Dropped by Mortons on a busy Saturday evening for a little culinary pampering as well as to rest our weary feet from the rigours of a frenzied shopping spree.

We got lucky and managed to snag one of the few booth seats that line the sides of the restaurant. Business was good even though I noticed a marked increase in prices for quite a few of the dishes, so reservations are definitely necessary to ensure that you do not get turned away at the door.

Onion Loaf - The all too famous onion loaf - deliciously warm and crusty with a strong onion presence. Both of us ate about a quarter and doggy bagged the remaining to save our precious stomach space for the impending onslaught of food.

Mashed Potato - Smooth but a little lacking in butter, the mashed potato was well complemented by unlimited toppings of sour cream and fresh, crisp bacon bits (no oily sensation or rancid oil taste). Well worth an order, but sharing would be advisable due to the portion size.

Steamed Fresh Broccoli - I'm not sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me but the broccoli did seem a little smaller than I remembered. Maybe its inflation. Nicely steamed with a tinge of buttery aftertaste.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes - At $95++ for 3 jumbo crab cakes, it's really not my idea of reasonable. But to be fair, they were in a league of their own. Chunky and sweet crab meat sans any traces of flour (which most places use to "beef up" their crab cakes) lumped together and pan fried till a little charred on the surface. Couple that with a nice mustard mayonnaise sauce that helped to cut through the fishiness of the crab, this dish was clearly excellent.

Single Cut Fillet Mignon - Executed to a perfect medium well, the fillet mignon was succulent and boasted an unadulterated beefy goodness that lingered on long after the dish was done. If you crave for more, go for the double cut instead of the single.

Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake - Desserts form an integral part of every meal in my humble opinion so how could I resist ordering Morton's legendary Hot Chocolate Cake? A crusty shell encapsulating viscous molten hot chocolate that threatened to ooze out through every chink in the exterior. Add a nice huge scoop of smooth vanilla ice cream to "cool the heat" and you have a marriage made in heaven. Never mind that it costs a steep $27++.

Upside Down Apple Pie - Another of Morton's signature desserts, the Upside Down Apple Pie had a good balance of sour and sweet through the addition of raisins. A scoop of vanilla ice cream accompanied and the combination was a pleasure to savour.

The two of us had a wonderful, belly bursting meal at the expense of my poor wallet, with the bill standing at just over $300. Prices have definitely gone northwards since my last visit and portions sizes did seem a tad smaller. However, having said that, I see no reason why I shouldn't return, this time with a bigger appetite of course.

See all my pictures here.

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

Si bon - the upmarket Japanese restaurant at Sentosa that specialises in kushiage, a form of Japanese cooking that involves coating a variety of ingredients with egg and bread crumbs and deep fried. Helmed by Chef Seiichiro Arakawa, Si bon promises a refined kushiage experience equal to what you would experience in Japan itself.

Hidden in a reclusive recess within the Amara Sanctuary Resort at Sentosa, Si Bon occupies a small restored colonial chapel that once housed a nursery (It happens to be the oldest chapel on Sentosa by the way). Seats are scarce, with the counter seating only 13 diners indoors and the charming al fresco area, complete with a water feature and bamboo garden, allowing for only another 10. The interior of the place exudes olden charm stemming from its soaring pointed ceiling and exposed unevenly laid brick walls - a reference to the building's historic origins.

Appetiser - Personally I thought that the appetisers were great. The miso beans were very savoury and complimented the crunchy and bland radish slices very well. On the other hand, the fish pieces were dipped in a salty yet sweet sauce that made got my appetite going.

Prawn - Served with a dollop of what looked like ketchup (someone please tell me what is it cause I have no idea), the prawns were fresh and crunchy with a light and crisp batter coating that didn't threaten to overwhelm or held any oily residue aftertaste.

Scallop - One of my personal favourites of the meal, the scallop was nothing short of excellent. Huge and bursting with flavour (sweet and salty all at once) while the batter came across as light and crisp. A pity it was only 1 piece.

Eel - I'm not exactly a big fan of eel and this one wasn't exactly outstanding. Served with a dash of wasabi atop, the eel came across as rather tasteless and had to be eaten with soya sauce, which just made it, well, salty. I must comment that the wasabi was rather strong though.

Pork Loin - The loin came served with a piece of mint leaf and had to be eaten with mustard sauce. The pork was succulent and juicy with a somewhat moderate tinge of mint taste from the leaf. Nice and refreshing.

Lotus Root - Interestingly, the lotus root had japanese curry powder and chicken thrown along with it - all nicely wrapped up in a light batter casing. Eaten with black sauce, this dish was crunchy and crispy with hints of curry powder. Not exactly my cup of tea though but something different I must admit.

Egg Plant - I usually baulk at the taste of egg plant, but not this one. Topped with white miso and eaten with no sauce, the egg plant was seriously good. Nice and smooth with a tinge of sweetness from the white miso paste.

Enoki Mushroom - Another most interesting concoction, the enoki mushroom was deep fried together with cream cheese and came served with a slice of parma ham atop and drizzled with lemon juice to jazz things up a little. The cream cheese sang in harmonious symphony with the mushroom, resulting in a smooth, creamy and an ever so light sourish aftertaste. I couldn't quite make out the taste of the parma ham in the equation though.

Wagyu Beef - I personally swear by this and I am nothing short of amazed by how wonderful the wagyu beef turned out. Expect nothing less then the best Australian wagyu beef with its excellent marbling and tenderness, dusted with the lightest batter and deep fried till an even crisp. Very full of flavour I must say. Please note that this was an additional order outside of the set and cost a seemingly exorbitant $18++/stick.

Udon - The udon came as an option on the set menu and although I'm not fan of udon, I have to say that it had me hooked. Full of bite and accompanied by slices of chicken, scallop and a stick of snow crab, the udon came across as nice and light on the palate.

Nigiri Sushi - One of the other options in the set besides udon/soba and steamed sushi, the nigiri sushi required a top up of $20++, which netted me a plate of 5 sushi pieces. I can't say I enjoyed this very much because I'm not exactly big on raw stuff but hey I made it through. Everything was very fresh so no complaints.

$174 for a 2 person lunch is definitely a high price to pay, especially when you are eating satay sticks lookalike. But the quality of food is apparent and the experience, eye opening. Top that with excellent customer service and an out of the country ambience and you have a top notch restaurant that is worth many revisits (provided you have the money of course).

Clifford Pier, which used to be a landing point for immigrants and sea passengers in its heyday, has seen a huge transformation in recent times into what is now known as the Fullerton Bay Hotel. In it houses Clifford, a swanky French American restaurant that is aptly named after this iconic Singapore landmark.

The hotel is beautiful, with vast sea views through windows that seem to stretch on forever. And the restaurant itself is no exception. Designed by Andre Fu, who is apparently one of Asia's highly sought after architect, the interior boasts high columns and ceilings, tall drapery and classic wood furnishing. In two words, awe inspiring. Throw in views of the sea and you are all set for a wonderful atmosphere.

Complimentary Bread - Imagine my surprise when our complimentary bread came with a small dish of pork rillette. Though not as moist or exquisite as Aronia De Takazawa's (http://www.timelessfacade.com/2010/07/aronia-de-takazawa-life-changing.html) Okinawan pork rendition, it was still much appreciated, especially with the warm, crusty and chewy baguette. Very good start.

3 Hr Homemade Duck Confit - You get a choice of either truffle mashed potatoes or pommes sarladaise (potatoes sauteed in duck fat and garlic). I chose the former although it is said that the latter goes best with duck confit. No regrets though as the mashed potato was very smooth with a nice truffle taste and fragrance at the top layer. The duck confit was of the crisp variant and I must say I enjoyed it quite a fair bit. Crispy roasted skin and tender meat without the excessive salt. But as you know, duck confit is essentially duck cooked in its own fat, so watch out for the oil.

Truffle Fries - At $9 a pop (we ordered 2), this is some seriously expensive fries for its portion size (imagine a packet of small fries from MacDonalds). But hey, anything with truffle is nice (I'm biased!) and the fries went like hotcakes (proves my point). It definitely helped that the fries were fresh and not reeking of rancid oil.

Dessert Sample - There is a grand total of 5 desserts on the menu and if you are hard pressed to pick one or are dying to try everything, just go for the dessert sample, which includes a sample of everything - namely, Dark Chocolate Fondant, Passion Fruit Rum Baba, Sugar Crusted Profiteroles, Creme Brulee and Lemon Tart.
The chocolate fondant had a nice crisp shell that crumbled under pressure from a spoon, revealing a rather thin and not too viscous filling of molten chocolate. However, the chocolate was surprisingly quite rich and overall, I thought it was quite good.
This is honestly my first time eating rum baba (a small yeast cake soaked in rum) and I liked it quite a fair bit. Soft, moist and rather sourish(from the infusion of passion fruit) with a very strong rum taste. Served up with mango tartar and yogurt sorbert, with the latter being sublimely smooth and good.
I like my profiteroles drenched in molten chocolate sauce and this one met that criteria, well almost. The pastry held up well against the chocolate sauce and didn't come across as limp. Quite good.
Beautifully torched on the surface, coupled with a smooth and creamy texture, the creme brulee had nothing going against it. Well, maybe except for the less than generous use of vanilla beans.
Last but not least, the lemon tart, which was surprisingly quite good to me, given that I am not exactly a big fan of sour stuff. The tart base was nice and crumbly with a wholesome baked taste attached to it but more importantly (to me at least), the tartness of the lemon filling was pleasantly mild.

Petit Fours - A nice simple gesture to end off our meal. But how are we suppose to split 2 pieces of cookies and marshmallows between the 5 of us?

With 2 bottles of still water, the bill for the 5 of us came up to about $318, which isn't too expensive if you ask me. Especially when the food is decent and the ambience, great. Service could have been better as the wait staff did seem a little withdrawn and cold though executing their duties perfectly. I would love to be back, especially for dinner. And yes, they do serve ice water. ;)

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2010/09/clifford.html

We dropped by Adrift @ Marina Bay Sands one weekday afternoon for a much needed reprieve from our hectic schedules. Overseen by one Michelin star Chef David Myers but run by executive Dong Choi, who had worked with Myers at the now defunct Sona (1 Michelin star in 2007) and Comme Ca.Playing neighbour to Rise (MBS's buffet restaurant) at the hotel lobby of tower 2, Adrift comes across as cosy and a little playful (bench made to look like swings) without all the airs of a celebrity restaurant (no loud music playing in the background like Bread Street Kitchen as well!). Floor to ceiling windows ensure plenty of light but a pity there is no view, except for a sculpture of sorts.Amuse Bouche - This was 3 varieties of rice crackers served with a dollop of aioli; pretty interesting with slightly varying degrees of crisp and tastes. The purple one for example, tasted similar to keropok but with a tinge of rice wine.Warm Duck Salad - Very Thai styled salad with sweet mango, generous slices of not too gamy (and delicious!) smoked duck and fresh greens, all drizzled with a sourish, mildly spicy dressing. Appetising and a great way to kick start the meal.

Baby Spinach - Boasting fresh greens, hazelnuts, shimeji mushrooms and truffle pecorino (raw sheep's milk cheese with truffle), what's not to like? Especially with the generous servings.

Pork Tonkatsu Sandwich - Apparently one of Adrift's signature dishes, the pork tonkatsu sandwich was, as the name suggested, juicily tender, deep fried (but not greasy) breaded pork sandwiched between two slices of soft, fluffy white bread not dissimilar to the loaves sold in old neighbourhood bakeries. Served with shredded cabbage salad on the side. Pretty good but can't say I was blown away.Wagyu Cheeseburger - Adrift's wagyu cheeseburger lived up to it's signature dish billing; a seemingly hand chopped (uneven texuture) and juicy beef patty layered with melted cheese, sitting on a beautifully crisp and buttered bun. The other bun was slathered with tomato jam and buried under a mountain of cheese shavings - personally preferred the butter variant. A worthy rival to Suprette's (http://www.timelessfacade.com/2015/09/suprette-ii-still-my-favourite-burger.html) beef burger in my humble opinion.

We opted for a side of Pak Choy to go with the burger and it turned out rather average honestly. So much for choosing greens over more carbs.

Yuzu Cheesecake - I'm not a huge fan of yuzu but the cheesecake turned out surprisingly good. The yuzu taste was rather dominant but didn't overwhelm the taste of the cheese and paired well with the black sesame ice cream and the wickedly delicious sesame tuile - sweet and crisp with a lingering sesame taste.

Caramel French Toast - Now this was interesting given that coffee or kopi syrup was used as a drizzle instead of the usual flavours. I'm not too sure it worked in this case as the flavour didn't quite seem a natural fit with the coconut sorbet and the french toast (which tasted similar to bread and butter pudding - a tad crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside). Nonetheless I did enjoy this dessert quite a fair bit.

Our lunch cost ~ $113 for 2 pax, which was relatively reasonable considering the competent quality of food and the friendly service. I could definitely envision a revisit, with reservations for the corner swing seats of course.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2016/03/adrift-by-david-myers-where-west-meets.html