Dining out

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 10

Dining out

A. PETIT

Annabelle's White Heron Travelodge Memorial Avenue (next to Airport) Phone 583-139

Last month we reviewed this restaurant, and said that a table d’hote menu was the fare available. We have received a letter from • Mr Bryan C. Laws, the food and beverage | manager of the White Heron Travelodge.'whichb says that this is in fact only the ease onf, Saturday nights. |.l Indeed, it was a Saturday night we dined rl at Annabelle’s, and in our defence we may say*?’ that a table d’hote menu is what we found, and£‘ were not told otherwise. ?

However, Mr Laws points out that on all/ other nights Annabelle’s has an extensive a la< carte riienu available, as well as the table d’hote? menu for group bookings of 20 or more, at£ $13.75 a head. >.. Some of the dishes of Annabelle’s a la? carte menu require time to prepare and to? present, Mr Laws says, and the managementv therefore feels that when numbers reach 2001' — as they do most Saturday nights — it can-j: not do justice to these dishes, hence the table f: d’hote menu. ~ * However, as we pointed out in our review, although on Saturday nights only the one menu?is available, patrons are given a wide selection/ for each s course. ’ *

In fact, the table d’hote menu we enjoyed > when we dined at Annabelle’s offers almost as* wide a selection as the a la carte menu which we have perused since; the difference is that the/ a la cartel-menu offers some very dishes which would indeed take some time to prepare well. For instance, among the appetisers you may’ choose —apart from a delicacy like sashimi, l. — caneions au camembert: savoury puff pastryjf horns filled with creamed French camembert? cheese. ./// '-/j’

As another example, entrees include oysters ■- Kilpatrick, and paupiettes of sole del monico: ii the centuries-old recipe from the Italian Bene- j dictine monks consisting of sole blanched in *■ white wine, shallots, and mushrooms and pre- " sented in a baked potato. Unusual choices among the main courses ■ would be duckling bigarade, and sukiyaki. The ; latter you cook yourself — under instructions j — froni a tantalising variety of authentic / ingredients. .