch with the local cha chaan teng standards.



Cantopop’s “ingredient integrity” and its efforts to introduce clean eating into our local dining scene are admirable. But our appreciation of the restaurant’s ethos only goes so far. And at the end of the day we would be much happier if the food was made tastier. KC Koo

UG/F, The L Place, 139 Queen’s Rd, Central, 2857 2608 & 2857 2007; www.canto-pop.com. Mon-Thu 7am-midnight & Fri-Sat 7am-2am. Dinner for two: around $300

醬汁魔法師

(撰自KC在報章上的專欄文章)

每天也收到不少飲食資訊，特別留意廚師的新動向，因為如果有實力的廚師在新地方可以發揮的化學作用分分鐘是無從估量的。日前收到九龍香格里拉酒店的公關大員的邀請，原來那裡意大利餐廳Angelini（尖沙咀麼地道64號 2733 8750）的新主廚已經上任。一向對這間意大利餐廳印象很好，舖面雖然不大也沒有金碧輝煌及華麗貴氣的裝潢，但簡潔典雅的佈置加上維港景致，如選個地方跟朋友吃一頓輕鬆簡餐絕對是上佳之選。



當天就跟新主廚Patrizio Roncato談了幾句，出生於意大利北部Bergamo的他在不少米芝蓮星店如布魯塞爾的La Maison du Boeuf及巴黎的Le Passage工作過，經驗及國際視野不容懷疑。據聞他是運用純天然素材去製作醬汁以襯托不同的食材的專家，當天就過他的幾味菜覺得所言甚是。蘆筍鮮蝦意大利飯的飯粒煮得飽滿又有咬口，飯呈淺綠色因為用上了現在最時令的露筍去熬汁，味道鮮美感覺清新，跟爽甜的鮮仁配合得很好。另一味主菜的鱈魚茸就用上紅椒汁去配襯，艷紅的顏色加上微微辛辣又帶天然甜味，醬汁配搭運用手法之高叫人一吃難忘。

Chef Patrizio的拿手菜還有肉類及自家製的麵條，可惜是日胃納所限未能一試，必定擇日再來。



後記：

從2009年10月開始在這個專欄分享飲食心得，轉眼已年半有多。由從前在網誌裡隨意亂寫到在這個小框框內限時限字的交文，對於KC來說也是個不小的挑戰，一路下來也獲益良多。專欄寫到今天要完結了，希望會在別的領域跟大家見面，大家想繼續看KC的博文請到www.gourmetkc.blogspot.com。（寫係咁寫，但編輯最後還是禁止KC將網址登出...）

相約在八月

（撰自KC在報章上的專欄文章）

據聞是拉尼娜現象的影響吧，本港今年的春天過得特別短。寒衣剛送炎夏就來了，每天動輒二十八、九度，執筆之時更是三十有二度，真的熱得什麼胃口也沒有。



可幸還有不少食肆的朋友在努力的去研發新菜式，將我們失去的胃口挽回來，最近就在八月軒（旺角亞皆老街8號朗豪坊3樓35號舖　3542 5768）吃到不錯的新菜式。這是美心飲食集團最新的粵菜館，同系的八月花、八月軒等茶館卻以供應精緻出色的粵菜及點心聞名，這間新店除了沿集了其他店子最受歡迎的項目以外，也推出不少新餐點，當中有不少是炎夏之選。



前菜的「有機腐衣鮮淮山」是一例，口感嫩滑的鮮腐竹加上味道清爽淮山，再伴以輕怡的醬汁就是一味清新討好的涼菜小吃。「燕窩蕃茄濃湯」更是合適不過的湯品，味道濃郁非常，據知是用了大量熟透的大牛茄去煲成的，其天然酸甜味實在令人胃口大開。如果這味湯能像西班牙凍菜湯（Gazpacho）般做成凍凍的，就更適合這個天時了。天時熱或許對飯麵沒有什麼興趣，可以來個「生炒蜆肉」去伴層餅。蜆肉是用黃沙蜆新鮮生拆的，配上刴得幼細的韭菜、潤腸、菘子仁等，加點辣醬再包在鬆軟熱辣的小層餅同吃就是美味又不膩的單尾選擇。這裡供應的幾款中西甜品最令人驚喜，「吾中吾西」是炸雪糕配炸蛋球，前者外脆內甜美而後者又鬆化不油膩，是甜牙齒必滿意的甜點。



地方好，服務出色而食物又有水準，未吃完已向這裡的公關大員訂下六圍檯，就在七月跟一眾食友來試試這裡的新菜式。

河畔的龍門客棧

(撰自KC在報章上的專欄文章)

已數不出有多久未踏足過沙田的麗豪酒店了，是日就來探探酒店的公關朋友。在香港過來，也要轉兩次車又走了一段路程才來到門前，還好是日天色絕佳也風光明媚，也很不錯。四處走走，原來這裡食肆也相當多元化，小小的一間酒店囊括了意大利菜館、東南亞菜、日本菜及酒吧，而是日筆者來的目的就是試吃這裡的滬菜館 ~ 龍門客棧（沙田大涌橋路34-36號麗豪酒店地下 2132 1153）。



店子環境不俗，木傢俱加上橙色光的木吊燈籠，古色古香感覺很不錯。菜式已由公關朋友代安排好，是非常豐富的午膳。前菜幾款皆有特色，魚籽薰雙蛋是大廚周師傅的拿手菜，將黑魚籽放在魷魚肉內再藏在薰蛋當中，再在旁邊還加上飛魚籽上碟，黑、白、橙、紅、黃五款顏色紛陳，單看已叫人食慾大增。鴨蛋黃軟滑甘腴，魚籽也爽脆甜美，在口感及味道上均是絕配。



另外的醬墨魚也是坊間少見的一味正宗滬菜，斯時墨魚時令品，口感彈牙鮮美。海蜇頭用上的「大花」部份，吃起來爽脆有致，絕對是清新可喜的涼菜小品。至於主菜也甚有水準，河蝦粒粒爽美鮮脆，燒海參也軟腍甜滑，最驚喜的就是一味稻草骨，肋骨肉大大件的，用稻草紮起炆得軟腍可口，是絕對值得推薦的一味。



餐後跟大廚周萬永師傅談了幾句，是個健談又好客的滬菜高手。入廚30年的他曾於本地幾間知名的店子如同樂軒及霞飛路掌廚，功力深厚之餘也富有創意，在傳統的菜式上總有新點子。

想不到遠在城門河畔的這裡也有這樣的一間水準滬菜店，看來也要不時來一來看看有什麼新菜式。

刀中細膩

(摘自KC於報章上的專欄文章)

香港雖然號稱美食天堂，可以在這裡找到不少地方菜式及不同類型的館子。但也不能否認有某幾類菜式是在沒落中，一些老店子的水準也漸見不穩，不時令人吃得失望，當中以滬菜為甚。早幾年我在公開飲食網站的食評中時常提到本地「滬菜四強」，今天北角雪園及灣仔留園俱已結業，中環的兩間會所級滬菜館一間大將已去，另一間也呈老態，俱與往日不可同日而語。



還好仍有一些舊舖子會令人有所驚喜，說的就是上海綠揚村酒家（銅鑼灣告士打道280號世貿中心11樓 2881 6669）。這裡開業多年，還記得在未搬至現時11樓的舖位時筆者最喜歡在秋涼天時來吃這裡的大閘蟹餐。四人套餐只需千多元，大閘蟹卻是隻隻羔豐肉足，非常不錯。不過近年卻有另一個新發現，就是這裡是少數在本地有做淮陽菜的地方，廚務顧問彭師傅更是箇中高手。



是日得來這裡為六月辦的大型飯局試菜，幾味彭師傅的拿手菜式仍然出色。「麗花蘿蔔衣」是以漬蘿蔔去捲上紅椒絲去砌成菊花的模樣，賣相精美而味道酸甜醒胃，是筆者最喜歡的前菜。「梳衣青瓜碟」就是以極幼細的刀功去將青瓜切成幼梳狀，美觀之餘口感還特別爽脆。而「文思豆腐羹」絕對是師傅刀功造詣的最佳演繹，豆腐切成如頭髮般幼細，浸在濃郁的湯頭內還可以看到切得條條非常均稱又粗幼相若的，蔚為奇觀。



席上跟彭師傅談了幾句，六月淮陽飯局的餐牌大致敲定，當中除了好幾味心水招牌菜式外，還可考慮加入時令菜式如「紅袍大蝦」、「鍋貼烏龍背」及「老干媽醬炒珍寶蟹」等等，絕對令人期待。

釀起翠玉的飛龍

（摘自KC在報章上的專欄文章）

兩大香港的航空公司在近年也有趨勢，就是去找一些出色的本地食群合作去設計餐單，慕求打破人們認為「飛機餐必難吃」的認知，早前就出席了港龍航空與翠玉軒（中環干諾道中8號交易廣場第二座4樓2525 1163）合作的最新航機餐點試吃會。



筆者以前還在文易廣場上班的時候，如果想找個好一點的地方跟同行吃頓聯誼飯，翠玉軒實在是不二之選。貴為連續兩年的米芝蓮一星的中菜店，這裡地方闊落環境舒適，食物也精緻美味而水準穩定，總不會叫人失望。



說回是日的試食菜單，三味前菜、一道燉湯加上八道主菜，非常豐富。不要以為只是飛機餐的餐單，但也放進不少翠玉軒餐牌上的精選菜式。如前菜的「紅翡綠翠」，主菜的「丁香魚乾蒸銀鱈魚」及「咖哩牛面肉」等。如果大家以為拿手菜式只會在頭等艙或商務艙出現你說錯了，因為另一味在經濟艙餐單出現的「焦糖黑醋小豬柳」就是另一道店子的招牌菜。



當然每次試吃飛機餐單筆者最有興趣的，就是如何在三萬呎高空的機艙仍然可以保持菜式出色的味道？經翠玉軒分區主任廚師蔡偉平師傅解說，秘訣就是在餐單內多選取蒸煮及用醬汁紅燒招煮的菜式，加上反覆與航空公司的餐飯部在食物處理及溫度上的研究，出來的效果可以說是跟在店子吃的甚相近。



據悉這個餐單會未來一年間供應所有由香港飛往北京與上海的港龍航班，與及前往台北及高雄的商務及頭等艙乘客。身處高空也能吃到出色的星級粵菜，何其快哉。

Timeout: La Marmite

(Extracted from KC's restaurant review in Timeout)

There’s been a sudden influx of new French bistros in town and La Marmite is one of the most popular ones. Situated near the western boundary of Soho, this two-story restaurant is the newest venture to come from Aqua Group. Guests can enjoy a casual and informal meal around the high tables at the front, or a more serious sit-down feast inside the bistro and on the upper level. The focus is on authentic, hearty Parisian dishes at very affordable prices for the Soho area with hors d’oeuvres and desserts clocking in below $100 and main courses below $200.



We arrived on a weekday afternoon for a casual light lunch and were seated on the nearly-full ground floor. The à la carte menu is quite simple with only six to seven options provided in each course section, together with a weekly recommended blackboard special. To start, we went with the potted smoke salmon ($98). Served in a sealed small bottle, the salmon was hand-chopped into small, chunky bites and seasoned with capers and dill to form a delicious mixture, designed to be gulfed down with the crispy sour dough toast that comes with it. It’s a light and pleasantly appetising dish to start off the meal.



We also tried the classic French village dish of rabbit, foie gras and port pie ($198). The rich and creamy foie gras paired beautifully with
the light and slightly gamey rabbit confit and carefully balanced port wine sauce. This delectable dish requires about 20 minutes to prepare, so make sure you have an equally laissez-faire attitude when ordering this.



We had the Paris brest ($78) for dessert – an old-school Parisian pastry made in celebration of the “Paris-Brest-Paris” bicycle race. Made with choux pastry and filled with hazelnut cream, the pastry was assembled to order (to prevent moisture accumulating during refrigeration) with the outer shell carrying a delectable, light crispy texture. It was a nice and traditional ending to our hearty French meal.