Antiques Restaurant - The Sire, Georgetown Penang

Last Wednesday we, the Penang Food Bloggers, had another small gathering, this time at The Sire. It was only a few of us enjoying the food, ambiance and company. We were exchanging ideas and skills, especially in the area of photography.

The Sire is actually under the same management as Ferringghi Garden. Not only that! They also share some similarities in the decor, especially with the usage of the plants and water.

The night started with some banquettes top with cheese. Quite cheesy and crunchy, but sprinkle with a pinch or two salt, it brought the taste some more.

Then the appetizers or starters begin to come, they were the beef tenderloin sandwich, prawn tartare and portebello mushroom. The Beef Tenderloin Sandwich was out of my expectations, I was expecting moist and juicy beef meat or fillet sandwich in between soft fluffy bread laced with lots of vegetables, but what we got was something the direct opposite. The beef was dry and the bread is like your common bun from the bakery. The only thing that was good about this dish was the accompanying fries. They were fried golden to colour, crisp on the surface and moist in the centre. The aroma and taste of the fries led us to order another plate of fries, but with added toppings of cheese. I guess they only used cheddar, not mozzarella and parmesan as requested.

Beef Sandwich RM14.80

The Prawn Tartare was actually prawn salad on greens with button mushroom minus the mayonnaise. The salad was light on the taste bud, good for a starter to cleanse the senses for the coming main course. The salad was dressed in olive oil, herbs, some light seasoning and may be some acidity from vinegar or lemon,. The dressing was light, thus it actually brought out the flavours of the freshness of the prawns and the sweetness of the greens.

Prawn Tartare RM11.80

The Portebello Mushroom was a must try for me because one of my specialties are mushrooms. It looked appetising when served, but the used of balsamic vinegar killed the taste. Mushroom seasoned lightly with just salt and pepper and dressed in either garlic compound butter or just plain old olive oil and herds would have been sufficient. The fungus has very little taste, thus too mush used of seasoning or heavy dressing would destroy sensitive nature of the mushroom.

Portobello Mushroom RM12.80

After the starters, the pastas were served. We ordered Seafood Carbonara Spaghetti, Golden Linguine and Prawn Macaroni. The Seafood Carbonara, the spaghetti was springy and firm just right for me, but Gill preferred it to be slightly more cooked so that it is smoother and softer. As for the cream sauce, it was rough and dry. It felt like the cream was made from powdered creamer or the egg yoke was not properly mixed. Gill said that she could see powdery substance in the sauce, like when we make milk from instant milk powder.

Carbonara Spaghetti RM16.80

The Golden Linguine, was a fusion of Western and Asian flavours. The sauce had the aroma and taste of lemon grass, Thai basil, curry and lime or something citrus. The flavour combination is for those who enjoy Asia in their food.

Golden Linguine RM15.80

The Prawn Macaroni, had the saltiness 'ham heong' and just the right creaminess, but it was a bit too oily for the liking. Texture wise, the pasta was a slightly undercooked, chewy and too firm to feel. I do not know about the comments from the other, to me the taste is something Chinese can relate to, especially the older generation due the 'hum heong' taste like fried noodles.

Prawn Macaroni RM16.80

The Tenderloin Medallion, two piece beef tenderloin well done served with mash potato, grilled aubergines and some sort vege, which I suspect is spinach. For the sauce or dressing, one could choose from either Bearnaise sauce or just butter. We tried both. The Bearnaise sauce is made of clarified butter and egg yolks flavored with tarragon, shallots, chervil and vinegar.Normally I like my steaks medium to medium-cooked, therefore this plate would be not to my liking. But the mash potato was nice, different from those found in fast food outlets like KFC and in TGI. The mash potato came with some chunks of potato rather than all mash up. Creamy and smooth texture with something to bite on, quite nice experience.

Tenderloin Medallion RM49.80

Lamb Loin Chop, was one of the dishes that did not let down. The lamp pieces were coated and season with spices, although slightly saltier, it was one of the better tasting dishes we had all night. The meat was still tender and juicy, the fats were caramelised under the cooking heat. Nice! It was good on its own without dipping into any of the accompanying sauces, the whole grain honey mustard and mint sauce.

Roast Loin Chop RM32.80

The lamb shank was recommended by CK, but the nights serving was different her previous visit. The kitchen add in tomato puree, that is why the sauce looks red. The sour taste did not go well with the lamb shank plus the meat was not tender. It was flaky and dry. Again it was the mash potato that save the day.

Lamb Shank RM49.80

Finally, time for desert! For desert we had Tiramisu and Green Mousse. The Tiramisu and the Mousse was very firm not hard. After some asking, we were told that both Tiramisu and mousse have not totally thored. Personally, to compensate for that mistake, I experiment with spooning a bit of everything on the plate, and that did help to take away the firm texture of the Tiramisu and mousse.

Tiramisu RM15.80

Green Mousse RM15.80

Before the night was over, Ken had a glass of Bailey's coffee and I had Espresso with Vanilla Ice Cream. The Vanilla Ice was from Movenpick, it really hit the note for me.

Bailey's Coffee RM 19.80

On average, I would give this place:

• 3/5 for value(Some of the dishes did not come up to expectation)
• 3/5 for taste & texture(there were a few misses with some of the dishes)
• 4/5 for service(we waited by the waiter the hole night but there were no interaction)
• 4.5/5 for cleanliness
• 4.5/5 for atmosphere(nice decor and furniture)