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including the penultimate finale of an aburi Hida beef roll served with a nugget of shoyumarinated egg yolk and blanketed under tongues of urchin. The presentation of this dish is also worth a note: Instead of a torch, white-hot binchotan on a metal grill was placed over the beef rolls to sear the surface in a more elegant yet no less dramatic fashion.
Yet the rest of the meal was just as enjoyable. The finely executed nigiri sushi, interspersed throughout the meal, served as excellent interludes to the rich flavours of the show-stopper courses. Another unassuminglooking dish featured succulent amadai, its scales – fried to a crisp – so achingly brittle that they crinkled like the thinnest of pastry.
Such precise execution, combined with an overwhelming generosity in the use of premium ingredients, makes a meal at Ki-sho one that impresses.
The sushi counter makes a perfect setting for an intimate meal, and the culinary maestros in action certainly help to liven up the experience. For those seeking greater privacy, there are formal dining rooms on the second floor, opulently dressed in imported gold leaf wallpaper and bespoke furniture hand-crafted by Japanese artisans. The second floor features a sake bar, Kakure. It offers one of the largest sake lists in Singapore, and is curated by Ki-sho’s certified sake sommeliers. Come sip and savour.
Winner THE G HALLMARK OF EXCELLENCE
More than 90 seasonal-menu changes in, you can say this 23-year-old has been through it all. The French fine-dining establishment has endured every turn in climate – from the various cooking styles of six former chefs, to the most recent shortage of black truffles – standing its ground with an 80-seat red velvetwalled premise, complete with a 3,000-bottle cellar and consistent updates to its hardware.
If the pressure is on the two-Michelin-star Les Amis to stay on top, it’s taking the safe route: consistent, protein-heavy French dishes by executive chef Sebastien Lepinoy, triedand-tested wine pairing recommendations, and service that’s steady, unhurried, with an eagerness to please.
Spring sprung early for us in its March Le Degustation Printemps menu by way of asparagus – as blanc-manger with caviar, as well as roasted and blanched. We were served early-season langoustines from Loctudy (Brittany), an earthy and nutty etuve of Spring’s first morels (paired with silky foie gras flan), and Kaviari caviar, the latter tinned specially for Les Amis. It’s hard to not find pleasure with ingredients like these, 90 per cent of which are flown in from France, as frequent as, at least, three times a week.
Also out to please is its encyclopaedic selection of wines, a tome consisting mostly of bottles from the bigger French regions, and a handful of Italian, American and South American wines.
The grand, heavy jade-and-silver table setting. The silver-capped bone chopsticks. The senior waitstaff cruising the floor with an easy confidence, like seasoned hosts in familiar territory. Many things about Li Bai tell of its unique positioning as one of the few classic establishments that is stoically unchanged, and its loyal patrons clearly appreciate it.
Executive chef Chung Yiu Ming serves up a diverse repertoire of Chinese classics. While some taste lighter than most renditions – such as a milky fish maw and shark’s cartilage soup that is not cloying – others are more liberal in seasoning and almost rustic in presentation, such as the housemade stuffed vegetables and home-style dish of steamed minced pork patty with salted fish. One should also note that a number of special items require advance ordering a day before. It would be wise to enquire about these dishes while making reservations.
The dim sum dishes are a big draw at lunch, with many tables populated by impeccably coiffured Japanese ladies nibbling on delicate items such as the crystal skin dumpling filled with a colourful medley of vegetables. One would also find quite a few well-dressed, silver-haired locals, some who appear to be regulars, here for just an everyday Cantonese lunch with a glass of wine. A couple of smart suits can be spotted having serious discussions over an express meal, but things are generally of a leisurely manner. The waitresses might make hasty retreats, so that guests can deliberate over their options in private; and the intervals between dishes might be a little longer, to allow for proper conversation. The restaurant’s namesake – the famous Tang Dynasty poet – would have approved.
“You’ve ordered a fair bit, it may be a bit much.” Our kempt server teases, equal parts friendly and firm, as she tops up our tea. Like any good member of the waitstaff, she has the gumption to caution customers who are getting carried away in their orders.
But are we to blame? We are looking at a fascinating dim sum menu, and want to try it all. Think innovative entries like filo pastry – more commonly seen in Middle Eastern or Greek cuisine – stuffed with smoked eel, or pumpkin shaped dumplings with mozzarella chicken. The skin of the latter proves a little too starchy, but the contents are a savoury mix of sweet and salty that works out so well, we split the third piece immediately between us. Better that than the conflicted feeling of wanting another hit, but being too polite to call dibs.
Let it not be said that Man Fu Yuan doesn’t do classics, for that is where it excels. We’d expect no less from Cantonese executive chef Kwan Yiu Kan, who has 40 whopping years of culinary expertise under his belt. Perennials like chicken feet are amply sized and expertly braised, and even squirmish eaters will want to pick the bone segments clean. In terms of honouring traditional recipes, here’s a case in point: the delectable orh nee (yam paste) is prepared with pork lard, a critical ingredient that many lesser establishments have swopped out for vegetable oil.
And if you can pick only one more item, choose the tea-smoked duck. Crisp and lightly caramelised skin, tender and aromatic meat, and a touch of mouth-watering duck fat... the restaurant signature seems engineered to delight, though dialling up the smokiness would have left an even deeper impression.
For all her frankness, easy charm and impeccable tea-serving finesse, our server was wrong about one thing: We were able to put away the duck, bursting guts be darned.
Many restaurants have come and gone, but Mezza9 stands strong in our fickle dining scene. It’s one of the first hotel restaurants to feature several show kitchens under one roof. At these vibrant live stations, guests can interact with chefs as they dish out meals.
The popularity of Mezza9’s Sunday Brunch, in particular, has never waned since Day One. When we were there, it was filled with expats and locals tucking into the sumptuous food and free-flow Perrier Jouet champagne. If you can handle even more alcohol, there are also nine signature martinis to be had.
The excellent dining experience here is also down to a top-notch team that’s always obliging and helpful, be it with queries about the food stations, requests for the Wi-Fi password, or refilling our champagne flutes.
The chefs also play a part in making the dining experience an enjoyable one. At the local food station, one of them pointed to the deep-fried soon hock and told us it’s a Mezza9 speciality and a must-try. We took his word for it, and proceeded to dig into the succulent whole fish laced with soya sauce and showered with coriander and spring onions. Equally delicious were the roast duck, char siew and pork belly. The Thai street food station also beckoned with its sublime range of dishes, from grilled meats like moo yang (free-range pork neck with tamarind paste) and Thai satay to piquant pomelo and papaya salads topped with peanuts and fried shallots for maximum crunch and flavour.
Over at the Western station, the chefs carved roast beef and rotisserie chicken, which guests could pair with risotto tossed with parmesan and luxed up with white asparagus.
With Mezza9’s outstanding martini bar being revamped (we hear there will also be a new gin bar), we can’t wait to see what the renovated space has to offer.
While first impressions count, do keep an open mind if you are a first-timer at Mitzo. Granted that the Japanese-sounding name and contemporary dining room sporting boldcoloured panels do not necessarily conform to the image of a Chinese restaurant, but we feel that stereotypes are meant to be broken.
Mitzo takes pride in being a contemporary Cantonese restaurant. Think individual plating, and East meets West culinary combinations. Executive head chef Nicky Ng does a commendable job of crafting food with finesse, while sticking to the brief. The Mitzo black truffle crispy roast duck, with perfectly crisp skin and juicy meat accompanied by savoury truffle sauce, is excellent. Dim sum is well executed and visually pleasing. We like the creativity added to the har gow whose smooth translucent skin is speckled with bits of purple cabbage. The steamed morsel is then topped with caviar for a touch of luxe. Xiao long bao is given a twist: the green dumplings are filled with double-boiled duck soup. Equally good are mains like steamed codfish with minced Japanese pickled ginger, and comforting poached rice with succulent lobster meat in a rich superior broth.
If you fancy a drink, try Mitzo’s Chineseinspired cocktails such as Uncle Negroni, a classic negroni made with red dates infused with genever, and aged in an oak barrel, or the Chinese Collins, a Tom Collins reworked with Chinese herbal tea and goji berry syrup.
Few restaurant openings can set the city abuzz like Odette did a year and a half ago. It had the makings of a winner: an impassioned chef whose star was rising, one of the biggest names in the lifestyle industry as partner, and a venue befitting chef Julien Royer’s plating artistry.
Even with sky-high expectations in place, the Odette team came out ahead, serving what was undeniably one of the finest dining experiences in the city and bagging our Best New Restaurant – Western award handily. A year on, one question invariably surfaces. What’s next for the farm boy who’s at last living the culinaire dream?
For Royer, the answer seems to be polishing his repertoire to the point of perfection. You’ll see the usual suspects on the six- and eight-course sets (stalwarts from his time at Jaan), alongside masterful presentations of seasonal produce. Has the novelty of the billowing 55-degree smoked egg tray worn off by now?
The head says yes, but the taste buds say no. Nothing quite satisfies the palate like the golden goop that coats the mouth in eggy richness, tempered by the crunch of piquant chorizo iberico. An undercurrent of smokiness on the tongue is augmented by heady fumes seeping from the inverted glass censer containing still-smoking pine leaves. Inimitable is clearly what Royer has been gunning for and, by all accounts, the dish has approached near-perfection and is synonymous with the French chef.
Service is as crisp as the starched linen, with a well-paced explanation of every picture-ready dish, before the jus is ladled on. We throw curveballs at the sommelier. “Those are sea grapes – but that’s a type of seaweed, actually,” he says of the rarely used ingredient. The wine pairings are almost as spot-on, with multiple bold decisions paying off. That’s no mean feat, considering the complexity of Royer’s layered compositions.
It’s doubtless by now that food at Odette will never disappoint. But when will it surprise again in that trademark Royer fashion? At this outing, we saw a shift towards ingredients of Asian origin, and are already on the edge of our seats for the next.
The calm outside Maxwell Chambers is deceptive, we realise, as we step into Otto Ristorante in time to see the hostess turn away a group of suits with genuine regret because the restaurant is full. It’s the lunch period and the restaurant is packed to the rafters; reservations are absolutely vital. Thankfully, we have one.
The restaurant is modern and elegant, with a simplicity that is carried through to chef Michele Pavanello’s menu. The Italian fare here is authentic and generous in portion. From the seasonal white asparagus menu, the grilled white asparagus with Tomino cheese and aged balsamic vinegar was our pick. As we were sharing, restaurant manager Michele Grasso cut each asparagus lengthwise right in front of us and apportioned it – the melted, nutty Piedmont cheese went well with the tender freshness of the asparagus.
Our other starter of Mazara red prawn tartare – this shellfish from Sicily is one of the most sought after from the Mediterranean – had a briny sweetness that was brilliantly offset by the slight bitterness of fennel jelly and the acidity of green apple slices.
One of the steadfast pasta favourites is spaghetti with sea urchin and Sardinian grey mullet bottarga. It was well-cooked, rich and creamy, with textural interest courtesy of zucchini strips and the sprinkle of bottarga. We would have loved it more if it had come with a topping of sea urchin.
A classic must-have in any true blue, selfrespecting Northern Italian restaurant is the osso buco, here served on a bright-hued bed of Milanese-style saffron risotto. Although the presentation was straightforward, the generous portion and deep flavours couldn’t be faulted.