Steamed white asparagus with morel mushrooms and hollandaise sauce ($35++). Love this lots~ So tender and sweet.

Incredibly juicy and sweet Alaskan king crab leg ($115++) that’s jaw-droppingly expensive!

Oven-roasted Blue-eye cod with potato mash, mushrooms ($48++). Though competently done, this was overshadowed by the 2 excellent starters we had prior to this.

Pan fried fine apple tart “a la dragees” ($20++) that’s a tad oily, 2 delicious scoops of Havana rum-raisin ice cream and an assortment of exotic berries ($27++).

No doubt, this meal is definitely going into my “Top 10 Eats of 2010″!

Starter #1: Marinated Japanese bluefin tuna, smooth avocado marble, hearts of palm and intensely sweet cherry tomato.

This is a very ‘me’ starter cuz I like everything on the plate. And it’s most interesting cuz of the hearts of palm which I’ve never tried before. They have a very delicate flavour like artichokes and resemble thick white asparagus, sans tips.

Starter #2: Char-grilled Obsiblue prawn, al dente mushroom risotto and confit egg yolk.

This is even better than starter #1. Come on, who wouldn’t get weak at the sight of bright cheery confit egg yolk in all its wobbly glory?

Main: Main course #2: Japanese trout cooked “sous vide”, chanterelle mushrooms, spring onions

This was strong in flavours, leaning more towards the salty side of the scale. The trout was perfectly cooked but I can definitely do without the foam on top since it doesn’t really add any flavour to the dish.

Dessert: Strawberry-yuzu tiramisu, chocolate tuile, strawberry granitee.

What wins our votes is the superbly smooth and soft mascarpone cheese that’s second to none. The creamy yet light mouthfeel doesn’t taste like any other mascarpone cheese I’ve ever tried before and I even double-checked with the waitress to assure myself that I didn’t assume wrongly, haha. Minus some points for the so-subtle-it’s-almost-not-there citrus flavour though.

Note: I went to Spruce Taqueria, not Spruce.

Like its name suggests, Spruce Taqueria is not a cafe or restaurant. It’s more like a simple, no-nonsense black-and-white shack located at the back of Spruce at Phoenix Park. The menu is equally straightforward and rather limited: choose ala carte taco ($3)/quesadilla ($6)/rice bowl ($9) or a set of 2 tacos/1 quesadilla with chips, salsa and a drink for $9.

Out of the 3 types of tacos we ordered, my favourite is the grilled snapper (like duh). Grilled to order, the fillets are coated with Cajun seasoning and tasted flavourful and fresh. At just $3, I can’t say that I wish that the fish is chunkier, can I? The guacamole was even better, really smooth and creamy. I wanted to get the set but this is so popular that there was only one portion left that day =(

While I applaud the idea of setting up such a novel taqueria in Singapore, I won’t be in any hurry to go back again. Location is not exactly ideal or accessible for those who don’t drive or live close by. Tables and chairs are scattered outdoors so it can get really hot when the sun decides to make an appearance. And while the taco filling is good, I didn’t like the soft corn tortillas cuz I’m used to (and much prefer) hard crunchy taco shells.

To make you working adults groan in frustration, the taqueria is only opened from 12-3pm on weekdays. So take a long break someday and head over to Spruce Taqueria for cheap and gourmet fast food!

The 5 course Gourmet Menu ($88++ with coffee/tea included) is a good starting point for those who want to have a taste of what Garibaldi has to offer.

Amuse bouche was a small glass of baked pumpkin puree that’s literally a cheesy overkill.

The first 2 starters were plated together: tuna tartare with orange and grey mullet roe on the right, and pan seared Hokkaido scallop with green asparagus and truffle emulsion on the left.

Both dishes were prepared deftly, though nothing mind-blowing. The finely chopped raw tuna was fresh, the scallop tender with a slight firm bite in the center.

Main is either the roasted Atlantic cod in black olive crust and balsamic reduction or a pan fried lamb tenderloin with caramelised pearl onions. Of course, I went for the former. The oily fish was so tender and the classic combi of cod+olive is always a winning formula! Think Otto and Buko Nero.

Compared to the savoury, the sweets were definitely found to be wanting. The tiramisu had such a thick layer of licorice-scented (yiks!) mascarpone cream with minimal homemade ladyfinger biscuits in between. Better ones elsewhere, certainly.

The plump butter croissant ($1.50) is wonderfully crisp and so buttery that it’s a heart attack waiting to happen. But I still prefer the one I had in Paris cuz that was ultra rich and yet so light.

Even better is the almond croissant ($2.20) — moist frangipani filling inside and crisp almond sugar topping on the outside. This is something we’ll definitely get again!

We had the custard and an pan (red bean) buns ($2 each). Both are good flavour-wise but more filling would be appreciated!

After buying the breads, we went over to the basement of Plaza Singapura to devour these goodies. One auntie actually walked up to us and asked where did we get the breads from! See, that’s how appealing they are =)