Posts Tagged Fine Dining
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
<06 April 2012 – updated email and website>
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@ottoemezzobombana.com
W: www.ottoemezzobombana.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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Review – Galvin at Windows, London, England
Opened since May 2006, Head Chef André Garrett and Chef Patron Chris Galvin, Galvin at Windows ha recently been awarded its first Michelin star, we were off to try this place for lunch. Located on the 28th floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane, it was very close to our hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. Being so high up (there aren’t many tall buildings around) meant great views overlooking Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and beyond.
We tried their Menu du Jour with two courses for £19.50 (US$29.30). Both R & C had the cream of cauliflower velouté for appetizers and shared the baked fillet of cod and braised pork cheeks for their main course. Maybe a bit heavy for lunch, especially all the chocolate for the petit fours. Nevertheless, the food was nice and next time we’ll have to come back for dinner.
– 16/20
Galvin at Windows Restaurant
London Hilton
28th Floor
22 Park Lane
London, W1K 1BE
England
T: +44 (020) 7208 4021
W: www.galvinrestaurants.com
100217 Galvin at Windows - Menu cover
100217 Galvin at Windows - Dining area
100217 Galvin at Windows - Table with a view
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Review – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London, England
This was the place to go. With three Michelin Stars, we were looking forward to this dinner as the highlight of our trip. But having 24 restaurants around the world and TV shows, could quality be compromised? Moreover, his restaurant at Claridge’s lost it’s only star in 2010. Nevertheless, we stuck by our reservation and thankfully so, the small restaurant seats only 45.
The amuse-bouche was a shrimp and lobster mixed with avocado in a bite sized cone. Very similar to the one we had at French Laundry in Napa. A very good start. But wait, there was more…a mozzarella cheese with pesto followed. Hold on…were those amuse-bouches? Another one was a duck & mushroom ravioli in pumpkin soup. Nice, but the shrimp and lobster cone was the best.
The sommelier was very nice. Although he did say the 1996 Chateau Palmer was much more ready than the 1995 that we ordered. A bit late…should have told us earlier! Once he knew we were from Hong Kong, he expressed his desire to move to our city. Very soon too, and he wasn’t at all discreet about it. Maybe “Hell’s Kitchen” is taking its toll on the staff.
Naturally, we went all out with the tasting menu again. Their Menu Prestige contained seven courses for £120/US$182. Not bad for a three star restaurant. For one of the courses, R stuck with the ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon with tomato chutney that was on the menu. This was very good…until he tried C’s dish. She substituted hers with a linguine with truffles, lots of truffles (for an additional supplement). I’m sure R had serious regrets after having a bite. They were so generous with all that truffle.
Then it came to the lamb and pigeon where R got his revenge. R’s roasted Bresse pigeon was very tender and made C’s Cornish lamb suddenly seem relatively less attractive.
The pre-dessert was crème brûlée, but without hesitation C immediately swapped it for the cheese…yummy yummy. And thankfully so, as we found a new favorite – l’Ami du Chambertin. This lovely creamy soft cheese knocked the Epoisses that we had at Gary Danko in San Francisco into second place. The main dessert was the apple tarte tartin, which we expected to be the thin type…but this was humongous, but nice, just humongous! To finish, the petit fours included a chocolate “tree” that was very artistic and strawberries dipped in white chocolate to end a very satisfying dinner.
All in all, the head chef Clare Smyth did not disappoint. Did it justify the three Michelin stars? Yes and no, maybe 2½. Overall, everything was very good although some dishes were better than others.
– 17.5/20
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road
London SW3 4HP
England
T: +44 (020) 7352 4441
E: royalhospitalroad@gordonramsay.com
W: www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad
100216 Gordon Ramsay - Menu cover
100216 Gordon Ramsay - Shrimp & lobster mixed w/ avocado
100216 Gordon Ramsay - Mozzarella cheese w/ pesto
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