Journey of taste

At Marco Creative Cuisine, chef Daren Leong takes diners on a seven-course gastronomic indulgence, writes Tan Bee Hong

Savoury Eclair with aubergine caviar, green chili pesto and tomato confit; Savoury Ice Cream Salad; Chilled Strawberry Gazpacho; Salmon with jet black hollandaise and pickled beetroot; Delectable chicken roulade with brussel sprouts; Duck breast with orange puree, roasted beetroot and Valrhona chocolate sauce.

LITTLE translucent umbrellas. Pulsating. Free floating. Instead of fish, the tank at the entrance to the newly-opened Marco Creative Cuisine, houses common jellyfish (Aurelia Aurita). These are a clue as to what to expect in this restaurant owned by IT whizkid turned culinary maestro Daren Leong and his wife, Alice.

Inside, the spacious interior with small glasses of flowers on white tables and the upholstered chairs in Tiffany Blue exude a classy, comfortable ambience.

Alice prefers to call it “a journey of flavours” instead of a fine dining restaurant. Marco is named after the couple’s son as well as Marco Polo, as the couple hopes that for diners, the meal will be an exciting journey of flavours.

THe meNU

Marco is unique in that it offers only a seven-course menu though a la carte orders can be placed based on dishes from this menu of palate cleanser, appetiser, soup, entree, main course, dessert and drink.

We start with tea cups of matcha-lime foam and lime snow to “cleanse the palate”. The Velvety Matcha-Lime Shooter is tart, citrusy, smooth and chilled.

Then a Savoury Eclair is offered. Alice urges us to pick it up with our fingers to eat. The gruyere-flavoured choux pastry finger is topped with Aubergine Caviar, Green Chile Pesto and Tomato Confit. At Marco, ingredients such as tomato and strawberry are air-dried in house.

Daren recommends Strawberry Gazpacho. Hmm. cold soup? It’s thick, yet refreshingly light gazpacho made with strawberry, capsicum and cucumber, garnished with sliced, dehydrated strawberries and mint. I find it perfect for our humid, hot weather.

But if you prefer (and I know most do) hot soup, I recommend the creamy Truffled Mushroom Soup. This full bodied broth, made with brown and shitake mushrooms, is infused with truffle oil for an earthy aroma.

There’s also French Onion Soup, made with onions caramelised patiently for four hours and topped with a layer of gratineed gruyere. It comes with two fingers of French toast.

NoTiCeABlY DiffereNT

When menu choices come with names such as Strawberry Gazpacho, Chicken Liver Parfait and Savoury Ice Cream Salad, it’s hard to not get rather excited over what’s next.

Savoury Ice Cream Salad is a pretty platter of assorted baby leaves, heirloom tomato, seasonal microgreens and violet flowers with a scoop of ice cream made with milk and sea salt.

I love the Chicken Liver Parfait. The creamy chicken liver is covered with a brulee top and served with toast and apple chips. There’s also Garden Plater, with mixed greens planted on top of edible soil and gribiche sauce.

There are more than ample choices with six mains. Daren highly recommends Chicken Roulade With Brussels Sprouts. His use of chicken thigh to make the juicy roulade is nothing short of inspired. So much silkier in texture than the usual chicken breast roulade. It’s accompanied by crunchy Brussels sprouts and chicken gravy.

I am, initially, hesitant about Salmon With Jet Black Hollandaise as the fish is seldom done well. But the sous vide Atlantic salmon fillet remains soft and with a juicy texture. Panfried briefly on the skin side, it’s served with squid ink hollandaise, pickled beetroot, tobiko and green chilli pesto.

Another main dish worth making a return trip for is Duck Breast. The sous vide, pan seared duck breast comes with roasted beetroot, orange puree and surprise, a sauce made with Valrhona dark chocolate. A delectable pairing indeed!

There are also Squid Ink Japonica Rice with prawn, baby squid and omelette, served with garlic mayonnaise, Pomodoro Cream Seafood Pasta and Vegetarian Arrabbiata Penne.

JUsT DesserTs

Raspberry Decadence makes a perfect ending. The raspberry cheesecake with raspberry gel comes with lemon meringue shards and passion fruit gel.

Or have the Deconstructed Lemon Meringue Pie, with Lemon Curd, Passion Fruit Gel, Italian Meringue and White Chocolate Sherbet or Creme Brulee with White Chocolate Sherbet.

Dessert is followed by drinks — coffee, tea or fruit. The Single Origin, French Press Coffee smells gorgeously robust but to avoid a sleepless night, I settle for Sparkling Iced Berry.