Abacus All Day, Eastland

This lady seems look exactly how I feel after waiting for our orders to arrive... We waited around 20 minutes for our food to arrive. 

Located at to the Town Centre area in Eastland, Abacus All Day is a casual fine dining restaurant. The chefs know what they're doing, the prices are not too high but the quality is really good and the portions are small. 

The interior of the restaurant did not feel warm to me. The tables are scattered to the sides of the establishment with no views to boast off  while the centre of the restaurant is dominated by a reception / coffee bar area, and directly at the back of that, a bar area/chef's menu area. We were seated next to a wall with nothing really to look at except each other, and the window to the kitchen far away at the back end of the restaurant. It was funny that the chefs clapped their hands to get the attention of the servers. Gaz and I got into a discussion whether clapping one's hand to get someone's attention is derogatory, or was it preferred to ringing a bell or something else? 

I had the Crispy Skin Trout, miso glaze and herbs. Yes, herbs is what it was... not salad. The trout was cooked beautifully! Crispy skin as promised on the menu, melt in your mouth flesh that is still pink inside. Gaz was irrevocably converted to loving trouts with the dish. There was not a single bone to be found in the fillet.

Gaz ordered the Roast Rump Cap of Lamb, carrot puree, garden veges, nasturtium oil and lamb jus. The lamb was cooked medium rare, which meant that the fat could not be fully rendered. I quite like it this way because it meant the lamb was tender, and it's easier to separate the fat from the meat. I don't like eating animal fats. The carrot puree was sweet and added some vibrancy to the dish.

We ordered Portobello Fries as this was new to us ($12). It came with pink salt and chardonnay vinegar. I liked the vinegar, the chardonnay added some sweetness. I don't think it really needed the salt, and it was quite difficult to dip into the salt because the fries were already crumbed so the salt did not stick even after dipping into the vinegar.

The fries were strips of portobello mushrooms, crumbed and deep fried. I would have preferred deep fried whole button caps which retains the softness and fragrance of mushrooms as one bit into the centre. With the mushroom strips, it felt like it had been deep fried to just dry crumbs and the mushroom taste was lost.

Overall, I think if you were wanting to go out to somewhere nice and quasi fine dining with impressive desserts (they come with dry ice for a wonderful presentation!) for a first date, this is the place to go. It's nice enough to make a good impression but it's also casual enough so that it's not stiff. And the wait between the courses will allow both of you to make enough conversation to get to know each other from childhood to adulthood in one dinner.

Update: This restaurant is now closed