Archive for category Food
Review – Iggy’s, Singapore
We heard a lot about this place and it has an interesting story. The restaurant is named after its founder, award-winning Sommelier and restaurateur Igantius Chan. His dream of opening his own restaurant was realized in 2004 and ever since, the cuisine has been based on his favorite travel and dining experiences. There is no head chef here, but rather a culinary team that creates the masterpieces good enough to earn them a second place in Miele’s 2009/2010 Guide and #45 in The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. No doubt, we had high expectations for our dinner.
We booked the counter seating at this restaurant and it is worth requesting as its open counter like atmosphere is very different. The L-shaped counter seats 13 and it felt like eating at a sushi bar. Not quite an open kitchen, but a narrow glass opening gave us a good view of all the action inside.
There were only two choices for the fixed menu – take it or leave it. No à la carte and we were just presented with an eight course menu. However, they did try to accommodate and asked us if there was anything on the menu that we didn’t eat. We chose a bottle of wine to go well with all the courses, and went for a Burgundy – Domaine Arlaud 2004 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. A very good choice.
The amuse bouche looked like just a bowl full of foam (coriander actually). Underneath was something crunchy and it turned out to be pan fried shirako (cod fish sperm sac)! Well, not bad – surprisingly spicy and it helped wake up our palates.
Thin raw slices of Hirame (flounder) were mixed with burrata cheese, tomatoes and avocado. A good refreshing start to our gastronomic journey. The White Asparagus that followed was covered with a strong sauce (from duck, rocket leaves, Parmesan cheese and truffle) that slightly over powered the freshness of the asparagus. The Kokotxas (cod cheeks) reminded us of Chinese steamed fish with black beans; nevertheless the fish was very soft and ‘slimy’ in a positive sense. The highlight of the evening was the Lobster that was served with spaghettini in tomato and basil sauce…very fresh. The next dish was called Egg. Need we say more? Poached and mixed with white truffle powder, poultry jus and deep fried chicken skin, the combination was amazing. After R finished taking the photo, C had almost finished the dish! But this time, R was not far behind and both were gone very quickly. The main course was the Pigeon, which was unfortunately only so so. Nothing bad, but nothing great. However, the presentation with the pea purée created a work of art.
The pre-dessert was a Sweet and Sour. The strawberry sorbet and meringue was to cleanse our palates for the dessert. The name for the dessert, Soil, sounded a bit weird…and it was. It kind of reminded us of the “Soil” from the Krug Room. In this case, the soil was coffee and walnut powder mixed together. Served with banana and walnut ice cream, it was an interesting combination.
The petit fours was actually the best. A marshmallow covered with fine peanut powder. Yummy. A good end to an enjoyable dinner.
Maybe it’s always better to not read too much in the reviews and rankings. High expectations may not be a good thing. But it’s always best to try for ourselves.
– 17/20
Iggy’s
The Regent Singapore
Level 3
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
T: +65 6732 2234
E: marcom@iggys.com.sg
W: www.iggys.com.sg
100403 Iggy's - Main entrance
100403 Iggy's - Bar dining area
100403 Iggy's - Logo
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Review – Gunther’s Modern French Cuisine, Singapore
This restaurant was found by searching the Internet and although we hadn’t heard of them, they are #7 on Miele’s 2009/2010 list. Located on a small side street, this was not your typical hotel restaurant, which might be a good thing. We were greeted warmly by Fabio, our waiter for the evening. We didn’t really study the menu much as the Menu Dégustation already caught our eye. At S$128/US$92 it was very reasonable…at least by Hong Kong standards. They were also very flexible and said that we could change our main course if we did not eat lamb. No problem for us and we stuck to the original menu.
Their wine list was also very extensive and the best was their wide selection of half bottles. We ordered a half bottle of 2006 Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru to match the first few dishes, but started off with a glass of Champagne to compliment the caviar in the first dish.
The amuse-bouche was a prawn tempura. We know we’ve been spoilt by Inagiku, so this tasted a bit bland. The first appetizer, cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar was a very good start. Even when served cold, the pasta was still al dente! Amazing!!! The caviar went well with our glass of Perrier-Jouët Champagne. No wonder this is their signature dish. Next up was the grilled bamboo clam flown all the way from Scotland. Mixed with tomatoes and pilaf rice, this was a strong flavored dish. Kind of overpowered the freshness of the clam, but the end result was very good. The egg fondant with grilled mushrooms and Spanish ham was right down C’s alley…eggs! On the first bite, R immediately knew that C would love this dish…and he was right. Without a word, it was gone in no time. The combination was perfect. The egg was very smooth and the yolk was very runny and very rich.
Fabio saw that we had just started a half bottle of Pichon Lalande 1994, so he took the initiative to let us try the roasted foie gras with crushed candied almonds, another signature dish of theirs. This was very nice…made us have the urge to order a half bottle of d’Yquem. The rich Lalande did the job and we did have a main course to come. The main course, grilled lamb rack was in R’s point of view very good. But C commented that it was quite gamy (膻). Obviously, this word was not in R’s dictionary, so it didn’t bother him a bit.
The fine apple tart “à la dragées” was not what we expected. The two thin wedges did not look like your typical apple tart. But paired with the Havana rum raisin ice-cream, it was perfect. Of course, C had the French cheese…but no trolley here, just a small sample of four cheeses…a bit disappointed.
The service was remarkable and the food exceptional. Not too fancy, just fresh ingredients and great implementation by Chef Gunther Hubrechsen. Definitely worth a higher ranking on the Miele list in our opinion.
– 18.5/20
Gunther’s Modern French Cuisine
36 Purvis Street #01-03
Singapore 188613
T: +65 6338 8955
E: restaurant@gunthers.com.sg
W: www.gunthers.com.sg
100402 Gunther's - Amuse-bouche, prawn tempura
100402 Gunther's - Cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar
100402 Gunther's - 2006 Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru
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Review – one-thirtyone, Hong Kong
Updated April 16, 2010 – website back online
If we just showed you pictures of this place, not in a million years would you guess that this small restaurant is in Hong Kong. Located in Sai Kung, New Territories, it took us only about 40 minutes to drive from Central on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. Top down in our C’s Z4 made the drive even more enjoyable.
Recognized as one of Asia’s finest restaurants in the Miele Guide 2009/2010, we haven’t been back here for years. Not sure how the food will fare, but at least the environment will not disappoint. It was such a nice day we asked whether we could sit outside. We didn’t mind the sun and the waiters kindly moved our table out onto the patio. The restaurant has only four tables inside and two outside. It ended up that everyone wanted to sit outside, leaving the main indoors dining room empty.
Garlic lovers rejoice. Even before lunch started, we were given plenty of fresh garlic to liven up our palates. Soaked in olive oil, it made a great dip for the fresh bread that accompanied it. The lunch menu was set (HK$500/US$64 per person) and no à la carte. However, they did ask us our dietary preferences when we made the booking (and reservations are a MUST).
We couldn’t resist some wine in such a beautiful setting. But since we had to drive, we ordered a half bottle of Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006. Just right for the warm spring afternoon. We started off with a block of duck foie gras that was a bit hard at first, but once at room temperature it was perfect – very smooth and buttery. Great with the brioche. The truffle-scented port jelly was very strong on the port. A bit overwhelming, but refreshing, perfect for the 27 degree weather. The side duck confit was also very nice.
We knew the cappuccino soup of wild mushroom was arriving as we could smell the French black truffles miles away. Very fragrant and smooth. Lovely. Before the main course, a Calamansi Sorbet was served to cleanse our palates…C of course passed. The slow cooked USDA prime beef sirloin was very juicy, but the Australian Wagyu beef cheek was out of this world…even better than what we had at Otto e Mezzo. It was so tender and soft it almost melted just when cutting it not to mention when it reached our mouths.
C enjoyed a fine selection of French cheeses as her dessert while R had the Cointreau macerated Californian long-stem strawberries with clover-honey ice yogurt. A nice finish to a perfect afternoon.
This was no doubt an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Everything was perfect. We wonder why it took us so long to revisit this place. We must make this a frequent routine from now on.
– 18.5/20
one-thirtyone
131 Tseng Tau Village
Shap Sze Heung
Sai Kung, Hong Kong
T: +852 2791 2684
E: onethirtyoneinhk@gmail.com
W: www.one-thirtyone.com
Closed Mondays
100321 one-thirtyone - Gate entrance through Garden Farm
100321 one-thirtyone - Entrance to the restaurant
100321 one-thirtyone - Indoor dining area
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Review – Otto e Mezzo (8½), Hong Kong
We were delighted to hear that Umberto Bombana, the chef from Toscana at the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong, recently opened up a new place at the Alexandra House in Central. We loved Toscana and missed it ever since the Ritz closed down in 2008. As with many new restaurants, we had to make bookings more than a week in advance. Not a problem, just book and wait…we’re used to it.
The decor is modern with an irregular shaped mirror ceiling, which made the dining area seem larger, but unfortunately echoed the conversations from the diners. It made it too noisy for a restaurant of this caliber, maybe not be the best place for a candlelit dinner. We sat near the entrance, which was next to their Ageing Cellar housing aged hams and cheeses. We couldn’t stop noticing the room every time the door was opened, as the smell was quite pungent.
We started immediately with the amuse-bouche – even before we ordered. A lentil bean soup with mozzarella was not bad as the beans were well blended so that there were no whole beans left. You can tell we’re not fond of beans. The bread was incredible. We just had to refrain ourselves from filling ourselves with it.
The sommelier recommended the 2000 Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso Superiore from Tuscany, which fulfilled our requirement for a full bodied wine and showed a resemblance to Bordeaux, which we love.
We ordered the Marinated Beef Tenderloin as appetizer. Essentially, this was beef carpaccio with a fancy name. Large crispy Parmesan cheese flakes replaced the normally shaved type. Accompanied with sun dried tomatoes, this was good, but not spectacular.
The main course, Braised Veal Cheek and Veal Fillet on porcini mushroom and barley risotto was amazing. The veal cheek was so tender and soft, it just melted in our mouths. And the barley risotto was very nice, no rice but replaced with just barley. A nice twist that worked well.
For dessert, C tried the Coffee Trio, which contained a Tiramisu, a warm coffee tart and a crunchy coffee ice cream. The tasty trio’s strong coffee flavor almost had her skip her Cappuccino. And we had to try the Crispy Pear Tart. This was R’s favorite dish at Toscana. Although it was still wafer-thin, it could have used a few more minutes in the oven. It wasn’t uncooked, but a slightly browned crust would have made it much better.
The food was good but maybe we had high expectations, so we expected a bit more. Since the restaurant is quite new, we hope that time will iron out the small imperfections. The portions were small for à la carte, but that means that there will be room for dessert(s) 
– 17/20
Otto e Mezzo (8½)
Shop 202, 2/F, Alexandra House
18 Chater Road
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2537 8859
E: info@otto-e-mezzo.com
W: www.otto-e-mezzo.com
100319 Otto e Mezzo - Main entrance on 2/F
100319 Otto e Mezzo - By Chef Umberto Bombana
100319 Otto e Mezzo - Amuse-bouche, lentil bean soup
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Finally a place to buy great steak in Hong Kong
Ever since our favorite butcher, Fentons Gourmet in Happy Valley closed its doors we lost a great place to get high quality beef for our barbecue nights. Even the high end supermarkets (Great, Oliver’s, City Super) couldn’t satisfy us. Then our friend at Geoff’s Twitchen posted a writeup of his winter barbecue and mentioned an online place for steaks called The Porterhouse. From his pictures, it looked like it was worth trying.
A search on their website www.porterhouse.com.hk mentions that the operations is headed by James Fortier, who previously was the General Manager of Morton’s The Steakhouse in Hong Kong.
Calling itself The Porterhouse, naturally we ordered a 35oz Australian Angus Beef Porterhouse steak (HK$370/US$47). We also tried their New England Jumbo Sea Scallops (HK$212/US$27 per pack of 10). Ordering online was simple and promptly delivered the next day, right on time for our weekend barbecue.
The package arrived in a nice cooler bag and the steak was individually wrapped and tied with their signature Red Ribbon, which signifies their slogan “Our Red Ribbon Is Your Assurance of Quality”. There was also a handwritten note from James, a nice personal touch. Our Porterhouse was from Australia, but they also have USDA steaks as well as seafood and other meats.
The steak was very juicy and tender. Compliments to the chef (C). The scallops were a good size and matched the steak very well for a nice surf and turf.
We will be sure to bookmark The Porterhouse and visit whenever we have a crave for great steak…which is quite often.
– 18/20
The Porterhouse
T: +852 2553-3765
E: info@porterhouse.com.hk
W: www.porterhouse.com.hk
100306 Porterhouse - Their signature Red Ribbon
100306 Porterhouse - Nice handwritten note from James
100306 Porterhouse - 35oz Australian Porterhouse
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