European Eats

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What a difference time makes.
Right at the beginning, within the first couple of days of Chef-owner Richard Vvan Oostenbrugge’s restaurant opening, I had my first meal there, and had left feeling a tad perplexed by a couple of the courses. My second visit a few days ago, barely 48 hours after they got awarded One MICHELIN Star, fared much better. And not because it was a 4-hands with Chef-owner Thomas Van Santvoort of Restaurant Flicka in Netherlands either, although it was wonderful to have the opportunity to taste his cooking.
I personally feel the food by the Table65 team has improved a lot across the board. Every course was impeccable in terms of presentation, seasoning, balance in flavour, and hence, the much tastier results. The dishes I wasn’t sure about previously were almost unrecognisable to me which indicates the progression.
From the many courses that came my way at this 4-hands event, what I loved most were Table65‘s signature snack of pompano, coconut and combova, dill and calamansi (so vibrant an appetite-awakener), Flicka’s turbot with mace, shallot and smoked butter, and Table65’s beluga caviar-topped “bone marrow” with veal tartare (I was struck hard by how good it has become, to be frank).
The desserts by Pastry Chef Jurgis have always impressed, even from my first meal at this restaurant. This time, apart from the iconic “Apple”, he prepared for us a light-as-air marvelousness of yogurt calamansi ice-cream, salad of virgin olive oil-dressed blood orange, lemon and rose water crowned with a voluptuous bloom of blood orange foam and a sprinkle of crushed frozen rose petals. It was pure romance in dessert form and it tasted divine.
I highly recommend kicking off your evenings here with a concoction by Bar Manager Lilli If you like Pina Colada, do tell her because she makes a fabulous version.
And if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to speak to Kevin the Restaurant Manager or his team. They helped me obtain a portable charger when I needed one.

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Since he joined at the end of April from La Brezza at the St. Regis Singapore, Executive Chef Armando Aristarco has been busy. Under his watch, the quietly elegant European restaurant at the Grand Park City Hall seems to have become imbued with some of his irrepressible verve. Or at least, that is what comes through for me in his food.
Every meal here is bookended by trolleys - of housemade breads (4 kinds are served at any one time with butter that’s also churned in-house) and desserts (Pastry Chef Ambu ensures it is a buffet on wheels) that you can choose to have as much of whatever you like from.
At our lunch, a delicious bite of lobster with burrata was served to tease our palates. From the appetisers that followed, I found the 62-degree egg with aged Parmesan-Reggiano fondue, asparagus and truffle, the loveliest ($28++). Tied in second place, the fresh Hokkaido Scallops with cucumber and juicy Beef Tataki with pumpkin ($20++ each).
Being Italian, Chef Armando’s carbs are, not surprisingly, a force to be reckoned with. His Carnaroli Risotto, a pot of flavourful chewy grains with duck, foie gras and cauliflower, was immensely rich and flavourful ($38++). I was so infatuated with his simple but fabulous Fresh Fettuccine I posted about it practically on-the-spot. Seriously, everyone at the table couldn’t get enough of that pasta dressed in sage butter and truffle either ($38++).
Chef’s proteins were enjoyable as well as evidenced by the short work we made of the crispy-skinned Organic Spring Chicken and the Josper-grilled Iberico Pork.
We grazed across a few desserts as lunch drew to a close. Although I could appreciate the charms of the Champagne Jelly with berries and Chocolate Soufflé, it was the Raspberry and Coconut Crumble that my spoon kept gravitating towards again and again.

Besides the a la carte menu, Chef Armando also offers a Business Set Lunch (3-course: $42++, 4-course: $49++) and a 5-course Degustation at $88++.

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Think of this as a seafood version of the classic Shepherd’s Pie. Under all that prettily-piped potato and gruyere mash are big pieces of smoked haddock, salmon, cod, boiled eggs and prawns. It’s got a bit of broth at the bottom so it is not a dry.
One thing you should note, the serving size for this is really big. Honestly, I feel it can easily be shared by two or three people.

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So good I feel compelled to get it out there ASAP.
Executive Chef Armando who joined the restaurant at the end of April, is Italian, so you know his pasta is bound to be of a high standard. True enough, this plate of fresh fettuccine he brought out as an additional item after serving the pre-arranged menu was a stealer of hearts.
Made in house but of course, the ribbons of egg pasta were perfectly al dente and coated with just the right amount of a luscious sage butter sauce. The dish had only one other ingredient - shaved black truffle. But it was enough for the table of us to sing its praises with our mouths full.

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Believe it or not, this was my first time dining at One MICHELIN Starred “Jaan by Kirk”. My friend Annette and I were seated a corner table and had our eyes treated to jaw-dropping views from this up-in-the-sky restaurant as we partook of the new Summer Menu for lunch.
Solidified around the concept of #ReinventingBritish, Executive Chef Kirk’s food has a major case of acute tastiness which I should warn you, can trigger heart palpitations right off the bat. I felt it myself, particularly with the “fish and chips” and Devonshire cheddar buckwheat pancake, two of the four exquisite snacks that flagged off our meal.
Sourcing wherever possible from his place of birth - Devonshire, England, Chef Kirk’s culinary creations are as imaginative, beautifully articulated and satisfying as the best stories. Each course had an opening that drew me in and content that had me transfixed till the end. Which was what happened with the Roast Potato Soup served with a Mini Loaf, the Summer Beans Salad - a texturally-fun fest of different beans, English peas, Prosciutto ham, quinoa and parmesan cream prettied up by flowers from Jaan’s garden on level 5 of the Swissotel Stamford Hotel, and again, with the irrepressibly bouncy-of-flesh Scottish Langoustine tempered by a Baby Courgette.
Just as enthralling to me were the poached snapper in a English pea and mussel sauce, and the smoky Wagyu the team had substituted the original stated course of Salt Marsh Lamb Loin for. I did sneak a bite of the Shepherd’s Pie, the second half of that from Annette and thought it was really good, not at all gamey.
The picturesque palate cleanser with its mini bottle of cherry liqueur was inspired by picnics in the park. I loved how it dazzled with refreshing brightness from different sorbets and citrus-based elements.
As for the strawberry dessert, I was so well and truly charmed I plan to devote a post to it.

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I find the new menu at the elegant Preludio to bounce, propelled by sweetness surfacing in a few of the courses, starting with the snack of chicken liver macaron with wild cherries and black truffle.
From the world’s biggest lagoon comes the next delicacy, the Obsiblue prawn. Having been vacuumed and steamed for a “marbled” effect, it is almost unrecognisable as a crustacean but tastes really good with chorizo and hazelnuts.
Earning my vote for the most fun dishes are the “Deadliest Catch”, a crab salad decked out in grilled piquillo peppers, avocado mousse, coconut jelly and corn sorbet, and “Make It Pop”, the coffee-glazed foie gras terrine that dares to play dress-up with passionfruit spheres, smoked olive oil powder, popping candy and a splash of @rachelletherabbit mead.
Following that, a course I liked a lot, the lightly-cooked Nantucket scallop on velvety salted corn cream inked with black garlic sauce.
Two of the three savoury courses which arrive after this were familiar to me as they have been on the menu since Preludio opened. Executive Chef Fernando explained that the “La Cortina” - butternut squash and amaretto agnolotti topped with Parmesan sauce, almond snow and 25-year-aged balsamic vinegar, and “Pata Negra” - the glazed Iberico pork with apple and white carrot purée, datterini tomatoes and mizuna, have become so popular he has kept them on the menu. Daring but enjoyable is how I would describe “Aneo”, the course presented between those two. Served in a prawn broth with white chocolate drops, the Patagonian toothfish has “scales” of thinly shaved almonds and macadamia.
The menu ends off with two divine creations by Pastry Chef Elena. First, an exquisite take on the “Strawberry Milkshake”. I love the crisp white chocolate layered with strawberry and vanilla, accompanied by milk ice-cream. The second is “Alba” - a sublime combo of stout cake, cherries, hazelnut, plum, black winter truffle and hazelnut ice-cream.
As lovely as the alcohol-pairing is (expect the likes of natural wines, sake and Spanish port), teetotallers can have a field day too as the non-alcoholic pairing is fueled with marvelous concoctions such as sparkling yuzu with ginger, pineapple kombucha and an earl grey-coffee with muddled cherries, preserved lemon and pop rocks.

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French Master Chef Roland Durand was in Singapore to share his style of classic French bistronomy for 3 nights - 18th to 20th June, at @ginettsingapore. At the dinner organised for the media, we had the opportunity to taste all of the courses he had created for the already-sold-out event (I’m pretty sure his fame as the chef-patron of Michelin-starred Le Passiflore in Paris may have something to do with that).
The dishes displayed above (swipe for the others) were the ones I liked most. The first two are his desserts, the “Sablé Aux Fraises Et À La Rhubarbe” – a crisp buttery biscuit base embellished with strawberry, rhubarb and orange coulis; the second, the “Le Merveilleux Riz Au Lait A L’angelique De Roland Durand” – Chef Durand’s signature rice pudding whipped up with angelica and dressed with almond milk and pumpkin marmalade. Although I was feeling full and sleepy by this point in the meal, I couldn’t help but scrape my plates clean.
What I enjoyed a lot as well was one of Chef Durand’s appetisers, the “Ravioles D’escargots” which featured #escargot wrapped in fine, handmade pasta and cooked in a delectable broth of sweet garlic and fresh herbs.

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Housed in an old black and white bungalow amidst the lush greenery of Rochester Park is a microbrewery that has its roots in Thailand and Russia. This very spacious joint (according to owner Sergei, it is suitable for events as their venue can seat up to 500 people) serves a large variety of beer brewed right on their premises by Angelo. It was fascinating to hear him share so passionately about the science and the process when we visited last night.
To pair with the beer, the food items I enjoyed the most were the Chicken Wings (they‘re very crunchy and surprisingly spicy) and the Crispy German Pork Knuckle. Both, a match made in heaven with beer. Shown above is the latter, a massive serving suitable for 2 to 4 people depending on how hungry everyone is, was really very good. Having been brined for seven days, the meat tasted tender, moist and very flavourful through and through. But the extremely crunchy skin was what I loved most. It was addictively salty but stopped short of being too much. The sauerkraut and mashed potato served alongside were faultless too.

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I was really happy to see @bibikgourmand include “Basque Kitchen by Aitor” in her “14 Hottest New Restaurants” article for Eater.com.
Having enjoyed Chef Aitor’s cooking since his days at one Michelin starred Iggy’s and subsequently, here at his own restaurant, I love how he has opened my eyes and appetite for Basque cuisine interpreted in his modern style. With the new year, he is really bringing it on by introducing a new menu.
I reckon the best way to experience his vision for 2019 is to order the tasting menu (5-course lunch: $98++, 8-course dinner: $135++). There will be a few lovingly prepared, exquisite snacks to kick off your meal after which a parade of more substantial, delectable courses will come your way, with fresh seafood, seasonal produce and Basque specialties, such as the Kokotxas or hake fish chins, the focus.
Our hosted lunch was curated by Chef Aitor. To say he fed us well would be quite an understatement because there was a Turbot and a Txuleta (T-bone steak), both huge, for the three of us to share as well. These were cooked on Chef’s new charcoal grill, then served in completely different ways. While the steak was lavished in a demi glace sauce then buried in very finely grated black truffle, the fish was served simply in a sauce made with garlic and its own collagen-rich skin. Both were outstanding. Do note the Turbot isn’t officially launched yet but should be available later this month. It will also require about a week’s advance notice due to the limited supply.
Pastry Chef Ange may have created a pretty and pleasantly enjoyable “Cherries and Chocolate” with pickled cherries, cherry coconut foam and chocolate mousse. But in all honesty, I was drawn more to the rustic Basque-inspired dessert of goat’s milk curd with Australian honeycomb and honey. Basic it may sound but incredibly delicious it certainly was.

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What’s better than a big, juicy piece of charcoal-grilled steak?
One that has a demi-glacé poured over it followed by oodles and oodles of finely shaved black truffle.
Carnivores will find the sight of the medium-rare pink of this “Txuleta” (it is pronounced as “chu-let-ah” and means T-bone in the Basque language) contrasted with the dark glossy sauce and matte shagginess of the truffle, most bewitching.
Chef-owner Aitor reckons one serving of this bone-in beef can feed 3 to 4 people, depending on what else has been ordered and how hungry everyone is. So now you have another option for when the need for meat hits.

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Chef-owner Aitor showed us what he can do with his new toy. The huge charcoal grill’s ferocious heat does wonders in bringing out the best in quality ingredients, like this massive turbot which was one of the courses served today. The first bits to crackle and pop were the fins but by the time the fish was deemed ready, its entire skin was really quite crisp.
After Chef removed it from the wire holder, he poured on a viscous sauce, made using the collagen-rich fish skin and garlic, then deftly sectioned the #turbot up for us to enjoy.
Sounds simple but with something so naturally flavourful, there‘s no need for anything else.

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All the desserts at the spanking new @restaurant.table65 seem to have a certain wow factor.
Led by Pastry Chef Jurgis (Instagram: @herbs.n.spices) who has worked with owner-chef Richard (@rvanoostenbrugge) for years in Amsterdam, the team dazzled us during the media tasting with not one but three desserts. One of them is this “Chocolate Balloon” which opens up neatly like a flower blooming, once the hot chocolate is poured over it.
Lest you think it is purely eye candy (pun intended), let me assure you the beauty here is more than skin deep. The dark chocolate which forms the balloon, is elegance on the palate, and happens to pair exceedingly well with the savoury elements of miso and ice-cream hidden inside.