Singapore restaurants.

[drron]

In Singapore for a week.Mrsdrron is here for the shopping,I for the food so here goes.First though we have been bumped-were booked for lunch at Ku De Ta on Thursday-Lady Gaga now has the whole restaurant so we have rearranged our schedule so now there on Wednesday-I hope she appreciates this!
Today we had lunch at the DB Bistro Moderne in the Marina Bay Sands complex.We have not been to a Daniel Bouloud establishment before so decided to try it out.Obviously a business lunch sort of place and today full of Deutsche Bank employees.
We started with the Foie Gras-

It was very good as it should be.
Mrsdrron then had the Boston scallops with prawns and asparagus.She pronounced it excellent.

I had the deep fried Calamari with coconut and lemongrass oil cream.This was a different story.The calamari was tough=overcooked.The cream also had chilli which was not mentioned and totally overpowered the coconut and lemongrass.Now I am fine with chilli but mrsdrron was considering this dish and had she ordered it would not have been able to eat it.Donning my Matt Preston cravat this was a fail.
Service was also up and down-we did not have bread given to us on arrival as everyone else did.Also pretty costly-with a 500ml carafe of White Burgundy the bill was $S257-they added a 10% service charge and then left space on the CC form for a tip.
Impression-mostly good food but not great value.
More to come.

 

[LadyC]

Thanks for the report. I go to Singapore irregularly enough that I am always interested in hearing about different restaurants worth attending. Looking forward to your updates

 

[drron]

Next is a Thai restaurant which we have been to before-Sabai-on the 4th floor of the Ngee Ann centre on orchard road.It is not cheap-though really nothing in Singapore is now.A combination plate of Chinese BBQ meats in a food court set us back $S28 and if you wanted rice that was extra.
So we had Beef in oyster sauce with lots of mushrooms and garlic plus a truly delicious deep fried honey glazed pork ribs-here are both after we had started-

We also had a Pad Thai-

Nice flavors with a devilishly hot sauce to add if you liked.Now the meal cost $S170 but more than half of that was because we had a bottle of Leeuwin Estate white.So if you keep away from wine it is not too bad value.
Next-Iggys.

 

[flyingfan]

Next-Iggys.

This is the bit I'm looking forward to

 

[drron]

Well here it is.As I have said we have been to Iggy's before when it was in the Regent hotel.It is now on the 3rd floor of the Hilton Singapore-but it is not a Hilton restaurant.It has made the Pellegrino list of the World's best 50 restaurants for a few years now.
Today the meal began with an Amusee Bouche of a fish terrine with a Yuzu sauce and caviar.It was presented under a glass bowl surrounded by smoke.Here it is after the smoke subsided-

It was delightful.Mrsdrron started with a salmon with salmon roe.A feast for the eyes and palate as well-

I had the oysters with sago pearls,succulent oysters with a variety of seaweeds,delicious-

Next we both had the foie gras with chawanmushi,shimeki mushrooms and pearl onions.Fantastic.

Mrsdrron then had the Waygu cheek with spring veggies in a red wine jus,melt in your mouth.

I had the venison loin with pepper,pumpkin and red cabbage.This also was melt in your mouth and the tenderest venison I have ever had-

Mrsdrron had a french baguette toast with a tea and chocolate icecream and a sauce we have both forgotten but she wouldn't let me taste-

I had the spicy mango with Kiwi,citrus sauce,honey soaked cake and meringue.What a combination of flavours-

Now with a bottle of a French Premier cru Chablis again with the 10% service charge the bill came to $S300.Basically the same price as the DB bistro considering the better wine.So much better value.The lunch menu costs $S85 and consists of 4 courses with 3 choices for each course.Service was very good and I had no second thoughts about adding another 10% to the service charge.
To top things off we were invited into the kitchen to meet the chef.He admitted he had worked in Australia to earn enough money to start up his own restaurant-he worked at a fish and chip shop in Logan!
Coming back out of the kitchen the eyes of the restaurant were on us.You could see some thinking-shouldn't I know who these people are.For a second I felt I was Tony Hancock.
Definitely reccomended.

 

[flyingfan]

Love the sound of it!! Your descriptions are very tempting. I will have to organise my next SIN trip around an Iggy's dinner.

 

[Febs]

Great thread.

If you get a chance, you have to try the Tippling Club. If you know Der Raum in Melbourne (brilliant coughtail bar, nay, institution), then it's basically that, set amongst the trees in Singapore, with a lunch and dinner menu to match. They do a 3 course lunch for SGD$55 or a dinner tasting menu for around SGD$299 from memory. I was only there for lunch, but it was everything I expected - inventive, playful, delicious (both the coughtails and the food).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Isochronous]

Great reports dr ron!

I can also attest to the quality of Min Jiang, which is in Goodwood Park Hotel. Great Chinese and apparently a favourite of Lee Kuan Yew.

 

[drron]

First a thank you to LadyC-my 500th like and for this thread as well.Enough of self congratulations and on to Ku De Ta.Apparently it was Lady Gaga and a Blackberry launch which bumped us from tomorrow.You checkin downstairs at Tower 3 and given a card which you have to show as you exit the lift.Plenty of staff and friendly.For the fellows all the women staff are young,pretty and wear short skirts.Unfortunately that was to be a clue as to what the lunch turned out to be.
Food is served family style so everyone gets to share.Eaten with chopsticks though some dishes are not really suitable as you will see.We started with Panko encrusted soft shell crab and Foie Gras with nashi pear and curry bread-

The Panko overpowered the crab which was also slightly overcooked.The Foie Gras was bland and definitely the number 3 of the last 3 days.
For mains it was honey soy roasted salmon and duck with plum sauce-

We selected dishes of asparagus with prawn floss and wok stirred mushrooms to accompany the meats-at $S12 each-

The vegetables were very good.The salmon again was slightly overcooked as was the duck.We actually preferred the duck we got in the food court as a combination BBq meat plate.
Dessert however was very good.We shared a Bounty cake with Yuzu marshmallows-

With a bottle of of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc the bill was $S360-more expensive than Iggys and the food at Iggys was way better.With the wines they are much more expensive here-the same French Chablis we had at Iggys for $S80 was $S128 here.The Margaret River white we had at Sabai for $S72 was $S108 here.
Conclusion-you dont come here for the food.Admire the view-although with the pollution you dont see that far.Though we did see some military aircraft landing-not at Changi though.This is a place for the tourists,bussiness men on expense accounts and young fellows at a conference here.For the view I guess it would be much cheaper to go and have a drink at the Sky Bar.
Not great value and we wouldn't go back.

 

[HarryB]

Conclusion-you dont come here for the food.Admire the view-although with the pollution you dont see that far.Though we did see some military aircraft landing-not at Changi though.This is a place for the tourists,bussiness men on expense accounts and young fellows at a conference here.For the view I guess it would be much cheaper to go and have a drink at the Sky Bar.
Not great value and we wouldn't go back.

I actually ate there yesterday as well and agree with your sentiments regarding the food (and the staff). My wife and I stayed at the hotel for a couple of days and the Ku De Ta visit was a bit of a low point - a lot of $$$ for food that had much less character and flavor than what we eat in hawker centers for less than SIN$5. The view is awesome, particularly at night but you are definitely better off having a couple of coughtails at the sky bar and eating elsewhere. Maybe it was just a bad day assuming you ate there on the 29th also?




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[drron]

I actually ate there yesterday as well and agree with your sentiments regarding the food (and the staff). My wife and I stayed at the hotel for a couple of days and the Ku De Ta visit was a bit of a low point - a lot of $$$ for food that had much less character and flavor than what we eat in hawker centers for less than SIN$5. The view is awesome, particularly at night but you are definitely better off having a couple of coughtails at the sky bar and eating elsewhere. Maybe it was just a bad day assuming you ate there on the 29th also?




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Well missed you by a day-we ate there today 30/5.
Yes I would rather eat at a hawker centre but not too much you can get for $S5 these days.

 

[Febs]

Heads up for anyone wanting to visit the Ku de Ta bar for a drink on a Fri/Sat night (when a cover charge usually applies) - AMEX Plat Concierge can put you on the guestlist for free entry. Same goes for other places in SIN too (though don't bother with Pangaea - pretty average).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Isochronous]

Heads up for anyone wanting to visit the Ku de Ta bar for a drink on a Fri/Sat night (when a cover charge usually applies) - AMEX Plat Concierge can put you on the guestlist for free entry. Same goes for other places in SIN too (though don't bother with Pangaea - pretty average).

Cheers,
- Febs.

Can you ring either of the Aust or Singapore Plat Concierge numbers to arrange?

 

[drron]

Well the last of our celebrity chef restaurants for this visit to Singapore.Today it was Luke Mangan and the Salt Grill atop the Ion Orchard building.You have to get the lift from the 4th floor.
Larger restaurant than the others.Good view to the coast.Service much better than Ku De Ta-and the women wear trousers.
We both selected our first 2 course from the lunch special-$S40.Sides and desserts are extra.Wine as usual expensive.Mrsdrron started with the crab omelette-

Simply delicious and packed with crab meat.I had the charcuterie plate-obviously because it had a foie gras terrine!

Very good.Mrsdrron then had the twice cooked pork belly with smoked pork shoulder and caramellised onions,she loved it-

I had the Ranger Valley striploin with caramellised onions,pickled orange,pumpkin and asparagus,again very good-

As sides we had truffled fries with parmesan(addictive) and roasted mushrooms(fantastic)-

Being gluttons for punishment,or maybe mere gluttons,we went for dessert.Mrsdrron had the coconut creme brulee with lime sorbet and roasted pineapple,I was only allowed a sniff-

And I had Luke Mangan's liquorice parfat with a finger lime sauce-I love those little balls of concentrated citrus-

With a bottle of No Regrets SB the bill was $S296-that is virtually the same as Iggys.Only one problem-you are not allowed on the Sky Walk after dining.
So who wins(for me the Foie Gras battle),which chef reigns supreme?
For both of us it was easy-definitely Iggys was the best food,presentation and service for us.When in Singapore again we will definitely go again.But Salt Grill was easily in second place.

Feel free to add you Singaporean food experiences.Hoped you enjoy.

 

[Febs]

Great write-ups drron! Wondered if Luke Mangan's restaurant was worth visiting.

Can you ring either of the Aust or Singapore Plat Concierge numbers to arrange?

I went through my normal Australian contact, but she went through the Singapore concierge. They tend to defer to the local AMEX concierge if it's something they can't easily handle, or they don't have the contacts personally (which is good).

They have a number of clubs/bars which the Plat AMEX allows free entry into (places that usually charge for entry). Ku de Ta used to be one (isn't anymore), but they still had no issue putting me on the guestlist for free entry.

It's not an all-night type place though IMO. Great for one or two to kickstart the night, admire the view, then head elsewhere. Best to check out some of the great small bars scattered around the city - Bar Stories, B28, Tippling Club, Nektar are a few good ones.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[jetlagger]

drron... you certainly live up to your reputation of experiencing delectables amongst the best establishments & their offerings... certainly appreciated the narrations & accompanying pictures..
Appreciative that I also know what to aim the bar at on my next visit to a less than Singa'poor"..

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I am adding my 2 cents worth. I would defintely go back to Iggys - although it is only small ( 10 tables max ) it does have a bar that single diners can go to in a separate room. It is not at all stuffy like some top 50 places are. And the lunch menu is very affordable if you dont drink wine - on the day we were there Ron and I were the only people who drank a bottle of wine with our meal, most drank water.

As for Salt Grill - I wanted to try a Luke Mangan restaurant ( just love his pies on DJ !) so I was happy that the restaurant lived up to the hype.

Two places we will definitely return to on our next stay in Singapore.

 

[amaroo]

Some great spots listed here. Starting to do some top-up research for our coming Easter trip......always travel with two kids (currently) under 12 however, they enjoy their food & different experience.

From previous trips:-

Lei Garden, Chijmes - good for lunch
Crystal Jade Golden Palace, Paragon - dinner or lunch
Absinthe - great for a bit of French
Jiang-Nan Chung, Four Seasons - Sunday Brunch with free flow bubbles

 

[JT0511]

Yes, wine is v expensive in Singapore restaurants: Beer is less so and probably better if you're dining al fresco.

 

[Vim Fuego]

has any one been to Singapore for the GP? The reason I ask is that I'm guessing that getting a booking at a decent restaurant will be difficult. For the first time in six visits we're going without the kids and would like to visit some "adult" restaurants such as Salt Grill, do we need to book weeks/months in advance?