review: bistro db

address: 2 bayfront ave, the shoppes @ marina bay sands

tel: (65) 6688-8525

site: http://www.dbbistro.com/singapore/

Hm. A light lunch... now where would one go for that? DB Bistro apparently - since I was strolling around Marina Bay Sands. I really wasn't feeling that hungry honestly, since I had a late breakfast, so I thought I would settle for a small platter of meats.

Or so I thought, before a bowl of warm bread was placed before me as I was choosing my lunch. Nibbling on the bread was already starting to sate my hunger...

Charcuterie Assiette Lyonnaise

Selection of House Made Terrines, Cured Meats, Pain de Campagne, Pickles & Mustard

The platter that arrived came looking like a garden - dotted with cured radishes and mushrooms. Some items were recognizable - cured hams, salamis... but also meats, fish and melon balls. A savory way to start the meal, with small bites that were complemented by the mustard so it didn't feel too heavy. Everything tasted really good - and more importantly, everything tasted different! The cured mushrooms were the biggest surprise - really delicious!

Soupe A L’Oignon

Classic Onion & Beef Consommé, Gruyère Croûton

A French bistro must, right? I wanted to compare the taste of the soup with what I could make at home. This soup had a lot more depth, and the onions were a lot darker and caramelized. I would love to try to make this at home... but it would probably take me twice the amount of time!

Hm. Maybe a cheese platter for dessert was not the right choice. I love cheese - I really do! But this came supplemented with more bread! I had a selection of cheese ranging from mild to funky... complemented with fruit jams and nuts. The maitre d' also recommended a glass of port to complement the cheeses - something I don't normally do, but what the heck! 

Just when I was about to call it an afternoon with a cup of coffee, the staff came along with a bowl of warm madeleines. These were a delight, small puffs of citrus-scented batter. 

The service at Daniel was great as well - I would definitely come back here if I could, but perhaps this time I'll have more of the cooked food so that I can taste what comes out of the kitchen.

address: 2 bayfront ave, the shoppes @ marina bay sands

tel: (65) 6688-8525

site: http://www.dbbistro.com/singapore/

review: restaurant soon hock

address: jalan desa aman 13, sungai buloh, selangor

tel: 03-6140 3510, 012-210 2533

 Thank god for the wonder of highways! Sure, they're a pain when they're being constructed - causing traffic snarls which make us all curse in the car over the songs (and ads) on the radio, but once they're up - it makes travelling to food so much faster!

That's one of the reason why we manage to get to Soon Hock for lunch. That, and because I have friends who drive like maniacs! But its worth it - lunch here is fast, good and cheap!

This is one of the dishes we always order: sang cheong with dried prawns. This is actually the sow's fallopian tubes - not the intestines, as some people think. The texture is very different from intestines, as it is almost crunchy/chewy and it doesn't have the funky tastes of some offal. At Soon Hock, it is stir-fried with dried prawns, onion and chilli padi.

At Soon Hock, every table always has a fish. This time we had it steamed, and it is served with tau fu pok in the sauce, which helps to soak up the gravy. The fish here is always really fresh and not muddy tasting, so it is worthwhile ordering since it's not easy to steam fish well at home since you  need to do it over a very hot fire to generate the amount of steam required.

This is a favorite with everyone who comes here! Deep fried pork slices, lightly battered and fried in really hot oil with a sweet coating. You might think that this would be overly sweet and cloying, but they have added dried sotong strips which gives its a savory note. Kids (and big kids) will love this!

Salted egg bittergourd - yummy enough to convert even bittergourd haters! Here it is sliced thinly and fried with salted egg, which takes the bitter edge away from the veggie. I would love this as a bar snack, if only I could figure out how to make it!

Oh yeah, I should also add that lunch here is always under RM30, even when we ordered two fishes and staggered out with tummies so full that we all felt sleepy in the bright, mid-afternoon drive back. Do you need any more reason to make the trip?

address: jalan  desa aman 13, sungai buloh, selangor

tel: 03-6140 3510, 012-210 2533

review: guy savoy

address: the shoppes, atrium 2, L2-01, marina bay sands

tel: +65 6688 8513
www: http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Celebrity-Chefs/Guy-Savoy/

For once, I feel like I don't need to write anything. A picture is worth a thousand words right? So I am going to take a minute to relive this lunch...

The first time I stumbled upon Guy Savoy was when I was at Marina Bay Sands a week before it opened. I walked past an open pit, with the click of chips, the ka-ching of slot machines and shuffling of cards crashing upon my ears and across the abyss, was this serene, calm, muted oasis.

Ok so it was muted because I could only peer into the kitchen through the copper-framed windows. I don't know who looked more like a goldfish - the kitchen staff weaving in and out between the stations, or me... gradually getting more and more glassy-eyed as I stared at the food prep. 

It took me almost another year before I returned. In the meantime, I had been to other restaurants, but Guy Savoy stood out as being the first to capture my attention, and being one of the last to taste. 

So it was understandably with a great sense of anticipation that I walked into Guy Savoy. It wasn't the most promising of days - we'd just made out reservation with only 5 minutes to spare and we were about to lose our view of the bay because of the grey skies and the rain that was threatening to tear the clouds open. But that did not matter because once the food began to arrive, attention was riveted to the table...

MENU “TGV”

“The Express, 60 Minute Experience”

3 courses $80 per Person

Lentil soup with foie gras “crouton”, winter vegetable mignonette

Beef cheeks “façon pot au feu”, boullion and condiments

Chocolate fondant with layered praline and chicory cream

Sounds terribly understated - I was expecting a three-course meal, and was not prepared for the onslaught of "extras" which came, but were extremely as the meal progressed. 

First came petite toast points with foie gras layered in between, pierced with a silver skewer. This was so unexpected that I didn't have the presence of mind to take a photo before my knee-jerk reaction took over and delivered the skewer to my mouth - where the foie gras melted in a hazy blur of richness.

I primed myself for the next course, which was a cold asparagus soup served with a quenelle of paprika-spiked creme fraiche. At the side was lemon pepper, which we were meant to swoop into the soup, before stirring the creme fraiche to incorporate it into the asparagus and drinking the lot.

Lifting the cup gave us another surprise - an alternative asparagus preparation. This time it was two hemispheres of almost jellied asparagus puree, punctuated with a lemon curd and topped with a thin wafer or crouton. This tasted bright due to the citrus curd, which contrasted with the cold earthiness of the soup previously.

Next was the first of the dishes off the menu. When the soup plate arrive, it only contained the mignonette of vegetables, accompanied by the foie gras, sandwiched between two thin slices of dark rye bread. If mignon already means dainty, then the mignonette was the tiniest dice of vegetables I've ever seen, yet so consistent in size and shape that it was almost like putting a mouthful of rainbow sprinkles in your mouth. When the lentil soup was poured around it, the thick velvety soup slowly encircled the vegetables in a slow ooze. 

The pot-au-feu soon followed - what I thought of as a rustic dish while reading Jeffrey Steingarten's It Must've Been Something I Ate was elevated and refined from what I thought of as a winter-warming one-pot meal. Yes it comprised of a consomme, bone marrow and meat, cooked with vegetables, but here each component was perfectly cooked. The beef cheeks were so tender - all the fat that marbled the muscle was almost meltingly soft. On top of that, coins of rich marrow were scattered, resembling white scallops. Then the consomme was poured over everything - limpid and clear, but so flavorful. I have never tasted consomme that was so pure - it seemed almost evil to cut into the vegetables or the meat and cloud up the soup.

This was served with a trio of sauces - a tarragon mustard, a lemon sabayon and (my favorite) a sauce made of grated egg, with cornichons. The sourness of the sauce livened up the beef cheeks, but again, I couldn't bring myself to spoon any into the stock, which was already flavored perfectly.

Dessert was to follow - the chocolate fondant with layered praline and chicory cream. The fondant was rich, but the praline really was the counterfoil to that, being crunchy - almost like a really elegant Rice Krispy treat. (Is it sacrilegious to make that comparison?!)

Almost at the end - or so we thought! We were presented with a plate of four petit-fours (does that make it a petit-sixteen!?). Top left was boiled egg white, with a raspberry coulis - almost like a filled marshmallow. This was complemented by the cold raspberry sorbet of top of what was almost a Lucky Charms marshmallow bit (apparently called a "marbit") - it had that squeaky-between-the-teeth feel that comes with the cereal. 

If I missed the first amuse-bouche, then it seemed pretty obvious that I was going to miss the last dessert as well - an Earl Grey sorbet on top of creme anglaise. By the end of the meal, I was fully sated and so happy you could've rolled me off my chair. 

Top points also go to the staff of Guy Savoy for their service, and the good humor with which they fielded all our questions, going to the extent of entering the kitchen for a sample of chicory for us to smell when we asked about this unusual ingredient. The exemplary service shown by the team definitely made the experience so much more enjoyable.

address: the shoppes, atrium 2, L2-01, marina bay sands

tel: +65 6688 8513

www: http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Celebrity-Chefs/Guy-Savoy/

review: el cerdo

address: 43 & 45 changkat bukit bintang

tel: 603-2145 0511

site: http://www.elcerdokl.com/

Sometimes you just want a place that's noisy. Where you can eat without needing to always mind your manners. And you can just watch other people and not have to make polite conversation all the time, except when its about the food in front of you. 

With that in mind, El Cerdo should be on your shortlist if you feel brave enough to venture into KL. Parking isn't easy, so you might have to weave through a bit of traffic before you arrive at your destination. 

Since this wasn't our first meal there, we decided to stick to lighter fare. Well, it's light for me. There's salad - surely that's light, right?

It's not easy to find cured meats in KL so I was perfectly happy to order Jamón Ibérico de Bellota el Pata Negra (Iberico ham from a black-hoofed pig) and a mixed appetizer plate which included rilettes, pate of pig trotter and Spanish salamis. 

The Iberico ham was lovely - sliced paper-thin and marbled with fat, lending a funky taste when it hits your tongue. I would have loved a few more melon balls to go with the ham though - the sweetness of the fruit complements the richness of the meat. The appetizer platter though... hm. I might have actually be ok omitting the pig trotter pate as it was a bit too fatty, but I did enjoy the salamis. The nuts which were scattered on the salad were freshly toasted as well, a nice touch which I appreciated. 

I've always loved the oven-roasted spanish ribs - they come sticky to the touch, but without the tangy, almost harsh sourness of a barbeque sauce. The pineapple marinade is a lot softer on the palate, and the ribs were nice and fatty. Eat these with your hands please, as the best part of eating ribs is always being able to strip that last thin film of meat from the bone.

This time we tried something new - a pig tail stew with garlic and onion sauce. I was mildly amused to find that the pig tails were served in a cow platter - a bit of a contradiction, no? 

The pig tails actually contained a surprising amount of meat, and very little fat. The skin which covered the tail had already been cooked down to a sticky, gelatinous consistency - if you want to try something different, I would recommend this as one does not normally see pig tails in the market or on a menu!

address: 43 & 45 changkat bukit bintang

tel: 603-2145 0511

site: http://www.elcerdokl.com/

review: kazu sumiyaki

address: 5 Koek Road, #04-05 Cuppage Plaza

tel: 67342492

 "You've got to try the yakitori at Kazu"

"Sure"

"It's at Cuppage Plaza"

Say what? No, my friend wasn't pulling my leg. Cuppage Plaza sits off the edge of Somerset and is easy enough to find even for a foreigner like myself. When I walked up to it, I instantly felt that it deserved its seedy name. Think of a mall that was built around 30 years ago - the walls are grey, the shops were all closed by 6 pm. But I was there early for a reason - I was told that I needed reservations at Kazu, and I had not prepared. So I had to be there to book a spot!

Waiting in the dingy hallway, it didn't surprise me that there were already other parties waiting outside the door. Although I had been warned about the surly service, the hostess was nice enough to seat me, provided I left before 8pm. No worries, I thought - an hour should do me perfectly fine.

The first thing I ordered was something I'd always wanted to try - chicken liver sashimi! The liver came lighly blanched, but still raw enough that it was soft, slippery and iron-y in the center.. it didn't make me feel squeamish though - I just enjoyed the richness of the liver. The ginger and scallions that were served with it helped to cleanse the palate a little.

Next was an innocuous looking salad - but this had  boiled potatoes and fish roe. It was a little hard to spot the roe, but I could definitely taste the small nuggets of roe rolling on the tongue, with a slight squeaky texture as I chewed. I didn't feel that the roe contributed to the taste of the salad though - might give it a pass the next time. 

Fatty pork with apple - such a traditional combination, whether in Western or Japanese cuisine. The tartness of the fruit helps to cut the oiliness of the meat.

Foie gras on a skewer! Do I need to describe how rich, smooth and creamy this tasted on the tongue? Importantly, it was also adequately seasoned, and seared over high heat so that there was a crispy crust on the outside of the foil. I could have easily eaten two more of these!

Chicken skin followed - it too was salted so that it almost tasted like bacon since there was a smoky flavor from the grill.

Bacon wrapped around oysters was the only seafood item I had - the oysters were still bursting with their juices as I popped it into my mouth. The briny flavor of the oyster still came through - that slightly metallic taste of shellfish against the smokiness of the bacon.

Grilled rice balls were something I tried for the first time. The crust on the outside reminded me of the yummy "burnt" rice you get when you scrape the bottom of a claypot. Beware though - since the rice is tightly packed, it is rather dense and filling! Two was just too many!

A simple grilled mushroom - but I could feel the care that was taken since they paired with it a much coarser crystalized salt which provided almost a crunchy contrast to the soft fungi.

I saved the best for last. As I sat down and ordered, the hostess asked me if I wanted a baked sweet potato since it would take 45 minutes to prepare - and it was worth the wait! The potato came simply halved, with a pat of butter that melted and coated the sweet, soft flesh of the tuber. I would love to try to make this at home, but I almost feel like I need to cover the potatoes under the embers of a barbeque pit to get the same effect, so I was happy and contented with my "dessert" at Kazu.

address: 5 Koek Road, #04-05 Cuppage Plaza

tel: 67342492

review: cilantro

Address: MiCasa Hotel, 368-B, Jalan Tun Razak

Tel: +603 2179 8082

E-mail: cilantrosvr@micasahotel.com

Website: www.cilantrokl.com

There are not that many fine dining restaurants in KL, what more ones which are reliable in their food and quality of service. Sometimes its hard to think of a place to entertain friends and family, so that they will not be disappointed!

With that, we went back to Cilantro for dinner, where the chef and staff were kind enough to let us customise the menu to suit the tastes of our guests, and include some favorites of ours.

First course was a carpaccio of hirame with sea urchin or uni. Unlike when it is served as sushi, here the hirame and uni are pounded until nearly translucent, much like you would treat a piece of beef carpaccio. Instead of plump uni pieces, what you get is the flavor of uni, mingled with the white fish along with a touch of soy. It tastes like you are eating wisps of the ocean because it is so delicate and briny.

Next came capellini pasta with abalone, with a petite quenelle of sevruga caviar on top. This dish was served cold and I think this heightened the sweet taste of the abalone. The capellini paste was cooked al dente and was coiled below the slices of abalone, which had been cooked to eliminate the toughness of the meat. How they do it is beyond me, but the toothsome-ness of this shellfish is perfectly matched by the bite of the pasta. The saltines of the caviar served to elevate the dish by providing a mild salty contrast to pasta and abalone.

Lobster souffle with asparagus followed this. Well, only half a souffle, and a good thing too! Despite the souffle being light and airy, the bisque-like broth beneath it added heft to the dish. I used the souffle almost as a sponge, to soak up the soup, which seemed to have been made from concentrated stock from lobster shells. So light, yet so satisfying! 

After this was sablefish with bottarga, which is essentially a dried, pressed fish roe. The closest comparison to the sablefish I can come to is cod, which has the same flaky texture. It was seared, and then the bottarga was grated on top, which added a bit of grainy contrast to the fatty fish. 

The most hearty of the appetisers (yes, we're not even at the main course yet!) was roasted foie gras with perigueux sauce. This really might be the dish that would feature in my last meal on earth. The fatty lobe of goose liver was seared, and served with a sauce made from madeira and truffles. It was so rich and decadent, yet not over-poweringly so since the acidity of the wine mellowed it somewhat. On top of the liver were two of the thinnest potato chips I have ever seen, perched precariously to provide texture to the melt-in-your-mouth fatty liver.

Stop. Pause. Breathe. That is what this granite was supposed to do, after the sinfulness of the foie gras. The zing of the lime zest livened up the lychee granita, and below was a raspberry sorbet to provide a cleansing and refreshing sour note to the tongue.

Onward we go!

For my main course, I selected the grilled Blackmore wagyu. As I ordered it medium-rare, I recieved four deep red slices, crusted on the outside from searing and full-bodied, meaty in the middle. Cutting through the well-marbled slices was as easy as cutting through butter. Four slices might not look like a large serving, but each mouthful was full of flavor, especially when paired with the smooth, butter-rich whipped potatoes, and mushrooms below. The umami taste of the mushrooms boosted the wow-factor of the meat and the hint of soy in the sauce pushed it over the edge.

Honestly, for me - the meal could have ended here and I would be perfectly happy. I am not much for sweets, so I did not have very high expectations for the dessert which would follow.

However, thankfully(?!) for me, this dessert catered well to my tastebuds. The almond praline on the top had been made with a dusting of salt, which balanced out the sweetness of the fondant. Once I cut into it, the centre of the cake oozed out, thick, dark and rich. The warmth of the molten chocolate, combined with the cold chill of the caramel ice cream was delicious and I ate the entire thing!

What I have come to realize about Cilantro is that they pace their dishes very well so that there are no long pauses in between, but yet, there is enough time between courses that you do not feel like a complete glutton at the end. Servings for the degustation menu are small, but they allow you to sample a board range of luxurious ingredients without too much guilt!

Address: MiCasa Hotel, 368-B, Jalan Tun Razak

Tel: +603 2179 8082

E-mail: cilantrosvr@micasahotel.com

Website: www.cilantrokl.com