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2014-02-13
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We were here for the soft launch. The place could sit about 20 pax and it was a bar/open kitchen concept, meaning all the seats were facing the open kitchen where the chefs were working. It was my first time dining at a place with such a concept and I quite liked it as you could interact with the chefs and find out more about the food you are having etc. I learnt from them that they also have a kitchen at the back where they prepare all the hot food, as the open kitchen is more for preparing the
We were here for the soft launch. The place could sit about 20 pax and it was a bar/open kitchen concept, meaning all the seats were facing the open kitchen where the chefs were working. It was my first time dining at a place with such a concept and I quite liked it as you could interact with the chefs and find out more about the food you are having etc. I learnt from them that they also have a kitchen at the back where they prepare all the hot food, as the open kitchen is more for preparing the cold dishes, appetizers etc.The chef also explained to us that the following dishes are his own take on normal dishes like chilli crab, apple crumble and chicken curry. It's like deconstructed cuisine. He also shared that he takes a holistic view on food, meaning that it's recommended for us to mix up all the ingredients on the plate and taste it as a whole as the flavours and tastes are meant to go together.
First up was the Amuse Bouche, which actually kinda means a starter/appetizer that is up to the chef to decide what he wants to serve. We had bread with 3 different 'spreads', the balsamic vinegar jam, olive oil powder and garlic foam. It was recommended to put all 3 together on the bread and eat it. Indeed, on its own I could not really taste anything from the olive oil powder and the garlic taste for the garlic foam was subtle. The balsamic vinegar on its own was good though. It was just like its name - a jam version of balsamic vinegar. It was not too strong in its sourness.
Insalata Caprese (Mozzarella balloon, tomato snow, arugula puree)This was interesting. Their sous chef prepared the mozzarella balloon right in front of me, and I liked how I could see everything that the chef was doing to prepare my dish (this probably puts the chef under more pressure since his every action is in full view for the customers!) He first placed some mozzarella in lightly boiled water, then took them out, flattened each of them and wrapped them round a nozzle of a bottle containing tomato consomme. He then pressed a lever and the consomme will be injected into the mozzarella which will slowly grow bigger, much like injecting helium into a balloon! Next to him another chef was making the tomato snow, which involved a blender and a lot of 'smoke' coming out of it (like those coming out from dry ice). When this dish was served, the chefs explained that we should burst the mozzarella balloon so that the tomato consomme flows out onto all the other ingredients. Everything was cold and the flavours were light and extremely refreshing - the perfect dish for cleansing your palate at the start of your meal!
Chilli Crab (Chilli crab ice cream, crab mousse, mantou sand)This was my favourite dish! This dish consisted of chilli crab ice cream, deep fried soft shell crab, green & red seaweed and caviar atop mantou sand, made by baking mantous then pounding till you get fine powder. The chilli crab ice cream sounded the strangest to me and I really could not imagine how it'd taste like. Hence I went straight for that and my first thought was 'Wow! This reallyyyy tastes like chilli crab sauce!' It's savoury and spicy yet cold and creamy at the same time. This was truly amazing and tasted really really good. The soft shell crab was good too, it was still hot and crispy and was really meaty. I tried the ice cream and crab in one mouthful and there I was eating chilli crab albeit a very different kind! This dish really opened my eyes on the boundaries of certain dishes and how they can be so different from what you normally have but so similar at the same time. Thumbs up to this dish.
Siew Yoke Fan (Roasted Pork Belly, risotto 'ramen', pork scratching)I chose this for my main course, the other option was Chicken Curry (Curry quinoa risotto, chicken balls, coriander sponge). The chef shared that this was the risotto version of Japanese ramen, which typically has half boiled egg, pork belly slices and seaweed. This risotto dish consisted of roasted pork belly, quail egg cooked at a low temperature (it's the little white glob in front of the pork belly), seaweed, and fried pork rind. The risotto was flavourful but personally I would have preferred if the grains were a little softer. The seaweed & pork scratching was nice and crispy and the quail egg was also good, dissolving the moment I put it in my mouth.
Apple Crumble (Apple textures, chocolate crumble, yoghurt ice cream) This dessert dish consists of various apple textures - apple chips, dried apple, apple jelly, apple balls - and yoghurt on chocolate crumble. This is once again, an interesting dish and I liked how the chef provided so many different apple textures, some crispy and dry, some crunchy, some moist. I really liked the apply jelly and wished the portion was bigger!
Coffee/Tea
I had the Earl Grey which was a little different from the ones I normally have. I could not really taste/smell the bergamot, but other than that the tea was nice, thick and smooth. The amount of tea in the pot was a lot and could fill about 4 small cups.
It was clear to all that a lot of thought was put into all the dishes, and even though there were some really creative elements, all the flavours still went really well together. It was definitely an experience and the food did not disappoint This is a place to go if you like new experiences...definitely not for those who like things safe and aren't open to new ideas!
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