The Rabbit Stash
by Jason Sych
@ 30 Jun 2017
Walking up to 354 Alexandra does not necessarily mean that you will see The Rabbit Stash; I almost missed it.... until I saw the menu standing out front of their door. Due to an unfortunate architectural design, the restaurant is partially hidden behind large decorative supports on the building's facade. If you know where it is, you will find it easily. But if you are not sure, the rabbit remain hidden. This is both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate because The Rabbit Stash itself is small, with a seating for less than 30 people. Unfortunate because every owner would like to see a line of patrons out the door, waiting for their chance to get a taste of the chef's cuisine. But for better or worse, the camouflaged location of The Rabbit Stash is really the only drawback of their concept.
Chef Matthew Mok and his wife, Donna Ho, head up the restaurant and both have had creative input into the direction and purpose behind the business. The cuisine revolves around Chef Mok's creativity and inspiration which he sees as a huge advantage because his restaurant is so small. "We can customise the menu and the service. Sometimes a regular guest will come in and ask me to surprise them with something not on the menu. Or there is a birthday and we can get flowers, or a special celebration and we can decorate or create a special menu. In a small place, we can do that but in a large place," Chef Mok shrugs,"It is harder to personalize."
His cuisine is quite refined for someone that has only been in the cooking business for three years; the plate presentation was exact and the flavours well thought out and balanced. The best example to give is one of Chef Mok's first course selections : sea scallop with shiitake chowder, mushroom shot, truffle foam and pickled shimeji. The combination was excellent with the mushroom shot topped by the truffle foam which was decidedly delicate and accented the mushroom rather than dominating it as truffle often does to the things around it. The scallop was perfectly seared and cooked with only a faint taste of sweet ocean water which was highlighted by the creaminess of the mushroom chowder it sat above. The pickled shimeji gave a bright note to contrast the otherwise darker elements of the mushrooms, lifting the finish of the experience and leaving the palate refreshed.
The Rabbit Stash is definitely an eating experience to be enjoyed sooner rather than later; as soon as you can find it, that is. JIS
