Private Affairs

In an era where chef-turn-restauranteurs loom, how nice it is to discover another kitchen passionate! I love it when operations are taken small & punctilious, fresh quality ingredients insisted, sauces made from scratch, and creativity is spontaneous. Totally admire chefs who advocates them.

Meet Private Affairs & Chef Paul Ng.

Private Affairs is an upmarket 40-seater restaurant enclaved in Joo Chiat, offering a unique private dining concept. Chef de Cuisine Paul Ng heads the kitchen to bring diners contemporary European cuisine accessorized with Asian strokes.

Lucky me had a chance to sample The Luscious Affair ($168++), a 6-course menu featuring the restaurant's signatures... plus a touch of chef's innovation.

No supplier credits to disclose here; PA's breads are baked in-house and changes seasonally. The focaccia was studded with sundried tomatoes and perfuming parmesan, which i preferred over the doughy hazelnut walnut twist.

What's really amusing was the meticulous condiment presentation. We had individual butter cones, olive oil in mini pipettes & an appetite-whetting papaya salsa... So good, you can even have it on its own! *thinks gardenia lol.

Vine ripened Tomatoes, Horseradish Meringue & Ginger Flower Vinaigrette

Our affair kickstarted with cherry tomato wedges paired with a horseradish meringue. The chilled quenelle was fibrous and releases pulses of nose-penetrating pungency. Intriguing green thing. Thankfully there's the plum-ish ginger flower vinaigrette to balance the wasabi sharpness.

Duck Carpaccio, Green granny smith & Scallion Gel

Duck has never been on my billboard, let alone raw duck. But the play of textures in Duck Carpaccio managed to rebut my fears. Thinly shaved French Margret duck, topped with clever additions of scallion gel and crunchy granny smith to seal the package beautifully. Roll up & relish.

Beetroot in various forms

One pretty beetroot dish for the non-meat eater.

White Lobster Bisque, Salmon Lobster Cannelloni, capsicum & lemongrass crumbs

Chef took a fancy approach for his White Lobster Bisque. His broth is very evident of cream and salt, which may appear overpowering at first taste... until you dig into that tri-colored cannelloni.

This cigar is a painstaking integration of egg, spinach & squid ink pasta sheets stuffed with lobster and salmon mousse yums. The slightly bland mousse seamlessly aided to neutralize the soup's sodium. Then when you finally reach those capsicum & lemongrass crumble itsy bitsies, you hear the asian accents.

One-of-a-kind.

Hokkaido Scallops, corn gnocchi, bed of corn, smoked miso powder, bonito flakes

Everything corn. We've got corn gnocchi strands, corn blanket and smoked miso powder covering two slightly overdone hokkaido scallop pieces. Layout wise, it's a nice mess.

Grilled lobster, espelette jam, sauteed blue foot mushroom, lardon, purple carrot paint, alaskan crab & cauliflower foam

Wagyu Beef Cheek w Potato, Kai Lan Royale, Curry Leaf Cous Cous & Tomato Chutney, port wine grapes reduction

The set's main was a braised Wagyu Beef Cheek. If you shun your veg, try resisting that Kai Lan Royale.. with just a mix of egg butter & cream, it got a carnivore chomping on his greens!

Monkfish Cheeks, femented garlic, oyster glaze, purple carrots & white asparagus

Here's my Monkfish Cheeks encircled with pretty purple. While the innate character of monkfish didn't quite delight, the purple carrots and white asparagus did. Liking purple carrots~

Mangosteen Lime Granita

A Mangosteen Lime Granita as pre-dessert. 10kgs of mangosteens is used to produce every 400 grams of mangosteen espuma whoa. Refreshing when the granita melts to bind with the espuma.

Pistachio and Cheese Sandwich, passionfruit coulis, strawberry, basil gel

Since i'm a cheese-yogurt-fruit-strawberry-basil kind of person, this Pistachio & Cheese Sandwich naturally unlocked my heart. A tart cheese mousse flowing a passionfruit coulis centre, clasped between two fine tuiles. Only felt the basil infusion could be much stronger.

Petit Fours

We ended off with a tray of Pistachio Financiers and.... Chocolate Lipsticks! Surely smearing manjari chocolate ganache sounds better than any Maybelline or ZA lip nourishment, doesn't it?

Meet Chef Paul (:

One intricate dish after another... just imagine the amount of Mise en Place involved. Mind-blowing may not be the word, but Chef's sincere passion & flair for presentation certainly impressed. Dining in Private Affairs feels like chef for hire, all set in an elegant environment. Be prepared for surprises.

Stay tuned for more on Sunday Brunch.

My special thanks to Veronica from SixthSense Communications, Melanie, Ross & of course Chef Paul for the generous invite and hosting.

Private Affairs

45 Joo Chiat Place

6440 0601