EPICURE NEWS
Executive Chef David Thien takes over at Corner House.
It's a tale of history, cultural curation and botanic conservation. Named after Eldred John Henry Corner, the man who helped develop Singapore's nature reserves, Corner House at Singapore Botanic Gardens remains a bastion of cultural exploration through its culinary achievements. The French-asian cuisine presented by Executive Chef David Thien continues the legacy with his deeply provoking and sentimental approach in re-interpreting familiar flavours and ingredients in a bold way.
Taking over from long-time Chef Jason Tan, Executive Chef David Thien marries his knowledge of French cuisine with his culinary experiences in Asia to present “French-asian cuisine without shackles”, a phrase that lives up to its promise. Chef Thien pays homage to the “Spirit of Singapore” and its multicultural heritage with a series of “chapters” presented to diners as story cards that accompany each dish. For canapes, the humble otah got a makeover as a toothsome Mackerel and Obsiblue Prawn
Otah “Croq-monsieur” with 18-month comte cheese and a buttery toasted brioche. Looking as pretty as a daisy was the Crispy Poppadum with dahl aioli and steamed Sri Lankan crab meat topped with Vadouvan, a French-influenced Indian spice which piqued my taste buds.
Chef Thien's unconventional approach is most evident in the way he presented the popular condiment achards (or achar). He shared in his story cards that “They [achards] are not a noble product. To come up with a dish that would put them in the forefront is strange, but they are part of my food heritage and for a lot of people in Asia too.” The result was a refreshing balance between sweet and sour, with crunchy vegetables such as carrot, cauliflower, French bean and purple cabbage contrasted by cured gravlax-style Japanaese hamachi and dollops of burrata, enhanced by the zing of the granite made from the achards pickling liquid.
The humble Chinese chive made its appearance next as a sauce with wine, shallots, stock and cream, painting the plate of wok hei rice noodles and Hokkaido scallops a vivid green, giving the dish an earthy grassy flavour that complements the sweetness of the scallops. A highlight for me was the Modern Asian Risotto made from charred bean sprout and coated with creamy Hokkaido sea urchin, mascarpone and parmesan cheese sauce with a hint of ginger. The result was a creamy umami bite uplifted by the light crunch of the bean sprouts, finished off by fresh lobes of sea urchin that left me craving more.
The Chicken Satay served next was elevated with charcoalgrilled tender Anxin chicken and an Asian version of the Albufera sauce; a French liquor and foie gras-based sauce served with roasted chicken, topped by chicken jus for a juicy unctuous bite. Equally moreish was the Wagyu 2 Ways inspired by Japanese cooking for a clean finish to the palate. Ending off the lunch was Chef Thien's version of the Mont-blanc which was substituted with Japanese adzuki red bean and deconstructed for a light mouth-feel with comforting Asian notes.