kiki's B.F.F: Geraldine [Seafood]

The Geraldine (@GeraldineResto) opened it's door back in August and I am surprise that there wasn't more reviews about it. Taking over the former Cowbell space, it's been completely transformed into a vintage romantic 1920's decor. Love everything from the old wood piano at the back, the absinthe fountain at the bar, the reclaimed wooden mantle to the antique glassware and place settings.

I especially love the oval tables where they place the two chairs next to each other which is perfect for an intimate romantic dinner ♥

The drink menu is appropriately titled "Prohibition" which kept up with the 1920's theme... I would say the most interesting cocktails are the two that contained Absinthe which I absolutely regretted of not trying. They also have wine and beer listing but with this innovating cocktail list, they shouldn't be your priority.

Silversmith Oyster Stout $7

Ben ordered this to try it with actual oysters and we were both surprise at how the fresh oysters bring out the oyster flavor of the beer.

The Scarlet Carson $11

~ Tanqueray Gin infused White Jasmine & Rose Petal Green Tea, Lillet Blanc, Campari, Grapefruit, Honey Syrup (in collaboration w/ Kitten & The Bear

Love this a lot, I was incredibly surprise at how pronounce the tea flavors was and the added touch of rose petal tea on top was very romantic.

Fanny Bay (BC) $3.50 x2 + Kumamoto (BC) $3.00 x2 + Crab Leg $5

There were only 3 type of oyster to choose from and one of them were sold out which I find the selection very limited for a seafood restaurant. Plus these 2 were pretty standard ones which I can find anywhere at a very affordable price.

When ordering we were told there's a 15-20 minutes wait for the oysters which is strange since it require no cooking but we were ok with it since we were in no rush. Then after 30mins, we were told that they were sold out, then the platter arrives after another 3mins... confusion? Need someone to shuck for the night?

After the oyster ordeal, all our food arrive in a whirlwind but my guess is that they were waiting for the oyster course. Since it's more tapas style / sharing plates, there's no appetizers and mains coming separately.... so all 5 dishes came at once which can get overwhelming with my picture taking and trying a bit of everything before it gets cold. So I would definitely suggest to order 2-3 dishes at a time if it was just 2-3 of you.

Peas / Ricotta / Ham Hock / Chilies $9

I can't believe I am saying this but this peas dish was one of my fave dish of the night. Love the sweet peas with the creamy ricotta and the salty ham hock. Love that there were some jus at the bottom which added more flavor and did I mention that the hock was very moist, flavorful and melt in your mouth good.

Charred Octopus / Potato / Sauce Raito $9

This was my least favorite dish of the night, I sort of find the octopus slightly overcook and it arrives at our table less then lukewarm. But I did like the Raito sauce a lot.

Duck Sandwich / Shallot / Orange / Watercress $10

This was so good with slices and slices of the perfectly cook duck piles high. The bread was perfectly toasted and love that it's an open face sandwich which take better picture. I usually don't like oranges in my dishes but with only 2 slices here, it gave just enough sweetness and it was perfectly balance with the pickled shallots on top.

Wild Mushroom on Toast $9

This was incredibly creamy and delicious, need I say more?!

Braised Wild Boar Belly / Just / Parisienne Gnocchi $17

Love that they use boar belly instead of pork since it's a lot more flavourful and this was perfectly crisply seared and the jus was intense in flavor. This is my first time eating Parisienne Gnocchi which is made with pâte à choux dough instead of potato which result in a totally different texture, more chewy and still very light. The only thing here was I wish it had better fat to meat ratio, this was 85% fat.