Joie Restaurant (Orchard Central)

Part of 6 Course Dinner menu $78++ Mon- Thurs, $88++ Fri-Sun/PH/PH’s Eve

Picking something light and refreshing to end the meal. The poached pear may not come with strong alcoholic kicks, but still pretty nice. Lime sorbet was a tad overpowering here, so I suggest having them separately. Nothing to shout about but still enjoying it.

Love how on point the truffle flavour and fragrant turns out- probably because they’re using black truffle instead of truffle-infused oil. Rice could have more bites, but still decent. Japanese croquette is surprisingly good— creamy and sweet. I also enjoy the edamame more than I thought I would. It definitely adds some crunchiness to the soft texture of the rice grains and croquette.

The salmon sashimi is similar to what I had for the appetizer, which, then again, was pretty impressive. While the sliced coconut (middle) was mediocre and underwhelming, the rest of the items are interesting. My favourite is the right-most item: huai san (waiter said it was bamboo shoot tho). Regardless, the sliced huai san came with slight crunchiness and savoury-tangy kick that is very appetising. The red jelly on the back was aloe vera immersed in what I guess was rose syrup— a refreshing break from other savoury flavour. Oyster leaf shot was another bold flavour that I love, letting me forget that it’s not even oyster to begin with!

Slowly braised Bailing mushroom served with some Japanese style paper hotpot albeit its flavour leaning more towards Chinese cuisine. Was told to slice the mushroom so it can slowly soak up the sauce, but it’s pretty tricky to do that on a paper hot pot. Nothing to shout about but still enjoy the simple, honest flavour from the mushroom and sauce.

Chef’s selection assorted platter consisted of seaweed cracker (left), “salmon sashimi” (middle), and a droplet of berry (right). Seaweed cracker left the least impression on me, though it’s undoubtedly crispy. Salmon sashimi was an eye-opener because the texture and colour were pretty similar, thanks to the combination of konjac and carrot. My favourite of the lot is the droplet of berry. Nothing surprising, but loves the tangy burst of berry.