After many festive meals with family and friends in the Lunar New Year holidays, it is good to have a change, to enjoy a nice western dining at a quiet and comfortable ambience, so we come to this Michelin 1-star restaurant, located in Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Seated at the spacious, cozy leather banquette looking into the kitchen area, the familiarity from the dim lighting, soft music, and the team of neatly dressed servers brought back good memories of my last visit, which was almost six years ago.
We decided to order the 4-Course ($1,688) and 3-Course ($1,388) Menu instead of the Chef Experience Tasting Menu. The amuse bouche is Taro Taco, with a crunchy taco shell. Inside are some diced scallops, marinated well and added some chives to enhance flavours, plus an avocado puree. A nice canape.
For my first course, I have a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs ($248) to pair with Signature Caviar Tin ($380 addition). Served in a caviar tin, under the generous portion of Royal Cristal Caviar are some Alaskan King Crab salad, mixed with Ratte Potato and Leek. On the side are the Cauliflower puree and Squid Ink, presented in a nice contrast of alternate white and black colour. Very delicious.
My wife has the Japanese Hokkaido Scallop, with the lightly seared scallop on top of creamy Saffron Risotto, as well as some Fermented Black Garlic puree and Lime to give additional flavours and acidity to balance the rich risotto.
For my second course, I have a glass of Powell & Son Roussanne Marsanne ($220) to pair with Vitello Tonnato. The Glazed Veal Sweetbread has a wonderful texture. The Yellow Fin Tuna is thick in the cut, seared on one side while leaving the other raw to retain a pleasant, soft bite. The sauce is great in taste, and with some Parsley and Roasted Capers as condiment, the Nasturtium leaves serve not just to decorate but also giving a bit of mild peppery note. The anchovy puree further enhances the overall enjoyment with a nice savoury taste. Very good.
For the third course I have a glass of Goulee by Cos d’Estournel ($298) to pair with US WBI Prime Striploin 10oz. The beef has been grilled nicely, caramelized on the surface while cooked medium rare. With some shallot, roasted kale, and black garlic butter to go with the steak, I have chosen the jus for the sauce, which is flavourful. The Grilled Vegetable on the side includes baby carrot, beetroot, and white asparagus. There is a bit of tendon on the steak making it a bit rubbery on texture at one end, but minus that small piece the quality of the steak overall is quite good.
My wife has the Grilled MSC Certified Dover Sole, with the server helping to debone the fish on tableside. Beautifully grilled on the outside but still moist and tender on the flesh, the fish is paired with a lemon butter sauce with chives to give a bit of acidity and rich buttery note.
For dessert I have Gingerbread Souffle with Cranberry Ice-cream. The souffle has the perfect rise, with the nice gingerbread aromas permeating on the gooey and sweet filling. The cranberry ice-cream has a nice sourness to make the whole dessert lively and helps to balance the sweetness of the souffle to perfection. A nice one.
My wife has the Seasonal Fruit Platter, including fig, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, pineapple, melon, and dragon fruit, together with Raspberry Sorbet. Refreshing and the vibrant colour is tempting.
The Petits Fours include Caramel Crisp, Chocolate Bar, and Strawberry Puff, presented beautifully in a three-layer container. A rewarding finale to go with a cup of Double Espresso on the house.
Service is very good, but I hope the servers can explain more the dishes to us. Total bill is $4,752 which is reasonable in my opinion. A good place to enjoy a nice meal, and even though it is set menu, there are a wide range of choices that can meet everyone’s preference, but the caviar tin is still my recommendation.
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