Fine Dining

How German chef Benjamin Halat managed to capture the essence of authentic sushi yet add his own touch in this sophisticated single bite that almost resembles a work of art is beyond impressive. And this is just an amuse bouche!

The delicate flavours of smoked eel and cured trout are allowed to shine, sheathed only in gossamer paper daikon, and crowned with fennel flowers tethered by a drop of eel bone emulsion.

Taste: 4.5/5

This grown up version of a childhood favourite doesn’t merely recreate the flavour of a Snickers bar, it elevates it and makes it so much better. When eaten together, the milky dulce ice cream, decadent dark chocolate and rich, almost caramel-like peanut butter mousse tastes like your familiar supermarket chocolate bar, albeit tenfold more luxurious and sinful. A smaller portion would perhaps be just as indulgent and not as belly busting.

Taste: 3.5/5

After all the rich food, this refreshing sherbert was the perfect palate cleanser. I normally don’t like the intense floral sweetness of elderflower flavoured food and beverage, but this elderflower cream was well-balanced and complimented the grassy notes of the iced confectionery.

Taste: 3.5/5

Expect nothing less than sheer perfection from the highest quality Wagyu steak – rosy, tender meat accentuated with a concentrated jus. The sides were no slouches either, with melt-in-your-mouth braised Japanese beef cheek hidden under a plume of salty chorizo fumet and multi-layered folds of zucchini.

Taste: 3.5/5

Japanese ingredients married with European technique is a common theme across many of chef Benjamin Halat's dishes, and to his credit, usually executed with much success. The Hokkaido scallop is succulent and naturally sweet, draped with a whisper thin slice of pork terrine for a subtle touch of unctuousness, and while unusual, the sauerkraut works in lending acid and texture to the comparatively mild tasting and soft scallop. As for the parsley oil sauce, let's just say I tried but failed miserably to mop up every last drop with slices of scallop.

Taste: 3.5/5

Experience a small yet essential part of chef Ben’s childhood – a famous German herb lemonade brewed from 38 herbs, spices, flowers and berries, made all the more special because only the finest ingredients were carefully handpicked, dried and sent over to Singapore by his family. Sweet, herbal and slightly fizzy, it served as an ideal refresher and palate cleanser before our main course.

Taste: 3.5/5

A marvel of structure, form and striking colour, Curate’s signature egg souffle is as pleasing to admire as it is to eat. The real surprise lies within its cloud-like exterior – a golden egg yolk practically begging for you to unleash a molten flow of umami into the surrounding moat of tart and luscious Franfurter grüne sauce, itself made of hardboiled eggs, 7 herbs, mustard and sour cream. It goes without saying the kaluga queen caviar is amazing, but dig deeper(right to the bottom) and you’ll find the mother lode of crisp potatoes which pair perfectly with that awesome sauce.

Taste: 4/5

Or “Bread Time” in German. Chef Halat proudly showcases his heritage with this traditional snack, replete with quality housemade bread and pickles, cold cuts the likes of speck and salami, and my favourite – schmaltz(aka spreadable lard). There’s even miniature radlers with lemon foam. Adorable.

Taste: 3.5/5

Perched on the faultlessly pan-seared perch was a thin layer of pike roe that I felt was nice but unnecessary, given the already rich and buttery smoked beurre blanc that was all the accompaniment the fish needed.

Taste: 3.5/5

At first glance the plush slices of thick-cut brioche seemed rather out of place next to the other plate, but it all made sense once we realised that glossy half sphere at the forefront was a wondrously rich foie gras pate meant to be slathered liberally on said toast. Elsewhere, the langoustine tartare with hazelnut dressing and fresh langoustine cloaked in an effervescent yet concentrated crustacean foam were spot on, though the cohesiveness of the dish was in question.

Taste: 3.5/5

I daresay the numerous bite-sized snacks came close to rivalling the actual courses at CURATE, with the first amuse bouche of flavoursome steak tartare and oscietra caviar on a bed of umami consomme jelly completely blowing my expectations out of the water, especially so with the incredible perfection of that crisp potato swirl and the balanced yet punchy bite of warm horse radish sauce served tableside.

Taste: 4.5/5

Petit fours are often an afterthought, not so at Preludio. Amongst the others, these macarons rival those from Laduree and stood out by being perfectly crafted and suffused with the aroma of truffle.

Taste: 4/5