I am so enthralled with the food here at Hortus 😍. Pretty much everything here was delicious with the exception of one or two items that I didn't 100% love. I mean, just look at that Seafood Platter ($45)! The oysters were extremely fresh and I loved the scallops. The shrimp cocktail 🍤 was also really good - I especially enjoyed the homemade (or house special) cocktail sauce that it came with. Extremely tasty. Out of the entire platter, my least favorite was probably the king crab 🦀. I had a lot of high expectations for it but while it was good, I don't think it was as amazing as others made it out to be.
We also grabbed some cocktails - these were called Garden ($11). It wasn't on the menu when we visited but they might be on there now. These were so delicious! They were very light in terms of alcohol and incredibly refreshing due to the cucumbers in the drink. I would definitely recommend these!
We ordered quite a number of appetizers because we wanted a taste of everything. I also loved the fact that the manager himself went around each tables to personally ask how everyone was doing and in doing so, he also gave us some recommendations of new dishes and things we should try. 💞 So because of that, we ended up ordering more than we initially anticipated. 😅
On the left, we ordered the Yuzu Tare Angel Wing ($10). This was one of the few dishes that my friend and I weren't super impressed with. In the center, we got the Oysters Gratin ($10) and this was actually my least favorite of everything we ordered. Admittedly, I did take quite some time to take photos and so it's very likely that because of the time I spent taking photos, the dish was then quite lukewarm and thus not that tasty. This is definitely a dish that I would recommend eating it ASAP so the cheese will still be bubbling. I did enjoy the Korean twist on this dish though since there is a hint of gochujang in it. It's not very strong and not very spicy so those who aren't a spice lover can definitely enjoy this dish.
On the right, we also got the Steamed Rice Roll ($12) which had a very distinct Chinese-inspired flavor to it, specifically that one dim-sum dish. I actually really enjoyed this dish and found it very flavorful! ☺ The only qualm though is that I thought that the rice roll itself was a bit too mushy for my taste. It didn't have the chewy texture that I am used to
On the right, we also got the Steamed Rice Roll ($12) which had a very distinct Chinese-inspired flavor to it, specifically that one dim-sum dish. I actually really enjoyed this dish and found it very flavorful! ☺ The only qualm though is that I thought that the rice roll itself was a bit too mushy for my taste. It didn't have the chewy texture that I am used to
The last two appetizers that we ordered were definitely my favorites! The Crispy Sea Urchin ($13) was S O G O O D! 😍 It was absolutely delicious and we loved how crunchy that seaweed part was. It added such good texture and complemented the sea urchin so well. I considered ordering more but for $13, it's a bit on the pricier end since it only came with 2 pieces.
The Charcoal Grilled Eggplant ($15) was another standout. Honestly, everything about the dish was amazing. My friend wasn't a big fan of eggplant so more for me! The eggplant really reminded me of the Chinese street food that I had in Shanghai ages ago. The only difference was that the street version had a ton of garlic whereas this one was loaded with minced pork, mozzarella and bread crumbs. Yum!
The last dish that we ordered was the Beef ($42) to share. O M G, this dish was phenomenal. 😍 It was a grilled ribeye that was cooked with Asian influences specifically in the seasoning as well as the romaine lettuce. My friend and I absolutely devoured this entire dish. It was so tender and so flavorful. There was a bit of fat in it as typical of most ribeye steaks so if you're not into fattier meat then this one might not be for you. But for us, it was divine. Honestly, I would go back just for this. And maybe the sea urchin as well. 🥰
For dessert, there was only one option - Rice Pudding ($7). This would have been an amazing dessert if the mango was sweeter. Since it isn't currently mango season and we went on a few short weeks ago (mid/late Sept), the mango was a bit on the sour/tart side. Other than that, I really enjoyed the dessert!
Overall, I highly recommend this place! The food was amazing and the ambiance was perfect for a date night or a girl's night. The service was also impeccable and like I stated earlier, I loved how the manager himself made the rounds continuously to ask if everything was okay. That kind of service goes a long way!
Overall, I highly recommend this place! The food was amazing and the ambiance was perfect for a date night or a girl's night. The service was also impeccable and like I stated earlier, I loved how the manager himself made the rounds continuously to ask if everything was okay. That kind of service goes a long way!
Overall Verdict on Hortus: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I N F O R M A T I O N O N R E S T A U R A N T M E N T I O N E D
Hortus
Hortus
