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2012-01-19
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My Humble House or 寒舍 - arguably one of the most prolific restaurants under the Tung Lok group and the only Chinese eatery out of 3 restaurants in Singapore to be voted as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world by Restaurant, a prestigious British magazine. Humble House recently celebrated their anniversary with an exclusive buffet boasting of Foie Gras, Wagyu beef, Lobsters, Scallops and free flow wine. The reception for the night was cocktail style.Through the immaculate use of wood, wate
Through the immaculate use of wood, water, crystals and lighting, the interior screams modern chic with a touch of class yet oozes a sublime old world charm. A contrast so glaring yet seductive. Candles are used alongside dim ceiling lights to set the mood right for a relaxing dinner, a secret rendezvous or a special night out. Definitely a place to bring that special someone.
Wagyu Beef - I was actually looking forward to the Wagyu beef, but sadly, it fell seriously short of expectations. Thought done up medium rare, I couldn't see or taste any marbling that seperates Wagyu beef from normal beef. And to top it off, portions were meagre, which meant more rounds of queuing. However, to be fair, the beef was rather decent, sweet yet juicy.
Peking Duck - Fresh with the memories of having the delightful Peking duck from Asia Grand Restaurant, I was subjected to an onslaught of a weird tasting dish of the same name. Humble House's rendition, unfortunately, was served up cold and the sauce came across as a little too strong. It didn't help that the skin wasn't the least bit crispy or that the crepe was limp.
Foie Gras - One of the very difficult dishes to perfect in any restaurant, the Foie Gras was decent enough to warrant a second attempt at the ridiculously long queue. However, it didn't come across as quivery or smooth, leaving behinds bits of sediment when consumed. What I did like about it was that the accompanying blueberry sauce complemented the Foie Gras very well, strong yet not overpowering.
I didn't have a chance to try out all of the desserts, but those that I did, which were mainly cakes, were your average hotel buffet cakes - a tad dry and sweet. Nothing spectacular or even worth mentioning.
Crispy Chicken Rice - Interestingly, this dish fell under the desserts section. The crispy rice actually referred to the use of rice crispies which were naturally crispy. Add on some chicken shreds, wolfberries et al and top it up with soup to achieve a nice warm dish close to the heart. Reminded me uncannily of your normal noodle soup dish, albeit with an extra crunch.
Lobster Popiah - I must be getting on in age for my eyesight seems to be failing me. I could barely make out the ridiculously small portion of lobster embedded within each nicely sliced piece of popiah. I'm sure the pieces were much bigger, but I'm probably just myopic. Wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the lobster didn't taste like much either, coming across as bland.
Chocolate Fondant - Am I glad that I only took one piece of the fondant to try. The exterior was soft and tasted like kueh, which was a huge turnoff. Not even the oozing chocolate or blueberries could save this dessert.
In case you are wondering, no it isn't free and each of us forked out $80++ just to get into the thick of it. I reckon I ate about $30 worth of food and took about $50 worth of pictures. Looking at the math, I'm at a crossroads as to whether I should laugh at my stupidity or cry at my foolishness.
On a side note, I've actually been to My Humble House on a previous occasion and I must say that the food at the buffet is definitely not on par with the regular offerings. However, I maintain my stand that its definitely not worth the price nor is it worthy of its top 100 ranking.
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