I thought this was an aesthetic way of presenting the traditional Red Bean Pancake, which was a pan-fried pastry with red bean fillings and sesame seed sprinkled over the pastry skin.

But in this S$14.80 version, the pastry skin was not as flaky as most of those that other restaurants would serve. To make up for that, there was a scoop of caramel ice cream with icing sugar, edible flowers and honey drizzle to elevate the dish.

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I would self-proclaim as a fan of Haidilao’s tomato soup base, so I assumed that the broth of the Tomato Beef Noodle (S$11.90) would be flavourful.

Sad to say, I was not impressed with the diluted soup, even if I could help myself at the complimentary condiment bar. Though it was also true that one could redeem a free ice cream cone from the token-operated soft serve machine, the “novelty” was long taken up by a few other eateries. With this price tag, I felt I could have a better meal elsewhere within the mall.

Chef Jay did not spare his creativity in the desserts section, as this Parfait, though plated, was impressive!

The main ingredients comprised porcini mushrooms, Miso, sesame and pear. Imagine the savoury and earthy notes in a dessert, yet balanced with the sweetness from the ice cream and the thinly-sliced pear.

One would not end the meal with a flat, sweet note. Instead, this could still be the ticket to another glass of white wine, if I might suggest.

For the mains, I really was quite fascinated by the Red Snapper which was prepared with Laksa Rempah and drizzled with coconut cream (sounds very “lemak” already!). The fresh fillet held the flavours really well and the “dry Laksa” gave the protein adequate levels of spice.

The pomelo salad that accompanied the dish was mixed with some dill, which provided citric, refreshing yet herbal notes to the main course.

In terms of the presentation, this felt close to my heart as the Western plating had integrated local flavours.

Chef Jay of the former Cheek restaurant had started offering his tasting menu at this restaurant at Thye Hong Centre, featuring some of his creations in an elegant setting.

And I would definitely go for this Scallop appetiser, featuring a seared juicy Hokkaido scallop with green goddess sauce, cream stracciatella and colourful heirloom tomatoes. Every component was tasty on its own, yet they complemented each other well without any overpowering. This would be a great start to a wonderful meal.

Other than fresh fruit cakes, I was really surprised that Châteraisé also offered this Caramel Pudding Cake, made with layers of sponge cake and cream, with a layer of egg pudding and a beautiful coating of caramel on top.

Enough said about their cream cakes which was light yet decadent. What was beautiful about this cake was the perfect notes of mild bitterness from the caramel layer. Fancy an egg pudding in the form of a cake? This might be the answer, and it was quite affordable as well!

For those who loved the Teochew dessert, this Orh Nee Tart (S$9.20) should be something deserving in one’s bucket list. One thing for sure, the yam paste was made from scratch, so I could feel the bits of yam within the taste of creaminess.

This might be the best year when croissants were made into different shapes and sizes, so turning it into a cube was not too big a surprise. But when the croissant was turned into a cube and injected with Mentaiko and Tobiko cheese filling before topping with mozzarella cheese, this S$6.80 pastry became a cute-portioned savoury item that was perfect as an afternoon snack.

The Grilled Calamari (S$32.00) was a skewer of calamari rings that was laid on top of a spicy Romesco sauce which was very well-seasoned.

Although the grilling was on point, without overcooking the seafood for sure, I would say that this was more suitable as a Tapas to go with drinks. Considering the price of the dish, it was definitely not what I would look for if this would be shared at the table.

Chicken wings tossed in Buffalo sauce, going at S$14.00 for 6 pieces, was the best appetiser in my opinion. The spiciness of the Buffalo sauce went well with the blue cheese ranch sauce.

For the best experience, remember to use the wet wipes they provided to clean your fingers first. The best way to enjoy the wings would be to use your bare hands, so you could savour the yumminess on the fingers afterwards.

It was not far-fetched to complain about 5 pieces of pork dumplings to cost S$10.80, especially if the fillings were mostly made with pork and mushroom. Despite the dumplings were made really plump, I was disappointed with the tough dumpling skin.

That said, I must compliment them for making really crispy fried batter that was not just aesthetically pleasing, but also good for dipping into their black vinegar and the shrimp chilli paste.

An appetiser that was delicious and savoury for mushroom lovers for sure, this Salt & Pepper Oyster Mushroom (S$6.80) was very crispy but did not feel oily at all.

Unlike the photograph in the menu, this dish seemed to have left the oyster mushrooms much in its original form. I was not sure if the intention was to keep the mushrooms moist, but having them in strips might have been more apt if I would want to take my time to savour this dish.