The French Kitchen

After Saint Pierre, instincts led me to visit TFK for their 3-course lunch deal ($36++) next.

One block apart, Emmanuel Stroobant's two french assets is differentiated by a stark factor: Hospitality. The feeling of being welcomed from the chef himself- it's one clear pivotal edge over their pretentious neighbor. I’ll raise both hands for an affable chef!

bread & condiments

Also appealing is Chef Jean-Charles Dubois' approach to food. He gives classic french titles his personal Dubois-tweak, then execute them with attested care. Traditional essences are retained even after his novel strokes, & you can always trust to get a thoughtful surprise or two.

Our lunch's raisin & brown bread slices didn't just arrive with plain-jane butter... Instead we had piped French butter with a ramekin of pink salmon rilettes. Fishy as it may be, those fragrant olive toppings were a huge lifting factor.

Amuse Bouche: Egg cream

The amuse bouche was one of those unpretentious-seeming thing that *BOOM* explodes unexpected pleasure in the mouth. I spooned out puffy eggy mousse, already piquantly seasoned yet further perked by olives & a parmesan crisp. Homemade brioche by the side. oh i think i sniffed some truffle oil too!

Never belittle what can emerge from cutie eggshells.

Bisque de Homard

Moments later he proved that signatures ain't signatures for nothing.

I have to say TFK serves up the best, if not one of the best Lobster Bisque i've had. The splendid garden of pastel orange housed a pair of meaty tiger prawn tempuras and brilliantly correlating leek custard pudding. Every drop of the steamy hot soup was visually & gastronomically accomplished! *slurpsss.

Cabillaud

Elaine can never see the word Cod & not order it.

Cabillaud is prepared classic french; primarily salt-seasoned. The flaky oleaginous piece was endowed with salted brown crust, alongside dashes of artichoke puree and skillfully hand-cut potato crisps. A huge pity the scant splat of bouillabaise emulsion was insufficient to moisten the fish, making it badly dry.

Mental note: Loving all cods but Miso Cod definitely tops the satisfaction-o-meter.

Kurobuta Pork Loin

Dad met his lucky day when the server introduced an alternative Kurobuta Pork Loin as Day's special. I knew he's bound to have it. On his plate laid a beautifully browned loin paired with brown sauce and truffle mash, once again overly salt-adorned.

Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee

Here's the signature Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee dessert. Pairing icecream with creme brulee sounds like a rare recruitment but when the vanilla icecream melts into the fluidy dark chocolate custard, whatsoever weirdness is wiped out by the black-&-white blend.

Who would defy a marriage of premium chocolate & quality vanilla?

Sabayon au Champagne

Champagne Sabayon with forest berry icecream was another worthy mention... An egg custard dashed with champagne, embedding bite-sized pear marmalade & berry chunks. It may be slightly off-putting for yolk-shunners, but the addition of fruits and berrylicious icecream are 2 reasons to scoop up.

Chef Jean-Charles Dubois is made of sugar, spice & everything nice..

May cupid be with TFK always.

The French Kitchen

7 Magazine Road

#01-03 Central Mall

Singapore 059572

6438 1823

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

Saint Pierre

Tracking Saint Pierre's lunch series is as challenging as following scenes from Fast & Furious. Their lunch menu changes so frequently (weekly?) that it is almost impossible to encore any favourite dishes.

What makes the chase worthwhile, is the disposition of Chef Paul Froggart's brain-childs. He's a natural when it comes to food-play, meddling with shapes, colours & textures to create interesting compilations. He makes dishes fun and entertaining. To bonus that, i caught glimpses of Emmanuel Stroobant and Paul Froggart in person... ooh charmings!

Bakes clearly weren't their forte. Both the sun-dried tomato roll and baguette stirred no commotion, merely carbs to kill waiting time.

Anything cooked detaches from that fate.

The kitchen shows how an uncomplicated Mushroom Cappuccino amuse can convey reassuring flavors and be a foamy joy to bottoms up... Cheers to my funghi-ccino.

Appetizers took another step up. There's no doubt to how Saint Pierre's Confit of Ocean Trout can become elaine-pleasing material. A semi-translucent, delicate babe was aptly jazzed with herbed breadcrumbs. And everything else from the greenish quenelles, citrus compote to zesty sauce did complementary favors to it.

Swallowed every flake in im-loving-it conviction.

And even as the lunch menu blows around, 3 permanent residents stay for good. One of them is the signature Pan-fried Foie Gras which the restaurant totally prides on. They ought to.

I brightened up after a bite of creamy liver cellulite sealed under perfectly crisped crust. The skin is so well seared, it feels like a wrapper in the works. Froggart's touch is shown through tiny granny smith apple globulars, in both raw & caramelised forms to provide a play of textures. Who cares about the $8 top-up when foie gras is done so skilfully delicious!

all my fave fishes deserves 2 shots hehe

My mind was long set on having mainstay #2: White Miso Black Cod. But perhaps because i'm more etched towards the heavily miso-ed japanese cod, i thought their cod tasted kinda... weak. The miso flavor was almost indiscernible and i would have preferred stronger seasonings to justify it as a miso cod.

The other fish dish on the menu was a Flash-fried Tuna Steak, slightly asian-inclined paired with sauteed bak choy. Flash-frying gives it its unmistakable outer brown jacket and maintains the fish's rawish centre. Dad likes his tuna done this way.

Grandma Stroobant's Gateau au Chocolat with yoghurt espuma a.k.a mainstay #3, was another joy to speak of. It is a moist, densely knitted square that proved chocolately just right... you won't need extra fudge or chocolate toppings, nor complain of cocoa cloyingness from it. It's delish the way it is.

Berries stunned me with an out-of-the-ordinary appearance. First i popped soft sweeties of torched baby meringue kisses like swallowing the clouds in the sky, then went on to the baked papa meringue kisses & mama meringue sticks... surprisingly without signs of meringue overdose. Now that's the hallmark of good meringue.

There's a whole bunch of places offering competively-priced set lunches nowadays, but only the ones rendering true value & quality warrants revisit. It needs to possess a combination of exciting the eyes, tastebuds & emotions; be senses-evoking and perpetuate unpredictability. Saint Pierre clearly fits as one of them.

Update: SP has recently upped its lunch prices, from $38++ previously to $48++ for 3 courses now. Whoa a whole $10 hike!

Saint Pierre

3 Magazine Road

#01-01 Central Mall

6438 0887

Otto Ristorante

Best Meal of 2009

Discovered: 26th December, Boxing Day.

I am absolutely in love with Otto.... Bewitched by Chef Michele's stunning culinary skills, impressed with the kitchen's quality insistence and showcase of fireworks-sparkling dishes.

The display of splendor over my 6 dinner courses was impressive. Otto's Gourmet Menu ($128++) encompasses several signature dishes, touching from foie gras to lobster to everything rewardingly luxurious. Under the hands of resident chef Michele Pavanello (previously from Pontini which i loved too), these luxuries transform into dishes of unforgettable excellence.

Beeeeedazzling.

From the bread selection of walnut, raisin, ciabatta, plain & onion focaccia, i happily called for 4.

Take onion foccacia and take lots of it! I fell for its dense, cushiony sponge body festooned with oiled onions, and made sure i pick up every fallen slice of them. The walnut bread was another crusty babe, especially good with a sharp balsamic dip.

Oh yes you get 12-year aged balsamic vinegar to complement your breads, beat that!

Amuse Bouche of the day: Roast beef ham with tuna sauce

elaine's Amuse Bouche of the day: Crab vol-au-vent

Folly me misheard the waiter's speech on Roast BEEF ham and was about to stash that tiny spoon into my mouth when he came in the nick of time to hit STOP button.

"Mam you mentioned you couldn't take beef? Good thing i came on time! Let me get that changed for you."

Moments later a petite Crab vol-au-vent appeared. A dwarfly clump of mayonnaised crab in dry pastry case won't make the show, but the waiter's observance did. That was more worth crediting than any pre-meal teaser.

Greetings, Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio. Fresh fork-mashable scallop circles brilliantly revitalized by hues of green. The caviar and chive snippets played important flavoring roles, while the drizzle of arugula-infused olive oil imparted moisture.

Second on the menu was Foie Gras, now a common quintessential on modern European menus. Pan-roasted glossy, with grease cut by the additions of Chianti poached pears & a condorelli liquorice dressing. The friend loved it.

Delish scrambled egg with... 3 grams of white truffle!

I opted out of FG to take a virgin jump at white truffles, via their Scrambled Egg with Blue Swimmer Crab. Avoided some unctuousness but unspared from sinfulness.

I silently observed as Chef wheeled his cart over. He carefully placed the golden baby on a weighing scale, shaved several flakes atop my dish, returned the lump onto the scale, then graciously took his leave. Leaving behind exactly 3 grams of bliss.

Chef Michele's scrambled egg is chiefly cream+milk+butter doused into egg, then meticulously cooked to Lilliputian curds... hmmm maybe even over a bain marie. It is creamy decadent, made extra scrumptious with chunks of shell-less blue swimmer crab.

ALL HAIL THE ULTIMATE LOBSTER PASTA~

People who know me should know my predictability when it comes to pasta. I've pledged my undying love for tomato-based sauces paired with seafood, and how i would assess homemade pasta with strict criteria. For years i've eaten countless renditions; satisfied at times, disappointed many times. Recollections come & go.

But when i fed myself a twirl of Otto's Homemade Tagliolini with Boston Lobster, i thought... This might just be the best ever eaten. No, it IS the bestest ever eaten!

Gawd it's heaven-sent!

Delicate, perfectly consistent strands of fine tagliolini married with a marvellous light spicy tomato sauce and juicy lobster pieces laced all around. Total stunner. I'm so having one full plate next time round!

Our fish dish was lovely too. Its a piece of European John Dory Fillet cooked in fresh tomato & basil sauce, served with thyme scented zucchini. Those strands of curly cooked zucchini were amusing... slightly crunchy, resembling noodles or way better than noodles. All seated in a light, appetizing passata.

After winning over the bread-loving, pasta-loving, white truffle-loving & fish-lovingness in me, he went on to conquer the last, not-so-pork-loving heart of mine.

I'm not usually into suckling pigs, not even at festive reunions or wedding dinners, unless forcibly offered. But right at my table, i happily mopped up the two of Otto's Crispy Suckling Pig slices lacquered with black locust honey & aged balsamic. That really says something.

My partner decided to have the Prime Beef Ribeye, which was done medium well and laced with barolo wine reduction. Good enough to silence the beef-lover for minutes.

Because our set's dessert ran out, we were open to the full list of options. #1 restaurant's recommendation: a respectable Warm Chocolate Cake oozing cocoa richness and fluffy thick lava. pretty yums. The Haitian Vanilla icecream burst full vanilla tunes, particularly reeking of extract, decadent to the max.

Again i admit, i never was a Creme Brulee fan. Given a choice i'll usually pick up a panna cotta or tiramisu but Otto's Haitian Vanilla Creme Brulee is one not to be missed.

I'm utterly impressed by its awesome balancing act.... Rich yet not cloying. Creamy yet not over-creamy. Eggy yet nowhere near egg-intolerance... You'll instinctively dig up to the very end! Along came a cup of mixed berries cooked in vincotto (a sweet dark grape must) i also loved. These dark syrupy reductions are right up my alley.

Otto executes top-notch finesse and is the best, if not, one of the best modern italian food you can get on this island. To be sampling white truffles for the first time in my life, nestled atop those creamy egg plateau, was great pleasure indeed. Chef Michele splendidly closed my 2009 with another few best discoveries.

Totally Otto-fied.

Otto Ristorante
28 Maxwell Road
#01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building
6227 6819

Gordon Grill

Gordon was more than i thought.

Entering Gordon Grill clueless, expectation-less & assumption-less got me leaving positively pleased.

With 3 other food passionates, i embarked on the 3-course UOB Chef's Creation Series Lunch at $68++ for 2. Two knotty choices offered per course.

If you're cynical to why restaurants would serve a stuffing truck of bread, Gordon will enlighten you. Cos you definitely need a truckload to get enough of their bakehouse's virtues... one FULL truckload of it.

Among onion rolls, olive foccacia & brown bread slices, the first two were amazing breads to boot.

Onions & foccacia form my perfect configuration. But even when they're not merged as one, Gordon manages to form 2 impressive equations...

onion + roll = fragrant goodness

olive + foccacia = cushiony goodness

There's no reason to resist Gordon's toasted onion rolls with nice clingy innards and prevalent delightful fragrance. Then sink into an olive foccacia... whooooo i was totally wowed by its incredibly soft & fine nature! Only olive bits to view, no olive pungency to kill. Excellent stuffs worth every pre-meal calorie.

onion seconds!

Cold japanese pasta, salmon confit, caviar & white truffle oil

Hokkaido scallops, pork belly & black truffle vinaigrette

See why i say knotty?

The appetizer choices got me jammed in see-saw midpoint... One's salmon, one's scallops. One's white truffle, one's black truffle. I'm stuck.

After a long mental fight, i tippled towards Hokkaido Scallops. No regrets. A tender cushy pair, sheltered by black truffle leaves and moreish apple puree nulled the salmon-loss. The only component i couldn't link was the pork belly carpet.

Roasted turkey supreme w chestnut ballotine

Mains was a straight-forward leap. Roasted Turkey for me.

Unfortunately, glitters vanished this round. The three meagre turkey slices served with mandatories of winter vegetables, brown giblet gravy & cranberry jam performed normal at best. And i cringed at that whammy chestnut ballotine.

Grilled beef tenderloin & braised cheek

Contrastingly, the beefers fell head-over-heels for their Grilled Beef Tenderloin. This is indeed a door-stopper. It's got one thick tenderloin steak AND braised beef cheek beautifully cooked & generously capped with bordeleise sauce.

For a lunch dish, the portion is unbelievably generous.

Chestnut Creme Brulee

Luck was with them as their swooning stretched over to the Chestnut Creme Brulee. Bearing festive notes of eggy custard, chestnut chunks and an OMG kickass whisky vanilla icecream dotted with strawberry cubes, this dessert spelt c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-i-o-n.

Rhubarb trifle & vanilla sugar donut

But nothing compares to berry-magnificence in my eyes.

My feminine Rhubarb Trifle featured 3 tiers of delight; a slightly tart yogurt-ish cream, chunky strawberry mousse and strawberry jelly base. Shovel them all with the icy strawberry granite shavings and devour.... Berriliciously delish with no hint of artificiality!

Just close an eye about that dry sugar-coated donut ball and this becomes a bullseye dessert, especially for the ladies.

Lovely company and a lovely lunch. Gordon is an elegant hunk.

Gordon Grill

22 Scotts Road

Goodwood Park Hotel

6730 1744