Homestead Restaurant is open until late. Since it's a Sunday night, late means 9:30PM. There is a salad and dessert station buffet style. JL saw the dessert spread and decided to take the buffet. So did I. One first run at the salad station proved promising. There was, of course, salad, potato mix, bean salad, corn salad, soup and bread among others. We were literally taking our time with the food and though it seemed a bit lonely that we're the only 2 people in the restaurant on a Sunday night, it's still all good. The waiter so served us was polite and friendly. He made us feel welcome.
Our mains arrived. It's Rib Eye Fillet with Sweet Mashed Potatoes and Potato Strings. The sauce, from what I can tell, is a highly reduced beef stock. Not bad at all. I loved the simplicity of the sweet potato mash. It's a bit strange I have to admit, being used to the same-old-mashed-potato-story. The sweet mashed potato is earthy and simple, no frills which I love and understand perfectly as it melds delightfully into the jus. The rib eye fillet was cooked to my liking with good marbling on the right places. Finally, I love, love, love the shoestring potatoes on top.
Dessert station, however, was wrapped up by the time we finished our main. When JL and I walked up to the station, everything was gone! Imagine the shock. We talked with one of the servers at the counter and asked why it was all packed up already. The server, instead of apologizing, was irritated and told us that they are closed at 9:30pm. I told her that they should have asked us first before wrapping up which was always the case in every buffet restaurant in town. Fortunately, our original server came by and resolved the problem. He went into the kitchen and served us dessert, one of each of the cake slices, on a plate. With that, the problem was resolved. The best bits about the dessert were the Orange and Chocolate Slice and the Blackforest Slice. I didn't care so much for the cream puff and brownie. 
Mezze #2: Salmon and shrimp kibbeh. This dish is an unexpected surprise. I actually liked it but I would prefer the kibbeh to be crisper and less tough. I loved the chickpea puree underneath it.
Main: Lamb tagine with preserved lemons and olives. At first glance, I am quite disappointed with the way the dish looked. In a way, I underestimated the taste from its physical appearance. The way it looked is pieces of lamb meat on a tomato-based sauce. I can't even see the cous cous! My spoon dipped onto the cous cous with a piece of ultra-soft piece of lamb shoulder. Amazingly, every bite I took offered a different sensation in my mouth. One mouthful offered a burst of tomato, lemon-y and sweet sauce, then that velvety lamb shoulder begging to be pulled way and the grainy, soft texture of the cous cous was just spot on. It's rich and home-y, almost made me feel like I'm at home, devouring a soup plate of lamb tagine.
Dessert: Fig Ice cream with Chocolate Nut Tart. Not the best, but passable. Loved the fig ice cream, though.
Good coffee at Lynch's is a given, so I will skip to the ham and cheese quesadilla. Apparently, the quesadilla doesn't only have ham and cheese. It also has tomatoes, pesto and sliced avocadoes. The combination is outstanding and simple. One thing that will be hard to beat though, is the crunchy quesadilla. I thought that the quesadilla will be soft and doughy but I was somewhat shocked when my knife cracked onto it and down to the oozing cheese. The avocado is a welcome addition to the creamy centre and the tomato, fresh. The slices of ham are generous. It's a good start to a sunny day.
I thought I've gone deaf. I think this is one of the most expensive food stuff that I bought during my entire stay here. Delicatess is one of the few stores that actually sells Iberico Jamon. The place is always packed with people looking for good quality hams and cheeses. I noticed that people don't really buy in bulk. They usually buy by the slice. I think it is more of a flavor to be enjoyed and savoured rather than horking it down in one seating, by yourself or with friends.
I got three thinly sliced luxury from this well marbled leg of Iberico pig and I know I got my money's worth once I saw the redness of the meat and just the smell of the fermentation wafting from them.
Smell. Honestly, just from a few inches away from the ham, I can already sense a sharp, dank, salty scent reaching my nose. Amazingly, it's not unpleasant. I got the feeling that I'm suddenly enclosed in a stockroom full of ageing legs hanging around me.
The description I've read is that it's a brioche generously studded with Belgian chocolate chips. Chocolate. Tick. Belgian Chocolate. Tick. Generous. Tick. Just from the outside, you can see that golden brioche "studded" with chocolate chips. And when you eat it, the melted chocolate chips almost oozed out from the bun. The inside is this soft pillowy sensation, followed by bittersweet chocolate goodness. Honestly, I really don't get the brioche-feel but what the heck. It's a damn good pastry.
Bistro Guillaume has the staples of French food: terrines, snails and sweetbreads are always good signs. I was starving tonight because I forgot to eat lunch and went straight to the concert and afterwards, I was weak at the knees.
After ordering a French white, an amuse bouche came over, two pieces of croquettes with parmesan and pimiento dressing. The croquettes were rich and creamy inside with that good crunch from the outside crumb. I didn't care much for the pimiento dressing, though. But it was a good try.
Entree: Crystal Bay prawn cocktail. This one was delightful and fresh. The dressing was similar to the thousand island dressing I know but with much flair. There are 3 key ingredients: prawns, sliced avocadoes and the shredded lettuce. I noticed that the prawns were a bit tired but when I bit into them, they were still fresh and plump. I think it must have been the way they were deveined.
Main: Pan-seared Kingfish with white asparagus, peas and kipfler potatoes. A simple and clean dish. One of the highlights of this dish is definitely the white asparagus. It was sweet and tender, much much better than the regular green asparagus, though not bad. White asparagus tend to give off a more delicate and muted flavor, less nutty and sweeter. Very flavorful when cooked in butter. The potatoes were a bit dry for me and not the fluffy types that I'm used to. It's rustic with none of the melt-in-your-mouth feel. The fish was cooked just right, but as I ate it, I got the feeling that it's a bit dry and not supple enough.
As for me, I chose to have the Shashooka. It's baked eggs in a smallish cast iron skillet with tomato sauce. Honestly, the best part for me, was the bread. Oh my, the bread! It's a cross between Turkish and French bread. The crust was thin and crispy, inside was pillow-y and light.
