Abandon all hope of slim waistlines, ye who enter here: this fire-breathing, scythe-bearing demon welcomed us into Dante's third circle of hell, reserved for gluttons and relocated to Bistro a Table for an eight-course, hell-themed degustation dinner.
Hell temporarily froze over for the opening salvo of asparagus ice with house-smoked salmon, which featured familiar flavors in an unconventional textural combination.
Temperatures climbed with each subsequent serving: prepared at six degrees Celcius, this Deconstructed Bloody Mary Soup surfaced as a crimson lake of tomato, with chili seeds on the side to sear the taste buds with teeth-gnashing punishment.
Seventy degrees and rising: capellini with diabolically delicious poached Irish oysters and Avruga caviar in creamy veloute. The dinner this week was meant to mark Bistro's one-year birthday on the 6th of June (that's today!) at its No. 6 address. Many happy returns!
Ninety degrees: lobster ravioli with Pernod-infused bisque. June's a double whammy for degustation fans: Bistro will host Chef Vicky Cheng of Hong Kong's Liberty Private Works on Saturday, June 16, when he'll collaborate with Bistro's Isadora Chai for one evening only. Make reservations soon; hell hath no fury like a chef scorned.
At 170 degrees: Deep-fried onion soup might sound like culinary blasphemy, but while it wasn't as heavenly as the other courses, we'll forgive it for its sin of stodginess.
Is this lamb? Hell, no! Italian venison, smothered in foie gras emulsion.
Deliver us into temptation: the wine pairings for this meal included warm, tangy-spiced sips of French Pinot Noir.
Too hot to handle: white cherry clafoutis, buttery and sugary. Potentially a thought-I'd died-and-gone-to-heaven sort of dessert.
There's a fire starting in our Cointreau-flamed Passion Fruit Bombe Alaska, reaching a fever pitch and bringing us out the dark.
Burn, baby, burn _ Bistro Inferno! You know what I mean.
Bistro a Table,
Section 17, Petaling Jaya.