OCF [Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt]: Pre-Theatre Menu

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“My first wife…gave me no connexions, no
wealth but on the contrary a load of debt…
but it gave me domestic enjoyment and thus
contributed to my happiness”
– Sir Stamford Raffles

Since we all know the saying that behind every successful man, there stands a woman. OCF pays respect to the first wife of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of our humble island; and so aptly too since the restaurant, housed in the picturesque Arts House is sited at the rear of the ominous Sir Stamford Raffles statue along the banks of the Singapore River.

Menus are all prix fixe, with set lunches starting at $38++ and dinner at $88++. The recently introduced Pre-Theatre Menu offers a 2 course option for $38++ and the 3 course at $48++. Sounds like a bargain doesn't it? But there's a catch. Pre-Theatre seating is only available from 6pm-7pm and patrons are required to return the table back by 8pm. So those running on a tight schedule should really consider this as a dinner destination.


Push past the unobtrusive heavy doors on the second level to get into the restaurant. Allow your eyes time to adjust to the darkened realms of the dining area, albeit for the harsh heating lamps above the kitchen counter tops and the soft focused spot lights interspersed throughout the room, you'll be eating very much in total darkness, or should I say, thoroughly romantic settings? Service is kept very personal, to the extent that you'll find yourself inching towards the waiter as he whispers the menu options delicately, enunciating every word of that description with military precision. After what seemed like a tireless reading from a place card, I was quick to jump on the Sea Bream. From here forth, started the whirlwind action in the open kitchen, best viewed from the bar seats (sit here if you want to gain the favor of the executive chef; and if you're lucky, you might even get a complimentary amuse bouche) .


So at OCF, your meal will begin with toasted sourdough and a spot of bother butter, I meant. Slightly salted and delicious, this was gone in 60 seconds. 

Then, this may be followed by a delightful Terrine of Pork, Hare, Duck, Goose liver and truffle. Thinly sliced to reveal golden pockets of chestnuts, the terrine was served with a mustard emulsion, tomato marmalade and herb salad. Simple, rich in flavors and utterly refined in execution, this dish punched its way through the roof of my gut into my heart.


"Since you folks are sitting by the bar, here's something special for you guys. On the house"

SCORE

Tomatoes from Marmande are given a light splash of olive oil and placed on a bed of Rabelais Parsley remoulade with a flourish of garlic flowers. As pretty as the dish looked, the flavors tied in very well in harmony, the beefsteak large-fruited tomato possessing a rather meaty mouth fill.


Mains were a choice between the Sea Bream with potatoes in mussel fricassee or the Corn-fed Roast chicken from Landes with beetroot and roasting jus. Both excellent in my opinion but the sea bream just nudging ahead of its competition with the robust crustacean flavoured broth. 

With its menus constantly on shuffle mode, a meal at OCF will always be a surprising one, sustained by the Executive Chef's strong urge to keep abreast with the freshest seasonal ingredients he can lay his hands on. The result is an revolutionary experience almost like an omakase where you leave the satiety of your tummy to the expertise of the chef. I pray that you won't be disappointed.  


OCF
The Arts House
1 Old Parliament Lane
#02-02
S(179429)
t: 6333 9312

Operating Hours:
Mon- Fri: 12 - 2 30pm; 6 - 10 30pm
Sat: 6 - 10 30pm
Sun: Closed

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