Showing posts with label duck confit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label duck confit. Show all posts
Saveur: Second time's not quite a charm
Labels:
affordable,
dinner,
duck confit,
family,
family friendly,
far east plaza,
french,
lunch,
may not return,
orchard,
pasta,
setlunch
·
First time round, Saveur at Far East Plaza was an absolute sweet talker. (you can read about it here). With humble beginnings from a coffee shop in Ali Baba eating house, the boys from Shatec have pushed their earnest attempts at serving up fashionably austere cuisine to a new level, with their recent opening of Saveur Art located at Ion Orchard. Since crowds were diverted to the new establishment, the partner and I took the opportunity to visit the original branch, the fears of being greeted by obscene queues significantly lowered.
Chez Petit Salut: French fare without breaking the bank
Labels:
bistro,
chip bee gardens,
dinner,
duck confit,
french,
holland village,
lamb shank,
the entertainer app
·
Chip Bee Gardens has seen a revival with the installation of the Holland Village MRT station and the 'big-bang' like pop-up of Sunday Folks along the usually quiet stretch. With that comes accompanied a whole slew of new worries mostly shrouding parking issues.
Not new to the once sleepy neighborhood is Chez Petit Salut, a sister outlet to the more showy Au Petit Salut; here, the style is casual French bistro with hearty traditional French classics ringed in by a respectable wine list. Decor is kept simple, rustic, with an air of nostalgia of the French romanticism period. It's the kind of restaurant where it is possible to go for both lunch and dinner on a single day, a restaurant where waitresses race through the dining halls with four identical bowls of duck confit.
To start off the meal, we had the Oven Baked Portobello Mushroom with melted Camembert cheese and baby spinach ($16) and the Half dozen baked Burgundy snails, tomato fondue & garlic butter ($16). The former (pictured right above) greeted the table; and we wished that the chef had made a mistake with only a measly mushroom to share round the table. Perhaps the mushroom had been a blooming onion before it's brief stint in the oven, but that doesn't warrant such a sad serving. The latter was apparently very well received by the other end of the table. Never got to taste it but I must say that generous slathering of herbed butter definitely whet my appetite.
Some of the main courses that graced the table that night were the Braised Lamb Shank ($38) served 'a la Provencale' in tomato accompanied with root vegetables. This unfortunately never quite surpassed the works of the master, the fork tender protein lacking in personality, but it was good enough to be a contender in any serious discussion of Singapore's lamb shanks.
My Crispy Duck leg confit, sauteed potatoes, streaky bacon and mesclun ($32) was superb, a golden crusty exterior heightened by the showering of fried shallots; all this yielding with the quick prod of the knife to reveal impossibly rich and succulent flesh with the subtle hints of garlic. The sauteed potatoes however were the black sheep of the plate, marring a perfect dish with its slightly undercooked hearts.
There's also the more delicate offering of Oven baked fillet of black cod with ratatouille ($32) should you be seeking a lighter option.
Chez Petit Salut doesn't fall under the fashionable category for today's food mavern, but it for sure, serves up good honest French bistro food that has accumulated a close following over the years. Good for a romantic night out sans the razzle dazzle or an intimte gathering with friends and loved ones.
Chez Petit Salut
44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-54 Singapore (278116)
Tel: 6474 788
Closed on Sundays
Website: http://www.chezpetitsalut.com/
On The Table: Cafe on the Circle
It was a dime in a dozen. The dim light-bulbs straddling the wires knotted over the ceilings, representing the slight glimmer of hope in the eyes of an owner anticipating raging queues and long coffee ticket orders on a weekend morning. Despite it's lack of individualism, it was instant infatuation for me.
Reasons being its space, unclustered tables with roomy spaces for manevuering around (without the awkward shifting and kicking of chair legs involved); simplicity - a stripped down garage look is adopted here with grey walls and concrete floors which prove condusive for a bit of the weekend wind-down.
On The Table comes by way of the successful folks of Lola's cafe in Kovan who have decided to spread their feathers out just a little further to the sleepy neighborhood of Pasir Panjang. With little, or rather no direct competitors within a 1km radius, the cafe sets out to create a storm (evident from the larger than life space indented) and pack in the crowds who are itching for that hit of caffeine.
Things are kept simple here. Coffee from Dutch Colony is supported by a short and sweet cafe menu with your usual suspects and few surprising finds here and there. The more substantial mains like the Swimmer Crab Linguine ($16) and the Confit of Duck Leg ($18) catches my attention but my Aussie depraved soul cried out for a bit of brunch fare.
But first, coffee for the soul. My Latte ($5) arrives at the table with picture perfect intention. Finally an outstanding female barista who didn't have to resort to putting heart lattes in my cup to win my favor. *giggles*. However, the coffee recieved lukewarm responses around the table, everyone claiming to lean towards the nuttier, robust roasts over the higher acidity content normally found in Dutch Colony's stash. It's all subjective of course.
The food can't be faulted though. The Big One ($16.00) pulling its weight in quantity yet not compromising on quality as well. Pork sausage, honey glazed bacon, ham, baked portabello, mixed salad and scrambled eggs and toasted brioche. It might sound like a bit of work to get though, but the melange of fresh textures and excellent produce ensures that it all gets polished down rather easily. All in sync with the melodic croonings in the background and the lively chatter of good weekend companionship.
My Ultimte Croissant ($13.00) was yet again a usual calorie suspect done right and was highly culpable this time without signs of cloying richness in the overall composition.. Below its crispy half croissant cap grilled with some sort of herb butter spread, sits honey glazed bacon, ham, mayo, honey, scrambled eggs and melted cheddar cheese.... they don't call it "ultimate' for nothing... Laced with a dash of furikake for the slight savoury crunch, this was a thorough joy to work though and I took to it like a fat kid to cake.
And then, there were waffles. Deftly executed with a not so dainty scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream over the top ($8.00), the crisp honeycombed indented pastry flaunts a texture that is neither cloyingly thick and gummy nor too brittle and crisp and has the right level of egginess. The homemade ice cream building a flutter of anticipation with its smoky note of caramelization, yet beckons to be pushed a little more in the savoury spectrum. Still, a reasonably priced waffle combination with approachable portion sizes that doesn't make one feel piggish prior to placing the orders.
Feeling up for a little game of origami? (or amazing engineering feat as my cousin claims it to be), try folding their paper napkins into heart shapes.
Lesson of the day: "Start what you love"
Nothing quite like a bit of inspiration for the weekends.
On the table is a cafe that offers up a treat of hidden gems. Definitely my new go-to cafe in the region.
[Note: OTT doesn't charge service charge nor GST so do go generous on your tips!]
On the Table
118 Pasir Panjang Road
Singapore 118541
Opening Hours:
Tues - Fri: 11am - 10pm
Sat - Sun: 10am -10pm
(last orders for kitchen is at 9pm, and for bar (drinks and waffles) will be 9 30pm)
Mon: Closed
Bistro Soori: The Silent Treatment
Labels:
chinatown singapore,
desserts,
duck confit,
european,
hidden finds,
may return,
restaurants,
setlunch,
tanjong pagar
·
I was sore and defeated. "It's not going to happen" were the cataclysmic words that escaped her lips, with that, we shy-ed away from the doors of Burnt Ends; frowning in resentment at our failure to snag a coveted seat at the tiny eatery.
Bistro Soori was just a few doors down. My stomach called the shots with it's undignified rumblings and we quickly made a scoot for the bar seats that offered an unobstructed view of the open kitchen.
On a weekday basis, Bistro Soori offers up a 3 course set lunch for an unparallelled price of $39.90. A real steal in my opinion. Further inspection revealed a menu that aims to please as many palates as possible; the starters, mains and desserts section each extending over 7 choices each.
I started with the Sauteed Garlic Prawns, Mixed Greens, Red Wine Vinaigrette. Coming to appreciate it's smaller portions and hefty anchoring of greens only later in the meal when the three courses started to weigh me down. The sweet and bitter mix of greens together with the vinaigrette giving the dish unexpected depth of flavor. The prawns - politely seasoned with a wonderful sear on it's exterior.
The kitchen revs into its own gear. A bustle of service with the occasional awkward clang of plates thrown into the cavernous sink. There was one shortfall: the lack of showmanship you would expect from an open kitchen. There was neither the casual interaction between chef and diner nor the heated exchanges between fellow chefs. All that existed was a heat-load of bodies moving gracefully around each other, no words exchanged, a well-oiled machine. Befitting of it's pristine, cool and chic surroundings perhaps; but I would have loved to see a little bit of life injected.
An espresso cup of Tomato soup followed soon after the starters were cleared. Perfumed with absolutely no spices whatsoever; I gently nudged away the bowl of piping hot soup (burnt the roof of my mouth a little). Yes, there were the clean flavors of the tomatoes predominantly but the kitchen put zero effort into it's flavor profile. I might as well be biting into a tomato straight up.
His: Roasted Pork Belly, Spicy Sausage, Corn Relish, Mustard Cream Sauce
This was received well apart from the corn relish that bordered on the overly sweet side. The pork belly could have used just a tad more time roasting as well.
My Duck confit was perfectly cooked, sided by a Asian influenced spinach and mushroom salad dressed to the nines in a Balsamic Reduction. I tasted a hint of Chinese rice wine amidst the dressing that added a considerable layer of flavor complexity. And one could also comment on the slightly overwhelming splash of dressing, but in the grand scheme of things and the dish's near perfect execution, that would be tantamount to splitting hairs.
Lately, I haven't had much luck with desserts at restaurants. Always stumbling on dishes that look the part, but taste as though it was the after thought of a mad chef's crummy menu planning. Bistro Soori made an addition to that list.
Pandan Soufflé, Cookie, Strawberry Compote. This created stirs around the table every time a perfectly puffed version gets summoned from the heated enclaves of the oven. Yet what we got was a wet mess of eggy flavoured innards underneath that green sheath that suggested either an improper incorporation of the creme patisserie with the eggs whites or egg whites that were beaten way past their prime. My Caramelized Banana Puff, Rum Syrup, Vanilla Ice Cream didn't fare much better with over macerated bananas that looked clumpy and unappetising. (I spied rather whole looking banana slices on my neighbours table previously.. CONSISTENCY.. they probably scraped the bottom of the barrel on this order). To make matters worse, my puff pastry was raw. A slight tearing apart of the layers revealing a pastry chef's worse nightmare.
I could have done without the desserts.
That being said. Bistro Soori charms by straddling Modern European culinary borders, reminiscing Asian inspired flavors and serving them up to their diners on a constantly rotating menu. Like an experimental kitchen, there are bound to be hits and misses which I've fully come to accept. The next time I return, I'll make a beeline for that Wagyu Beef Burger.
Bistro Soori
No. 2 Teck Lim Road
Singapore 088385
Tel: 6438 3802
e: info@bistrosoori.com
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