Pre-birthday dinner: Ortiga

Ortiga, Fortitude Valley

Before you start reading, pardon me if this post wasn't written well. I feel so embarrassed because my vocabulary is so limited to only delicious, good, or yum. I wish there are more words that I can use to describe the amazing dinner I had in Ortiga. The pre-birthday celebration I had In Ortiga with G was really spectacular! 

Lets begin the food culinary experience!

Ortiga wine's menu

Few days before my birthday, I made a booking for dinner in Ortiga and unfortunately 8.30 pm was the only time available on Saturday. Oh well! Just make sure that I don’t stuff my tummy with other food before dinner then … hehe … actually, I did (I will explain in other post!)

Bar (upstairs) with glass cabinet of cured hams

My housemate, G and I got there by 8.30 pm and I was lucky to find a parking spot on the street beside Ortiga. As our table was not ready yet, both of us were waiting in the spacious bar. During the wait, I was practically staring at the glass cabinet containing the cured hams. That situation is akin to ‘a dog staring at sausages while waiting outside a butcher shop’. Trust me, I was so hungry by then! :)

Soon after, a waiter led us downstairs to our table. Unlike the bar, the basement is surrounded by brick walls, with one side of the wall lined with bottles of wines and an open kitchen in the centre. Unfortunately our table was not overlooking the kitchen. 

Complimentary pork crackles

The pork crackle was not to my liking. It was too salty in my opinion.

At about 9 pm, we finally made our order with the help from our assigned waiter, who can converse in four languages! 

First course:

Selection of Jamónes ($38)
Left: Serrano
Middle: de Cebo
Right: de Bellota

We ordered an assortment of Jamónes. The cured hams are labeled according to the pigs’ diet, with an acorn diet being most desirable. My favourite of the three was de Bellota. In comparison to the other two, de Bellota has a smoother texture and richer savoury taste. It literally melts in your mouth due to the flecks of fat present. We ordered some bread to accompany the cured hams.

Serrano, driest texture of the three

Second course:

Croqueta - $3.50

The croquetas were deep fried until golden brown, filled with chicken pieces and béchamel sauce (if heard correctly from the waiter) with hints of lemon flavour. I highly recommend this. It was so delicious that we ordered another one!

My second croqueta!

Third course:

Ajo blanco with smoked eels and grapes - $24

This is definitely an interesting dish for me! Just look at the foam present … Not too sure whether I can taste any flavour present in the ‘foam’. However, it definitely added another dimension to the dish. Hidden underneath the ‘foam’ was the smoked eel, lying on a bed of smooth, ricotta like cream. Stuffing all these into my mouth, the ‘foam’ has certainly added a lighter touch to this combination. On the sides, there were sweet grapes with chives on them.

Fourth course:

Papada de cerdo confitada - $22
Pork jowl with samfaina, potato and artichoke

I was left speechless looking at the presentation of this dish. It was so beautiful to me… Top with crispy shards of potato, towers of Desiree potatoes and artichokes, the pork jowl aka pork's cheek can be found between the towers of potatoes. According to the manager, the pork jowl has been marinated with sage and rosemary before being confit for another 14 hours. I really can't describe the flavour of the pork jowl except to say that it was GOOD! The nearly even cut size of red capsicum, onions and courgette together with chive sauce made this dish even more delicious. This is a must try!

Fifth course:

Magret de pato con castafias y ceps - $29
Slow cooked duck breast with chestnuts and ceps

Slow cooked duck breast (medium) resting on a pool of duck jus? with brussel sprouts, chestnuts, porcine mushrooms topped with fried shallots. The sauce on the side tasted like mushroom sauce. This was G’s favourite dish for the night.

Dessert:

Milhojas de cabello de Angel - $15

Layered between the puff pastries were pumpkin flavoured cream patisserie infused with vanilla. Check out the fibre-looking stuff! To fulfill my curiosity, I asked the waiter about it and he said that it’s pumpkin fibres. That is why the dessert’s name is Milhojas de cabello de Angel aka Angel’s hair! The sweetness of the cream patisserie was just right and as explained by the manager, you won't be able to taste the pumpkin flavour in the cream. I really like this dessert!

Overall, both of us had a good fine dining experience. It will probably be some time before I venture out for another fine dining though (quite expensive for my budget!). The service in Ortiga was exceptional, the waiter doesn't mind me asking so many questions and was willing to explain a couple of times. :) 

I will be back one day!