An afternoon at Marriott

Are my tastebuds becoming more plebeian ... or was it the good company ... or the long weekend that put me in a ridiculously good mood?

Perhaps it was a combination of all three in ascending order.

But just for the record: The sashimi moriwase at Tatsuya during lunch was mediocre. As in 'M' to the 'D' to the 'CORE'.

Marriott's chocolate crispy praline and strawberry tart were unexpectedly delightful. Ok, maybe it was quite a fluke as the chocolate, hazelnut and wafer bits probably won't make it onto an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern unless it was served in a sheep’s head. But something this predictable could easily become dullsville - and it wasn't the case for this pastry.

The custard within the strawberry tart wasn't as sleek as TWG's, but this other contender for Miss Congeniality required minimum effort to enjoy as well.