Valentine’s Day dinner at the Reef’s Edge Resort consisted of a 5 course dinner. 

The meal started off with a Norwegian smoked salmon rosette and crab cake with saffron aioli and beetroot jelly. The smoked salmon and beetroot jelly combination was good although the beetroot jelly could have used more seasoning. 

The second course was “Essence of Chicken and Poached Quail Egg”. The soup itself was done very well with the flavours being subtle and well balanced. The quail egg was still soft in the centre which was nice however I would’ve hoped for it to be a little runnier. 

Next came the raspberry sorbet which was tart and not sweet at all which made for an effective palate cleanser. 

For the main course there was an option of either Grilled Australian Tenderloin or Herb Crusted Chicken Breast. I went for the former which was served with a mixed mushroom ragout, roasted vegetables, gremolata and red wine jus. The beef was cooked excellently - pink in the middle, juicy and flavoursome, it was definitely the standout element of the entire meal. The mushroom ragout paired well with the beef, a classic flavour combination which was executed well. The gremolata was great- tangy and well seasoned although there could have been more on the plate. 

The final course, dessert, was a Japanese style cheesecake and raspberry panna cotta served with berry compote. The cheesecake was good although it was not as ‘creamy’ as described on the menu and was a little rubbery. The berry compote was not too sweet and still had an acidic bite to it which was nice. 

Overall, the food was very good however the service left a lot to be desired as diners were made to wait on average about 20 minutes between each course which led to the dinner being dragged on for two and a half hours. 

By Upeksha Hettiarachchi 
Photographs by Kithsiri de Mel