Fine Foods Singapore

Friday, 24 February 2017

Corner House

We decided to visit the beautiful restaurant located in the middle of Botanical Gardens on a cool Sunday noon. The Sunday brunch menu ($88) was waiting for us as we sat down at the upstairs dining room. The dining room was surrounded by windows peering at the natural greens of Botanical Gardens.

A plain croissant, chocolate croissant and baguette arrived for us to start our Sunday feast. The croissants had an enjoyable crunchy exterior. Shortly after the appetizers arrived. They consisted of shredded duck in mayonnaise, foie gras with grapefruit, assortment of fresh fruits and fritters. The foie gras and shredded duck went pleasantly well with the baguette. The server answered to our yearning by bringing another whole plate of baguettes, excellent service.

When the bread and appetizers were finished, this was the start of our three courses. Yes, the Sunday brunch menu consists of bread, appetizers and three courses. The first dish was a choice between salmon eggs Benedict and 62 degrees farm egg. The salmon eggs Benedict had a perfectly cooked egg present in the middle with slices of salmon, rice crackers and Hollandaise sauce covering the surrounding. The 62 degrees farm egg was topped with spring onions and had a more soup like texture. Both were amazing tasty and eaten quickly.

For the main course, M4 Australian wagyu beef was cut into slices and served surrounded by a spicy oil based sauce. The oriental flavor of the sauce went well with the tenderness of the medium rare wagyu beef. Could not ask for a more fulfilling main course.

At this point we were already full, but eating dessert was not a problem. The dessert dish was placed on the table and the presentation seemed to speak for itself. When eating the dish, flavors of caramel, chocolate, vanilla all sprung out and made an interesting fusion. This was a great way to finish the grand brunch at Corner House.

Thursday, 23 February 2017

Blu Kouzina

Want to sit on the sunny coast of Greece having a fine meal by the bay? This may be hard to experience without a plane ticket and sunglasses, but you can also drive to Dempsey Hill and have a similar experience. Blu Kouzina newly opened on Dempsey Hill is by far the best Greek food in Singapore.

We were seated at the back terrace where we were introduced to a mellow atmosphere. Soft winds blew past us as we were seated at a white table with comfortable couches. The waiter was polite and very keen on making the best recommendations possible.

The first dish that came was the pita bread and hummus. The pita bread was cooked to perfection and the finely burnt ends tasted well the olive oil garnished hummus. There was enough hummus to spread over all the pita bread and more. A captivating starter indeed.

This was just the first dish, it gets better.

Next came a sizzling plate of cheese topped with slowly cooked caramelized figs (Saganaki with Figs $18.80). The sweet flavor of the figs and the savory gestures of the perfectly seared cheese made a fearsome combo.

The grilled octopus came in a pleasantly large portion(Xtapodi Shara $29.80). The tender and juicy texture is rounded off with the soft embrace of olive oil. A splash of lemon can be added for an additional citrus flavor.

For our main course we chose grilled lamb chops that came with potatoes and other vegetables (Paidakia stin Shara $29.80). The knife seemed to be able to slice through the meat so easily. This was a sign of how professionally cooked these lamb chops were.

Lastly we enjoyed ourselves with a creative sardine dish fresh from Greece (Sardeles Shara $29.80). The taste itself was very good, but a bit hard to eat because of the small bones present inside the fish.

Overall our experience at Blu Kouzina was exceptional. This made me want to travel to Greece and maybe eat dessert next time.

Taste: 4.7/5.0
Atmosphere: 4.7/5.0
Service: 4.5/5.0

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Ola Cocina Del Mar

Ola Cocina Del Mar is one of the Spanish places that I wanted to try for a long time and finally had the chance to go. The meal started off with a delightful crispy pork belly overlying a bed of mild yellow mustard. The peanuts sprinkled on the top brought all of the flavors together. For the other appetizer we ordered a crisp calamari. Small squids were deep fried and garnished with black squid ink sauce to balance out the texture. Both appetizer tapas were delicious to say the least.

Next came the paella. The paella "mar y muntanya," was pleasant. We decided to go with the seafood of the day option. The paella came with chick peas, saffron, pork sausages and clams. The bottom and sides of the paella were crispy and well cooked. Soon after, the next paella came. This time instead of a rice based paella, a noodle based one appeared. However, we were disappointed at the fact that the calamari on top of the paella was the same as the appetizer that we had. The waiter could have informed us about this. Nonetheless, the paellas were good and the plates were cleaned.

The highlight of the night were the desserts. We ordered the churros and the apple crumble. When the churros arrived, the table gasped. The churros were topped with powdered sugar and circled by a smooth chocolate sauce. More of the sauce was available on the side for dipping. When I took a bite of this churro, the mixed flavor of chocolate and dough seemed to explode in my mouth. This was by far the best churros I had eaten and therefore served as the pinnacle of the night. The apples on the apple crumble were diced to perfection. The crumby tart and the vanilla ice cream on the side complemented each other very well. Overall the meal was a very pleasant one. The server was attentive and the atmosphere was relaxing. This place may be a bit of a drive for many, but worth the trip.

Taste Rating 4.1/5
Service Rating 4.5/5
Atmosphere 4.3/5