I have a somewhat deviant habit of ordering dishes with mystery names and ingredients, so Tigress Cantonese Chophouse at The Perry Hotel Naples had me at shochu, toban jan aioli, picanha steak, namasu, and Chinese bacon. The other thing that really piques my culinary curiosity? Unlikely combinations and unexpected preparations of more familiar ingredients. For example: pickled gooseberries, turmeric caramel, pomegranate molasses, truffle soy, and Hong Kong French toast. An intriguing array, that—dare I say—could upstage a dish’s central ingredient.
Consider that French toast. It was merely the foundation for dry-aged duck crown but cinched our menu decision from a dizzying selection of novel Asian interpretations. A gregarious server, too, abetted the decision-making angst my dinner guest and I suffered; for me, because I wanted it all, and for my friend, who felt a bit intimidated. Our server encouraged us to try myriad options (thank you!) and guided us through her preferences and our wonderment. We started with a Fun-tini of Japanese gin, vermouth, house-pickled shiitake brine, and a brined mushroom garnish and a Li Chee Sour crafted with lemongrass shochu (a Japanese spirit), chrysanthemum, and lychee liqueur. Both awakened our taste buds with flavors fierce and tantalizing.
From the dim sum menu, the chilled lobster bao with that toban jan aioli and pickled radishes ranked high. For our second courses, our server brought asparagus with Marcona almonds and truffle soy, and our top pick—crab fried rice with tobiko and jalapeño aioli studded with pepper slices. That was a tough act to follow; the duck and French toast dish had its work cut out for it but did not fail us. The thick-cut, slightly sweet bread sponged the juices from the tender duck breast, cooked perfectly to our medium-rare specs. The accompanying lettuce leaves for wrapping, drunken fruit, plum liquor, and granola allowed us to play with our food in the best way.
We were having so much fun, we forgot to leave room for dessert, although the calamansi yuzu with coconut tapioca checks the boxes for all the right deviations at this wonderfully out-of-the-box cultural experience.
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