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

Tetsu

This young local-born is a gem.

For those who haven't already knew, Tetsu is an authentic kushi-style Tempura and Tonkatsu restaurant burrowed in a corner of upscale Tanglin Mall. I had a go at their newly expanded menu and was taken in by the pleasant intricacy executed. Eating is believing.

Pufferfish for my first time ever. I found myself hooked to the Fugu Mirin Boshi ($10)- dried puffer fish strips 100% safe for consumption. Akin to a softer, classier bahkwa minus the fats and grease (im big on bah kwa you see..).

The Kani Tofu ($8) surprised me with its affablity. Im not a century-egg eater but this crabmeat in tofu, smeared with harmless century egg spread, more century egg bits & ebikko studs displayed some plausible innovation.

Sashimi Moriawase ($55) was a luxurious showdown. A tasteful selection of sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), tako (octopus), ikura (salmon roe), shrimps, and paper-thin tai usutsukuri (red snapper) served with ponzu sauce. Stunning presentation. The ikura was ultra sweet, maguro tender... but salmon could have been better more obese.

Tetsu's Tempura Moriawase ($15) however, did not quite shine. Crispy yes. Fresh shrimps yes. Just the slightly starchy batter impairing its goodness. Their Gindara Saikyotsuke ($18.50)- miso codfish, came with beautifully charred edges that spells g-o-o-d... except too lean for its breed (oh no i think my threshold for slippery fats is dangerously soaring!)

Ahh i enjoyed the richness of Ebi Mentaiko ($6.80 under promotion). The prawn benefitted much from its creamy codroe blanket and grilled to a melty shiokness.

Only one of us had the pleasure of tasting Yaki Niku ($18.50). Beef tenderloin soaked in sauce- the restaurant's recommendation for beef lovers. That one fortunate beef-ivore.

Sake & Ikura Don ($22). The familiar salmon and delectable (sweet!) salmon roe spread over sushi rice. Miso soup included.

Tetsu's signature Katsu Curry Rice ($16.50) featured a sizeably thick pork loin cutlet swarmed in warm japanese curry. Smooth, comforting curry that's far less overwhelming than the indian forerunners.

Rachael mentioned about customers revisting specially for this Hiyashi Udon ($6.80). Don't expect your regular noodles here. The cold udon is one-of-a-kind, noticeably less opaque and bore a chewy resistive bite.

Our tasting rounded up with some of their bestselling icecreams. Jiakasei Goma icecream ($4) fragrant with black sesame seeds and biteable bits of them indeed! Maccha icecream with azuki & shiratama ($4.80) milky and reeeaaally sweet. Liked the Yuzu icecream on Strawberry Sherbet best... a subtle fruit pairing to refresh the tastebuds. Yuzu works for any after-meal occasion.

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Enjoyed my dinner greatly. Now given a choice between Sushi Tei and all other comparables, my vote goes to Tetsu for their chef's sincere pursuit of refinement. Commendable service as well.

My special thanks to Rachael from B.E.A.M Consultant, Tetsu & Alex for the invitation and making this tasting possible.

Tetsu
163 Tanglin Road
#03-18 Tanglin Mall
6836 3112

Crab Extravaganza, Ellenborough Market Cafe

If you are hankering for this particular crustacean, Ellenborough Market Cafe's current Crab Temptations will keep your mouths (and hands) busy. The Ultimate Crab buffet dinner from 25 June to 12 July 2009 features crab, crab & more crabs alongside with their international, peranakan & local spread.

Salad of Hokkaido Crabmeat with Apple & Walnut

Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat

Crab Risotto

Crabmeat Fried Rice w Asparagus & Flying Fish Roe

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Couple of shortcomings aside, the appetisers contained fairly generous inclusions of crab meat to boot. What took centrestage was the real deal...4 enticing variations of crab which decently impressed. None was excluded from spice, but every dish bore its own distinct traits and flavours. Nonya Curry Crab whirled past like a marsala-injected fusion, Fragrant Thai Sauce Crab a unique execution perked up by basil oil, & Black Pepper Sri Lankan Crab dutifully releasing potent peppercorns. The Wok-fried Chilli Crab also debilitated my assumptions of fiery chilli- here's one sweet gravy surprisingly milder than the others.

Unfortunately more flaws than fancies were garnered for the rice dishes. The Crabmeat Fried Rice needed to tone down, whilst a weak stock was simply inadequate to uplift their overcooked Crab Risotto grains.

A crab feast cannot go without my favourite Man Tous. Deepfried to an even golden brown, i was glad Ellenborough's MTs soaked hardly any squirm of grease. Scaled down too for buffet-inclined reasons.

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It's always wise to halt before the crab-aphobia invades...and move on to freshen our earlier passive sweet-tooth. Their signature Durian Pengat is a perennial mainstay, or the row of assorted tongshuis many locals would fancy. While the rest cozied up on those, i filled my plate with western slices- a Pistachio Cheesecake dotted with real nut nibs & a reliable Bread & Butter Pudding, drizzled with bean-less vanilla sauce but nevertheless yummy. The other unsuspecting triangle was later identified to be Durian Cheesecake and so, instantly rejected to a side. Durian's not my thing.

And THEN came these friendly green bolters that drew the big bang finale. I was never a fan of peranakan or nonya food and would instinctively skip the cultural components (esp desserts) at buffets. Never would i imagine myself to glow upon a Kueh Dadah like a kid-sees-lollipop reaction! When you have it fresh and warm, it makes a whole world of difference.

Bestow on Chef Ivy's prized dessert, where your teeth sinks into porous, gently browned skins that relently subdues to pressure... stretching apart & freeing moist coconut shards simmered with gula melaka. *sudden serotonin rush and my hand reaches out for another.

For once i proclaim, i'm loving a peranakan kueh.

Note: Portions pictured are designed for a tasting session and may differ from the actual buffet spread. My sincere thanks to Sok Hoon & Yvonne, marketing communication managers of Swissotel Merchant Court for their kind hosting.

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Ultimate Crab Buffet is available for dinner daily from 25 June to 12 July. Priced at $46++ per adult, $23++ per child.

Ellenborough Market Cafe

Lobby Level, Swissotel Merchant Court

20 Merchant Road

6239 1848