Gunther's

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A revisit 8 years in the making. And here we were, finally. Somehow we had never really made it to Chef's Gunther Hubreschen's eponymous restaurant because of all the new and "exciting" restaurants that had been popping up ceaselessly in the last decade or so.The restaurant is divided into 2 dining areas and we were seated in the one with windows. Tables are spaced comfortably apart but due to the enclosed nature of the room, private conversations can be challenging unless one speaks in hushed tones (that's assuming the adjourning tables extend the same courtesy as well).Complimentary Bread & Amuse Bouche - Things got off to a decent start with the complimentary bread; warm and crusty baguette served with a side of salty butter. Would personally prefer a fatter baguette though as that would highlight the contrast between the soft interior and crusty outside. Amouse bouche was a singular prawn tempura with a dollop of mayonnaise. The batter came across as light but a little excessive so no great shakes.Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar - One of Gunther's signature dishes and rightfully so, the decadent Cold Angel Hair Pasta with Oscietra Caviar. Served chilled, the pasta, doused with truffle oil and finely diced porcini mushrooms, came across as aromatic and al dente with a smorgasbord of flavours; savoury with a hint of saltiness and fishiness from the prized caviar. A most excellent dish.Daily Special #1 - White asparagus was in season so we had it with morel mushrooms. Moist and tender with a rich nutty and earthy flavour from the morel mushrooms; simple yet delicious. Daily Special #2 - Hokkaido scallops, shaved truffle and angel hair pasta; it sounded absolutely "droolicious". Well it sure would have made for a magical combination if the scallops (huge by the way) had a more robust sweetness to them. The angel hair pasta came across as warm and firm (though a little less al dente than the previous dish of chilled pasta with caviar) while the light butter sauce provided a nice creaminess with a fleeting hint of the earth from the truffle shavings. Roasted Rack Of Black Pig, Gratin Potato, Forestiere - Another of Gunther's signature dish, the Roasted Rack of Black Pig was very well done with a good fat to meat ratio; juicily tender and flavourful with just a dash of salt and pepper. Served with a token of mushrooms and tempura long bean on a bed of roasted gooey cheese. Nothing too complicated and absolutely delicious. Fine Apple Tart “à la dragée”, Havana Rum Raisin Ice Cream - Yet another of Gunther's signature and with good reason. Suitably sweet apple puree enveloped within a ridiculously crisp and thin shell sprinkled with a generous serving of crushed nuts and served with a scoop of rather strong rum and raisin ice cream. Definitely one of the best rendition of apple tart I've had in recent years. Petit Fours - To end off, petit fours to further cram our already bursting tummies. Decent. Food overall came across as grounded; nothing fanciful and generally excellent. Prices are a little dear though, at close to $395 for the both of us. But well worth the money in my humble opinion (if only for a special occasion!). Service was personable and unpretentious so that's another plus. Definitely coming back!See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2017/06/gunthers-restaurant-part-deux-excellent.html continue reading

Gunther's is one of the best French restaurants in Singapore. Located in the middle of the shophouses, next to its sister restaurant Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar, another equally well known restaurant. Although the restaurant is quite high end with its equally expensive priced menu, it offers quite a reasonable priced 3 course lunch set at $38++ which is available on weekday.The restaurant is decorated in grey with paintings and dim lights around which gives an elegant setting.Besides the usual menu, the staff also make his offers on what is in season by using a “daily special cart”. Today there is vegetables from Japan, lamb, wagyu beef, and assorted seafood such king crab, scallop. But the one which holds everyone's attention is the truffle. Even when covers in a glass cover, one can easily smells the earthy pungent smell.Before starting the meal, one is served with hot towel to wipe with.One is served with a pipping warm mini buguette and butter to start the meal. Though the bread looks hard, it is quite crispy and soft to texture.For today's lunch set, there is 3 choices for starter : Farmer’s salad, Clear vegetable soup, and Braised Portobello mushroom, sunny side up egg.Braised Portobello mushroom, sunny side up eggThe mushroom is quite well flavoured.Next is the main which also comes with 3 choices : Gunther’s Creation (seafood pasta), Braised lamb stew, Leffe beer, and Charcoal grilled Wagyu steak (additional S$20++).Cold Angel hair pasta, Oscietra caviar ($60++)However I decide to go with the staff's recommendation to topup $40++ more to change the main course to the restaurant's signature cold pasta dish. It is quite popular which could be found in most tables. Refreshing cold and smells great of truffle which makes one high before eating.The last course is the dessert which also comes with 3 choices : Dessert of the Day (Pineapple Panna Cotta), Cheese Platter (additional S$10++), and Fine apple tart “à la dragées”, Havana rum raisin ice cream (additional S$8++).Fine apple tart “à la dragées”, Havana rum raisin ice cream ($25++)The apple tart is different from the traditional apple tart. It looks more like a flat pizza. Thin slices of soft caramelised apple on a very thin base. Crunchy and crispy on the outside. The ice cream is rich and creamy. Pairing the cold ice cream and the warm apple tart together is quite a yummy combination.Lastly there is coffee or tea and Petit fours to end the meal with.The coffee is quite rich with a slight bitter and chocolaty taste. I have it with just milk and without sugar. It is just nice to balance with the sweetness from the dessert and petit fours.The petit fours consists of Financier, Canele, Wafer and chocolate. I like the canel, which has a soft and tender custard center with a dark, thick caramelized crust.Overall the food is quite delicious. The place is packed even it is a weekday lunch time. Although the restaurant is busy, its Chef Gunther still make an effort to visit the tables. continue reading

One of my bridesmaids, the ever efficient L, suggested dinner at one of her favourite haunts in Singapore, Gunther's. It's an award-winning restaurant helmed by Chef Gunther Hubreschen whose food philosophy boils down to "simple, honest, and down-to-earth cooking that comes from the heart." My head wondered if there was a bit of irony there. This fine dining restaurant is known for its art-inspired dishes (and private dining rooms for engagement affairs) after all. Nonetheless it got my curiosity piqued and my belly excited.So excited that I arrived super early! Whilst nursing an aperitif by the bar, I noticed how this so-called simplistic philosophy is reflected on the decor as well. The dining room itself looked rather gloomy with its grey walls and white linen tables which reminded me of executive clandestine affairs (the non-offensive type). And yet, it all seemed to work and admittedly built a bit of anticipation - as if something special was about to happen.My dates for the night: Plaid Boy (on his phone, yet again) and one of my bridesmaids, L.Once sat, we were served some complimentary batons and butter (which I found hard) and an amuse bouche of prawn tempura (which I thought was quite forgettable in its non-amuse bouche size).We were presented a rather indulgent-looking tray of seasonal off-menu specials which included a gorgeous sea bream and a silky sole; scallops, pen shell, clams and lamb from Normandy; Wagyu beef that glistened in perfect marbling; and an artichoke as big as an infant's head.We decided to go for some of the specials and picked a few things on the menu, including Gunther's most celebrated cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar. Our server seemed to be surprised that each of us wanted our own plates of their signature dish with no intention to share. But hey, at SG$60 (roughly £30) per wee little plate, this deceptively unassuming dish is absolutely worth every cent.Truffle may be an olfactory stimulant of decadent eating but it needs to be handled with care. They've done that on this dish. The moment it was served, I thought: this is what 'delicious' smells like. The pasta, glistening in truffle olive oil with specks of chives and more black truffle, was perfectly cooked - firm and evenly tempered. There was enough caviar to tickle the palate with indulgence but it was subtle enough, showing much finesse and care of hand. It's an incredibly simple plate of food yet the flavour is so rich. This, my friends, is the truest edible interpretation of "flights of fancy". I am in love with it as I'm sure you will be too.We ordered a scallop from the specials tray, carpaccio-style. Served on its shell atop a sauciere and garnished with cherry toms and bread crisps, it was very Instagrammable and almost too pretty to eat. The natural sweetness of the scallop shone through.I was less impressed with the carpaccio of Wagyu beef (SG$30) from the regular menu though. It's a clever play on the classic steak tartare and the quality of the beef was melt-in-your mouth superb. However, I found the flavour marred by the crispy potato it rested on.We asked for grilled artichoke from the specials to share and we all ended up with beautiful plates of the perfect portion. Served with chestnut mushrooms and prosciutto this dish brought robust earthy flavours complimented by the saltiness of the cured meat. My favourite moment eating this was when I hinted some mustard hidden underneath the artichoke slices, which gave the dish an exciting zing.Our mains came, served on a silver platter nonetheless. Plaid Boy and I shared the suckling pig from the specials.In a lifetime or two, when gluttony was forgiveable, this lovely piece of meat was mine, all mine - cholesterol be darned!But skin as crispy as that with melt-in-your mouth pork just had to be shared. Served with some wedges, a red wine reduction and some dates (which I thought were a good alternative for apple sauce), this was a cracking (no pun intended) dish.L had the toro steak (you have to pre-order this). It's such a delicate ingredient which needed to be handled with much thought and finesse, which is probably why I thought there too many elements on the plate. The tomato ravioli gave much needed acidity to balance the organic taste of the fish and the puffed up potato chips added a nice texture (as well as a display of technical skill). I didn't get the appearance of the grilled corn nor the extra sauces. The toro itself was delicious and I wish they'd stuck to their simplistic approach with this dish.Feeling like we've overindulged on the savouries, we skipped dessert and ordered coffees only to be served petit fours (all made in house, save for the chocolate). I couldn't resist wolfing down a canelé which had a nice caramelised crust and a moist interior. A pretty sweet ending to a pretty awesome meal.My view of "simple, honest, and down-to-earth cooking that comes from the heart" may have changed a bit after this dinner (then again "simple cooking" has always been a subjective issue, no?) Sure, Chef Gunther's food may display a bit of flamboyance but when you break it down to the very essence, the produce is truly éclatante. It was definitely one of the most pleasurable meals I've had in Singapore.Service was outstanding, too - you're sure to feel special and well looked after. So, if you're in dire need of a little TLC with your partner or if you fancied treating your loved ones somewhere super nice in the Lion City, I definitely recommend this place.Because you seriously, seriously, seriously need that cold angel hair pasta in your life. continue reading

This is another restaurant week review, and a catching up session with another long-time-no-see friend *Dan. Gunthers French Restaurant is also another restaurant I have been wanting to visit for a while. This sophisticated and spacious restaurant rests at swanky Purvis Street, and indulges in soft, dim lightings. The decor is inspired by Art Nouveau, complete with tasteful branded furniture, combining art with affability and modern with vintage.My appetiser was the Crispy Egg with Pumpkin Coulis and Grilled Alsace Bacon. The bacon strip was tender but taste was bland.  If I had wondered what a "crispy egg" was , this was it. The trims were crispy to a certain extent. The overall flavor of the dish was light, sweet and "breakfasty" in description. To be frank, rather nondescript.For my mains, I had the Roasted Carabinero Gambas with black ink rice and onion tempura. Basically, a very large deep-sea shrimp with sweet, bouncy meat served on a small bed of squid ink rice - tasty and redolent of seafood's scrumptious saccharine flavor. I had thought of skipping the onion tempuras - but it was sweet, crispy and devoid of the strong onion odor that put me off usually. I enjoyed my main - even the chewy, grainy black rice.*Dan had for his entree, the Charcoal Grilled Wagyu Steak, medium rare, served with sweetcorn and potato wedges on the side. His verdict was very good - tender, tasty, with everything done right. Well, it did look succulent anyhow.For full review and more photographs, please feel free to check out:http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/lunch-at-gunthers-modern-french.html continue reading

For pictures and full review, pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2014/04/28/gunthers/I have a soft spot for French Cuisine, so I was absolutely delighted when M mentioned she wanted to check out Gunther’s. After more than 5 years at helm at Les Amis, award winning chef Gunther Hubrechsen is now the chef-owner of Gunther’s, located at the swanky Purvis Street.Service is professional but warm in this classy, unpretentious fine dining establishment. Nice place to have a business lunches, catch-ups and romantic dates. After serving freshly baked baguettes, the staff gave a presentation on the food available. I wasn’t paying much attention because I was distracted by the baguette. It was very well done, crisps with just the right amount of hardness.The 3-course Set Lunch is great value. At $38++, you’ll get 3 selections for both appetizers and desserts, and 4 main course options. Because we both wanted to try Gunther’s signature Cold Angel Hair pasta with Oscietra Caviar, we topped up $25 each.M was pleased with her Mushroom cappuccino with Grilled Scallops. It’s hard to go wrong with comforting mushroom soup and smoky, tender scallops.Roasted Tiger Prawn cocktail salad. I can never get enough of salads and this was refreshing with a touch of sweetness and tanginess. The succulent prawns were fresh and the portion generous.The highlight of our leisurely lunch- Cold Angel Hair Pasta withOscietra Caviar. My oh my, what a gem! It’s no wonder why this is Gunther’s signature dish. Tossed in black truffle oil, every strand of pasta tantalized my taste buds. The rich, nutty, creamy flavor of the prized Oscietra Caviar was to die for. RAVE ALERT!Excellent Crème Brulee with a nice crunch of burnt sugar and smooth custard. My only grouse was that the portion was too small, which made it look unattractive.Coffee and home-made petite fours rounded up our meal. While most restaurants offer plain black coffee as part of their set lunch (these days some don’t include hot beverage at all), you can enjoy a cup of cappuccino or latte at Gunther’s. continue reading