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2013-07-03
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http://sofood.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/parsley-thyme-sg/Previously owned and helmed by a Dutch gentleman, and now the restaurant is taken over by the food avid father-and-son team, for the past 9 months.This homey European cuisine focused restaurant is truly a gem – offering rustic presentation and delectable dishes.Chef Daryl Cheong’s father – Ricky helps running the front end of the restaurant, who also has an extensive knowledge on wines to boot.Daryl is a at-Sunrice graduate together with hi
Previously owned and helmed by a Dutch gentleman, and now the restaurant is taken over by the food avid father-and-son team, for the past 9 months.
This homey European cuisine focused restaurant is truly a gem – offering rustic presentation and delectable dishes.
Chef Daryl Cheong’s father – Ricky helps running the front end of the restaurant, who also has an extensive knowledge on wines to boot.
Daryl is a at-Sunrice graduate together with his two other culinary friends helms the kitchen. Prior to owning this restaurant, they held stints at these popular European restaurants – Absinthe and No Menu before.
Non-fuss interior.
Smoked Duck Salad S$12++ – Slices of smoked duck breast fillet with marinated orange and grapefruit slices on top of mixed greens tossed with a star anise dressing and a sprinkle of fennel seeds.
I love smoked anything really…
The sweet dressing on the greens was accented with Asian spices – that actually worked with the smoked duck slices without overpowering.
Grilled calamari seasoned with garlic and served with a side of salad and tartare sauce S$12++ *Must Try*
The chef has a good grilling technique, and a good fire grill I suspect.
The tartar sauce served aside was redundant as the grilled tender squid was so ‘smokingly’ delicious – light salt sprinkles and olive oil seasoning sufficed.
It is the perfect plate to complement the crisp white wine.
We were treated to a crisp white wine from New Zealand to complement the calamari.
French Onion Soup – Caramelised onions cooked in a beef broth topped with toasted crostini and melted Emmental and Gruyere. S$9++ *Personal Favourite*
Honestly, the portion was smallish compared to the other French bistros.
BUT, the broth was deep and came with some flavourful beefy bits too.
The torched and melted cheese combination on the crostini was classic and appreciated.
And we were treated to this very nice Spain originated red wine for tasting.
Slow-braised shredded pork with penne cooked in a red wine cream sauce S$18++ *Personal Favourite – value for money*
Penne was cooked past al dente bites yet not too soft, suitable to local palettes.
The fork tender braised pork chunks were very flavourful, and the pasta was evenly coated with the same tasty stock with a touch of cream.
Prawn Aglio Olio – Tiger prawns with linguine pasta sauteed in garlic prawn oil S$22++. This was another great seafood pasta dish, and I wouldn’t label it as Aglio Olio, prawn linguine would be more apt.
Seafood Stew – Tiger prawns, green mussels, calamari and fish fillet cooked in a saffron-infused tomato stew S$27++
The diner who had this commented that it was a little too sweet as a seafood stew and too rich as well.
Well, I tasted the broth and found it resembled more of a vegetable soup infused with seafood flavour.
The taste and texture have room for improvement.
Halibut en Papillotte – Fillet of halibut baked in a parcel and seasoned with a tarragon white wine sauce S$24++ *Must Order*
I was lucky to have this piece of very fresh UK imported cold water white fish.
The fillet chunks were flaky, moist and uber comforting combined with the rest of the roasted vegetables and white wine cream sauce.
It was like a fish chowder.
I love fish and this dish would be the one I will return for.
Strawberry Bavarois with marinated strawberries and white chocolate sauce S$9++
Finally, we arrived at the sugar high round – DESSERTS!
The glass of very creamy and a little heavy sweet white chocolate sauce was good, if you have a really sweet tooth.
Even for me, a world-proclaimed sweet tooth, I found it on the cloying side.
I’m sure with the chef’s skills, this dessert could be tweaked for a better balanced sweetness and texture.
Nutella Chocolate Mousse served with crushed hazelnut praline and toasted hazelnuts S$9++
On the first spoon, it was undoubtedly hazelnut-intensified chocolate mousse.
The velvety smooth mousse was on the milky side – darker chocolate used would be my inclination.
I find that my little nieces would love this equally as much as me.
Caramel Panna Cotta topped with Apple Compote and Cinnamon Crumble S$9++ *Best among the three desserts*
This pot was the best I found.
It has got the right texture on the crumble mixed with cinnamon, good acidity from the caramelised appled cubes against the caramel infused smooth custard at the bottom.
A perfect end to the multi-courses we had.
Overall, I enjoyed the tasteful and unpretentious European cooking here (and I will be back for my halibut en papillotte).
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