This is the price tag for three pax, if you relish dining in a celebrity chef-run restaurant. Gourmands can enjoy the 14-course degustation menu which many famed food critics have described as pure ‘magic’, or make selections from the ala carte menu, & be awed by Robuchon’s famous bread, cheese, dessert, ice-cream & tea trolleys.

Well, my group of three were simply electrified by their Degustation Menu @ S$565 each, glass of Champagne @ S$45/each & 3 bottles of mineral water @ $18, amounting to about S$2,200 incl tax.We were impressed from the start, with their magnificent most talk-about bread trolley. Never have I seen such a huge selection of bread!I picked 3. Ladies will certainly fall in love with their petit bread sizes. It’s great, since I could select more given that they’re small in size.

Service was immaculate. The Maitre d’ asked if we like our bread to be warm before serving. Yum! Even their bread tasted different & they’re sooooooooo good!

What we had:Imperial caviar on a shivering corn velouté
with golden croutonsFoie gras & potatoes carpaccio,
topped with shaved winter truffleMore delicious bread while waiting...Black truffle in a hot pastry, onions & smoked ham

Be awed by the 14-course dinner & more @ http://luxuryhaven.blogspot.com/2012/03/s2000-bill-at-joel-robuchon-rws.html! Well, my 3-hour French affair ended with a goodie bag containing a Lemon Cake to take home & share with my family. The dining experience was divine & the gastronomy meal is sure to please any discerning palate, if you have the money to indulge.

2011 – Ranked 27 in S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant
2010/2011 – Miele Guide Asia’s No.1
2010 - Ranked 28 in S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant
And the list goes on & on for this Award-winning Modern European restaurant, which also happens to be in my top 3 fave list.

The lunch was my first visit after Iggy’s had moved from Regent Hotel to The Hilton. The first few months were always fully booked & I finally gave up trying until a recent occasion when I brought 2 friends there.

Ouch! The 4-course lunch menu @ Iggy’s is now S$85++/pax! I felt really bad as I didn’t expect the prices for lunch had gone up so much. Nevertheless, we were all eager to see what Iggy’s had installed for us.

Honestly, it was an unpleasant start. I was a little put off by the Amuse Bousche. If you’re not a fish lover like me, you’d certainly give this Anchovy a miss. The twin fish served on Watermelon was marinated with different seasonings – one sour & the other, salted. It was hard to digest for me, too fishy; but my two guy friends gobbled them without a single trace. I assumed they liked it.I was starving so I indulged myself in their Sour Dough & Garlic Bread. That was good!Delightful, crunchy & juicy, is how I would describe the Gillardeau Oyster. The appetizer was an execution of explicitness & taste; a dish which marry European influences with fresh Asian flavour. Love how the deep-fried tempura Oyster was served, floating on a bed of sago with a tinge of lemon & dashi.Call me silly or loyal. Out of 10 visits to Iggy’s, I would order their Cappellini with Sakura Ebi 10 times. Just couldn’t get enough of this. Tried ordering at another restaurant once, but it was a disaster. Guess I would just stay faithful here. One word to describe the pasta: BEST!

While we were waiting in between our meals, we noticed there was something different about the door to the kitchen. Look at the pix carefully:One minute it was opaque,Next, it became a see-through door. The 3 of us were trying to make a wild guess. What’s with this magical door? Give it some thought. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of this post. See if you get it right.Well, I was in a carnivorous mood that day & so I opted for their Angus Rib-Eye as my main. I was totally satisfied with the succulent tender cut, served with Brussels Sprouts & a dash of Wasabi. Not many chefs could produce a medium-well beef that melts in your mouth, & I was 100% happy with the immaculate skills.

The finale was Guinness for me. The Miso Caramel dessert was a real treat with peanuts & marshmallow. However, my friend wasn’t too happy with his dessert.“Something missing in the middle?” he asked the waiter jokingly. Either you love or hate the plating of this Strawberry dessert. My friend was complaining that he could hardly find any strawberries in it. Lol! What do you think of this presentation?

Ok, so have you got the answer to the mysterious kitchen door?

Iggy’s has this very interesting concept whereby when the door is opaque, it means the chef is busy preparing in the kitchen. When the food is ready, the door will turn transparent to signal to the waiters to enter & pick up the food! Amazing, isn’t it?

]The new Keyaki boasts a beautiful guest-holding area welcoming guests, waiting to be seated. While the culinary retreat was imbue with the tranquil ambience at the Level 4 of Pan Pacific Hotel, in the hush of classic layout set in a strong Japanese accent, it features the art of Japanese gourmet cooking.

I’d opted for the Tsuki (Moon) set @ S$170/person. The course began with a serving of interesting appetizers & a clear soup; each emitting a unique taste, making me hunger for more.

Next is a dish not many can resist. Freshly flown from Japan was an array of Sashimi, each testing your taste buds.

Now this is my favourite part of Teppanyaki, seeing the Chef perform in front of you. The set came with a King Prawn, nicely grilled & cut before my eyes. The succulent prawn was fresh & inviting, with no sauce needed at all.

Then cames the highlight of the S$170 course – Wagyu Sirloin Steak. My eyes were glued to the teppanyaki grill as the Chef cleverly displayed his cooking technique. Just looking at the marble on the beef, I was sure it was gonna melt in my mouth.

Nothing can satisfy the the carnivorous urge for steak like a deliciously tender cut, served with a hearty portion of fried garlic. What I love most: salty crispy pieces of fats that the Chef had skilfully sliced off from the beef & grilled till crisp. I could die for a dish like this; every slice of beef just "dissolved" in my mouth. Definitely a cut above the rest.

Next on the grill were rice & eggs. Tada! Here’s a bowl of fragrant Garlic Fried Rice. Dracula will definitely stay away from me after this

I like this combi of bean sprouts, zucchini & eggplant. It blended well with the fried rice.
Lastly, something I couldn’t go without – Macha Ice-cream!

It’s traditional Japanese fine dining with top-notch food @ Keyaki. This meal is totally worth it, as long as you’re willing to splurge.

I was first introduced to this restaurant by my students & these were what we had. I went to Pin Si with very low expectation, maybe because it’s a neighbourhood eatery. But I was totally blown away with the quality standard. The XO Prawn with Celery, Peking Duck, Tofu with Pork Floss & Pork Ribs were actually quite good, which led me to my 2nd visit.

This time, their promotional Set Menu @ S$68++/pax attracted my attention:Dishes that impressed & warrant my future visits for more:The Braised Superior Shark’s Fin in Superior Stock was of high benchmark, comparable to many 5-star restaurants. I was stupefied by the rich tasty stock & the big chunks of Shark’s Fin.I also ordered their 2-head Abalone aside from their Set Menu & it was so delicious that it rocked my palate! Thumbs-up!Their Fresh Scallops & Prawn Balls sautéed with Asparagus was another reason why I went back. The aroma of this spicy XO dish filled our noses before our taste buds hit the note.

So if you’re living in the North of S’pore or running out of places to eat in town, be sure to hop over to the gem.

A staff member of the restaurant greeted us just below the row of 2-storey shophouses at 53 Armenian Street. So, this is where they got the name Fi53ty Three from... How clever!

The fusion restaurant under the Les Amis Group, is unique in its own way. The layout was nothing I’d pictured in a fine-dining restaurant, nothing resembling a posh restaurant. In fact, the set-up is simple. No one would’ve guessed the restaurant, which has only a set menu, charges an 8-course degustation @ over S$200/person.

The evening started off with the Compliments from the Chef, which arrived in a charcoal-filled stand. The server introduced these chips as Chicken Skin, which was surprisingly delicious – sweet & salty, probably deriving from some sort of soya-based sauce. The other was Potato Chips with yogurt. These chips were wafer thin & extremely crispy.

The waiter appeared at our table with another plate of quick bite – Spanish Ham sandwiched between crackers, inviting us to use our hands to pick it up. The salty ham lifted our appetite immediately, making us wanting for more.

Attention has been paid to give the guests an exceptional & earthy exploration. A sack was delivered to us this time, containing black & white muffin-like bread served with English butter, topped with roasted barley & buckwheat. I asked if colouring was added to make the “muffins” black, although I kinda have the answer back in my mind. The server confirmed my “suspicion” that charcoal was added to create the colour.

Nevermind the charcoal, these "muffins" were delicious. These buns clearly stood out from other 5-star restaurants I’ve been to so far, both taste & presentation.

The Amuse Bouche finally arrived at our table. Fennel & Coconut in Aloe Vera & Douglas Fir. I love the skilful use of fennel, which is a highly aromatic & flavourful herb with culinary & medicinal uses.

Equally impressive was the Amela Rubins & Basil appetizer which was also served icy cold. The Burrata & Horseradish, adding an aromatic dimension to the dish, was spicy & served with the A.R. tomato.

Main was the Lobster, which was semi-cooked & topped with textures of apples. Service here was a little disorganized. The 2nd main arrived before I even finished my dish.

I must credit the Chef, for the food arrived at our table like little object d'art displays. Japanese Striped Shrimp….. Ah ha, another sashimi-styled cooking. This pair of fresh shrimps was swimming in this beautiful ocean-inspired sauce, topped with turnip, pumpkin seed & Swiss chard.

Our next dish was served on a hotstone. The Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes tasted like any other ordinary potatoes but the Wild Yam is interesting, tiniest I’ve ever seen. These bite-size yams are Japanese & tasted a little sweet. Coupled with coffee powder & parmesan mix, it brought out the taste of the plain starch. It's unmistakable that 53 puts a lot of thought into the presentation….

Eating pork half-cooked seems difficult for some to digest but the Chef recommended the Charcoal Grilled Iberian Black Pig not to be cooked completely to retain its flavour & tenderness. The clever use of home-made sauce, combined with garden-fresh vegetables like Elderberries & stems of vegetables like Watercress suggested some uniqueness in its daring creation.

I love the flowery sweet dessert, which was appealing both to the palate & eye. This bubbly-infused ice-cream, topped with slice Mara des Bois Strawberries & Green Peppercorn, was a killer.

The other dessert was a mixture of Chocolate & Artichoke, served with Mango & Mangosteen. A very normal dessert, nothing to shout about.

I like the fact that the Chef thought out of the box to give the guests a earthy, unique dining concept. They dare to be different. Like this last ”course” – Gin Tonic on the Rocks. I was pleasantly surprised when the server handed me a piece of rock, with what appeared to be jelly. He explained that I’ve to leave this "Gin Tonic" in my mouth & let it melt slowly. At any time I feel it’s too strong, chew on it. This piece of “liquor” was icy cold, another witty usage of stone to retain the temperature.

What I like about the food here is the clever use of ingredients, conjoined with the delicate beauty of tiny, edible shoots, stems & flowers; many which I never thought could be used in desserts or likewise. The distinctive skill of the Chef is evident in the total dining experience at 53. Nothing has been spared in the sensational details of food to ensure the absolute intimate culinary understanding.