Lunch at Maze by Gordon Ramsay (29-Ju-07)

I usually only blog about meals we have as a group but I’ve included this one based on requests.

VW and I had booked lunch at this restaurant in Grosvenor Square a week in advance of us arriving in London. It’s a short five minutes walk from Bond Street. Gordon Ramsay has a few restaurants in London, the most famous being Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road, one of only three restaurants in the UK to earn a 3-Michelin Star award. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay requires men to wear a jacket and tie so we opted for Maze which is one of Ramsay’s newer restaurants with a smart casual dress policy and therefore a more relaxed atmosphere.

Maze has a set menu of 4 or 6 courses, a la carte or a tasting menu of some twenty items. VW and I opted for the tasting menu – selecting four starters, four main courses and two desserts, accompanied by a crisp Cote de Rhone.

The wine menu is an inch thick and needless to say includes an impressive selection by the glass, by the flight (three glass selections) or the bottle.

Our starters were carpaccio of tuna and swordfish, foie gras, Cornish crab mayonnaise with avocado, sweet corn sorbet and Oscietra caviar and roasted Orkney sea scallops with potatoes, fried egg and pea mousee. The tuna and swordfish were decorated with eddible pansies, the crab was very delicate and the scallops were fantastic!

The main courses were honey and soy roasted quail with Landes foie gras and spiced pear chutney, braised shin of veal with spring pea and broad bean risotto, roasted rack of lamb with braised shoulder and ‘four onions’ and braised Suffolk pork belly with spiced lentils, confit baby leek and smoked paprika salt.

We chose the Elderflower granite with frozen “Fraise de Bois”, melon sorbet and melon mint soup and the Madagascan vanilla rice pudding, raspberry and lemon thyme jam, mascarpone and pecan ice cream for our desserts. The granite was very refreshing and clean after such rich main courses. The dessert menu include such interesting selections as pineapple carpaccio, coconut sorbet, seaweed croquette and Malibu lime jelly and simple items like peanut butter and cherry jam sandwich with salted nuts and cherry sorbet.

With exception to the unpleasant waitress who gave us our bill (or more accurately dropped it on our table) the service was proficient if somewhat cool. Staff in posh restaurants (indeed any restaurant) should remember that they only work there and the customers are paying their salaries. I find it quite amusing when they sometimes think it is the other way around.

The lunch, including wine, came to about GBP110.

Would I come back – Yes, when I'm in London. Great menus, very cool ambience, not exorbitantly priced for the quality.

Service – Professional, efficient but cold.

Food – Excellent, especialy the scallops.

Dinner at La Braceria (18-Jul-07)

CC, KP, PL, VW and I went to La Braceria last night. It’s located opposite Cantina in Greenleaf Load and I’ve wanted to try it ever since I heard that the pizza chef from Al Forno was running La Braceria. La Braceria is known for its grilled meats and pizzas.

It’s a small restaurant (CC thought it looked smaller than he remembered) and probably seats 25 at the most, with a couple of additional table outside. I made a booking the day before as in the past when we’d been in the area La Braceria was always full but on this evening it was fairly quiet. KP had tried to call the restaurant many times but was never able to get through.

We’d read that the restaurant had a $55 set featuring grilled tenderloin, a choice of pasta, two different selections of grilled meat and a choice of dessert but the waitress told they did not.

We were served a bowl of house bread with olive oil and balsamic dip while we mulled over the menu. The second helping tasted better and was softer after we asked the waiter to warm it.

For our appetisers we selected calamari (a firm favourite at any Italian restaurant) and as the homemade sausage (salsicce di maiale al finocchietto) was highly recommended we chose to take a main course of sausage as a shared appetiser. The calamari was the largest serving I’ve had in a restaurant, was soft and fresh and contained a pleasant surprise – prawns! I don’t know if that was by design or a few slipped in, but I’d recommend it to other restaurants. The sausage is made in house and uses chopped pork instead of minced meat so has a more rustic and chewy texture. Finocchietto is a liqueur made from fennel, which explains the strong herbal taste. Overall the sausage is nothing to rave about and was quiet dry, but was probably healthier than other types of sausages as it had very little fat. The roasted potatoes that were served as a side to the sausage were very good though, slightly crispy and soft inside.

Our main courses were grilled lamb chop marinated in rosemary, paper wrapped seafood spaghetti (which came in tinfoil not paper), homemade sausage (again) and two pizzas (from the selection of around 20) - one with parma ham and rocket, the other was the alla Braceria made with mozzarella, beef tenderloin, porcini mushroom and parmesan cheese.

Knowing that the chef was formerly from Al Forno, which has great pizzas, I was looking forward to the pizza here. CC and I had the restaurant split the pizza so we had half of each. Both pizzas were very thin with a crispy edge. The parm ham pizza had a tomato base and was nicely salty while the Braceria pizza had no tomato and tasted buttery – a very different style of pizza to the norm. I thought both were very good indeed (and I eat a lot of pizza!) and if I had to give one the edge over the other I’d say the Braceria was the winner because it was different. Pizzas were priced at around $23 each.

Seafood spaghetti in a paper bag is also an old Al Forno speciality and arrived steaming hot and smelling great. PL had the lamb and told me that I wouldn’t like it as it had that “lamb” smell but she enjoyed it.

For desserts we decided to share the profiterole and the warm chocolate cake (tortino caldo di cioccolato) and CC had affogato al caffee (bourbon vanilla gelato in espresso). The chocolate cake was served in a porcelain bowl and then the waiter poured Grand Marnier over it and set it alight. This was polished off quickly by the ladies so must have been good! The profiteroles were a disappointment. I found the chocolate sauce to be too sickly sweet and PL noted that the fresh cream inside “tasted funny” – it certainly tasted like it had been flavoured but I couldn’t identify with what. We only ate two of the four profiteroles. Desserts were priced around $9 each.

Overall the dinner, with a bottle of wine, came to $60 per head.

[Aside: CC told us over dinner that he had lunch at Kuriya and was served a lunch special item – a single cherry tomato, cut in half and served on shaved ice for $8! After we laughed furiously for a while I believe he was glad that someone else had paid for that lunch!]

Would I come back – Yes for the pizza. Quite ambience and a quaint location away from the maddening crowd.
Service – Good, nothing to complain about. In such a small space it is hard for the waiter not to take care of you, although we had hear rumours that the service was slow.
Food – Pizzas are excellent. The house special sausage is nothing to write home about and the desserts are so-so.

Dinner at Whitebait and Kale (11-Jul-07)

FS and P were back in town for a day on their way back to Bolehland from their vacation in the middle of the ocean.

We arranged dinner at Whitebait and Kale, in the Camden Medical Centre. FS, P, KP, PL, VW and I were there.

I hear that its main competitor is Corduroy and Finch. After a couple of poor experiences at Corduroy (the service staff and kitchen alike can’t cope with crowds) I really don’t think Corduroy meets the mark.

Whitebait and Kale has white, roughly laid floorboards, lots of small mirrors on the walls, dimmed lighting and a book case that divided the restaurant and contains a rather eclectic mix of glass bottles, glasses and miners’ lamps. There is a long serving area with a large blackboard above it, promoting the specials. Given that Whitebait is off the beaten track I was surprise that it was full on a weekday.

We shared a bowl of whitebait (of course) that looked promising but was just ok, a little hard in my opinion, but the portion was generous.

For starters we variously had the pan-fried crab cakes with asparagus and bush tomato chutney; arugula, blood orange, dates and shaved parmesan with balsamic-honey dressing; baby spinach with grilled Portobello and lemon olive oil. I really enjoyed the crab cakes and the tomato chutney. Starters cost around $15 to $21 each.

Mains were capellini with jumbo crabmeat, grilled peppers and olive oil (much like aglio olio with crabmeat); baked snapper pie with mushroom ragout, asparagus in a cream sauce; grilled ras-el-hanout marinated lamb rack, haricot verts and muhammara (muhammara looks like belachan, and is a Syrian pepper dip made from olive oil, pecans and garlic); grilled rock lobster.

I’ve tried the capellini before and it’s very good, slightly salty and the pasta is nicely al dente. The snapper pie was huge and very delicious, with the sauce being nice and light and the fish firm. I had the lamb which was pleasant but as is always the case in this part of the world (I should have known better) the lamb is a little too fatty, but the muhammara was a great compliment to the grilled meat. The had to send the lobster back as the meat near the head was translucent and even after being grilled again it was still not well cooked throughout – a bit of a disappointment really. Mains were priced around $25 to $35 each.

The mains were good portions so we decided to share desserts. We ordered pavlova with cream, passionfruit sorbet and berries; profiteroles with macadamia ice cream and chocolate dip; valrhona chocolate savarin with grand marnier orange sauce and bittersweet chocolate mousse; warm banana bread and butter pudding with toffee sauce. The pavlova was very good with crispy meringue and tart sorbet. The profiteroles were different to what you’d normally expect. Instead of choux pastry balls there was a bar of macadamia ice cream on to which halved pastry balls are stuck, with the chocolate dip served in a separate dish – very nice but it might disappoint if you were expecting traditional profiteroles. The savarin (a small chocolate cake dipped in liquer) and the bittersweet chocolate mousse were a nice compliment to each other with the savarin being warm and soft and the mousse chilled and firm. Desserts are priced at around $12.

Would I come back – Yes. Comfortable ambience, excellent food, good service.
Service – Good, although some of the younger staff were a little inexperienced.
Food – Very good, varied with plenty of healthy choices too.

Lunch at Peach Garden @ OCBC Executive Club (01-Jul-07)

As FS and P were back from Bolehland we had dim sum at Peach Garden at the old OCBC Executive Club, on the 33rd floor of the OCBC building. We’ve been to their other outlets at Novena and Thomson Plaza so we know the food is very good. V was in Europe, MS was working at 2pm so couldn’t join us, so there was CC, KP, PL, FS, P and I.

Tycoon C made the arrangements in person, however when we arrived there was no reservation (how many times have I seen that at Singapore restaurants? – too many). The restaurant wasn’t crowded so they found us a table anyway. After a while one of the owners turned up (now this is a mystery because every time I’ve been to a Peach Garden, no matter where, one of the owners, either Veronica or Angela has turned up – how is that possible? Cloning I think, but an excellent example of how much they value customer service.) Tycoon talked to her and before we knew it we were transferred to a large private room.

The dim sum was excellent, and served individually rather than in steamers. Desserts were very good too. Usually desserts at dim sum restaurants are so-so but Peach Garden has a number of innovative dishes. I particularly liked the pulut hitam with ice cream in a young coconut. We eventually left with about 30 empty coconuts in a bag (but that’s a story you’ll need to ask KP yourself!).

Following lunch we retired to a lounge area for coffee, tea and egg tarts. The lounge has a panoramic view of the Padang and Marina area. When the F1 comes in September 08, you can bet this room will be fully booked.

We had a great, languid Sunday lunch spread over three hours. Just the way dim sum is supposed to be taken.

Would I come back – Definitely. Good ambience, excellent food, excellent service.
Service – Excellent and personal. Hard to beat.
Food – Excellent and worth the premium that they charge.

Dinner at Dian Xiao Er in VivoCity (21-Jun-07)

We had dinner at Dian Xiao Er in VivoCity a couple of weeks ago with CC, KP, MS and PL. I’ve never been to VivoCity before, but it claims to be the biggest mall in Singapore (which is probably why I’ve never been there before!).

The restaurant is designed to look like an ancient Chinese tavern and the staff dress like something out of a cheap Channel 8 drama. It’s very popular and was busy and a little noisy when we were there. I don’t remember very well what we ate but I think we had their herbal roast duck, Dong Po pork (tasty not too fatty), Mongolian spare ribs and “house special xiao er beancurd”. I do, however, remember it was all pretty good.

By the way, don’t bother going to the VivoCity website, it doesn’t list restaurants. Don't get me started about bad website designs!

Would I come back – Yes but not if I want a quiet place to chat or didn’t want to look like I’m on the set of Crouching Tiger.
Service – Friendly, but very young. I think our waiter was about 12 years old.
Food – Good. Food was reasonably priced, well prepared and a nice change from Cantonese food.

Dinner at Le Bistrot (07-Jun-07)

To celebrate MS’s birthday MS, PL, CC, KP, VW and I had dinner at Le Bistrot at the Indoor Stadium. It’s a small restaurant with a cosy ambience and maroon décor that sits around 30 people. It opened in Joo Chiat two years ago and moved to the Indoor Stadium earlier this year.

The restaurant operates on a “table d'hôte” basis, meaning you pay a fixed price for either a two- or a three-course meal. An entree, main and dessert is $48, and for two courses it’s $38.

I tried the Poor Man’s Caviar for the entrée. PL warned me that it was big enough for two and she wasn’t wrong! In fact most of the dishes were well-sized portions, contrary to what one expects from French cuisine. The Poor Man’s Caviar is served in an airtight pot with toasted bread. It’s made from eggplant and garlic purée, chicken liver mousse and Pernod créme fraîche. The liver was not strongly flavoured and the eggplant and garlic purée were very refreshing. The others in our group had chilled pumpkin soup with goose rillettes (rillettes is a preparation of meat similar to paté), gratinated onion soup, and Tripes à la Niçoise –a gratinated casserole of beef tripe, white wine, tomatoes and onions.

For the main course VW and KP had the chargrilled rack of Yorkshire pork with a mushroom velouté (a type of light sauce made from stock, butter and flour) and pear compote. CC and I had lamb chops from Australia, served medium-rare. All the meats were generous, large cuts, in my opinion slightly too salty on the outsides, but soft and juicy overall. The lamb was a little more fatty than I’m used to but I always think that lamb is seasonal meat and as it’s winter now in Australia lamb would be naturally fatter. I always prefer lamb in the summer, as it is younger and leaner.

The restaurant has a respectable wine menu (mostly French as you’d expect) and the sommelier was helpful and knowledgeable. Selecting French wines can be tricky as they don’t have the year-in year-out consistency of New World wines. We ordered a 2004 Côtes du Rhône from Domaine Fond Croze, a gold medal winner in Paris in 2005. It was well rounded and nicely structured, a good compliment to the meats.

I ordered the bread pudding with rhubarb for dessert and the ladies all order the Impérial (which is an additional $10). The Impérial is macerated wild strawberry soup with pink peppercorns, mango and passionfruit sorbet and champagne. In fact lots of champagne, most certainly more than a normal glass full. The combination of peppercorns with the sweetness of strawberries was very interesting. I’ve had strawberries with balsamic vinegar and the combination of sweet/bitter was good, I’m not so certain the sweet/peppery combination using peppercorn is quite so pleasant.

Would I come back – Certainly. Reasonably priced for French food. A limited selection of dishes but plenty of interesting choices, well presented and balanced. Relaxing ambience. Looking forward to going back again.
Service – Friendly, unobtrusive. All meals served at the same time.
Food – Very good.

Dinner at Wah! Noogee House (20-May-07)

CC, KP, VW and I had dinner at Wah! Noogee House at the Carlton Hotel on Bras Basah Road. It’s a branch of the Wah Lok Cantonese restaurant serving Hong Kong food, and derives it name from noodle and congee. After sitting in the restaurant for a while I realised it looks very much like a converted squash court, especially as there is a dividing wall about a fifth of the way down the restaurant which is floor to ceiling glass and has two small doors in it. After some research I found it was formerly a restaurant called Jeremy’s, but I still like the squash court idea!

We started with siew yoke and roast duck, accompanied by plum sauce and mustard sauce ($10). I felt the mustard sauce was very mild but the meats were tasty although the siew yoke could have been crispier, there could have been more of it and the duck had too many bones. We also ordered deep fried pork ribs with garlic ($10). The pork was chopped into small pieces less than an inch long. It was very tender and there was lots of tasty, roasted garlic slices.

The ladies had sour plum drinks which were refreshing although didn’t quite taste natural.
VW ordered sliced fish hor fun ($16), KP had shredded chicken crispy noodles ($9.50), CC had congee and I ordered fried noodles with peppered pork ribs ($10). VW enjoyed the hor fun, which was the thinner Hong Kong version, and there was certainly lots of steaky, good quality fish. I felt the hor fun could have had more of that burnt wok taste. The peppered pork ribs were very tender, had no bones and the noodles were crispy and tasty.
Dessert was herbal jelly ($6), walnut cream ($3.50) and cream of pomello and mango pudding ($3.50). I enjoyed the walnut cream but it was not to VW’s taste. KP thought the pomello was bitter and the dessert was “low” on taste.

I hear the wanton noodles here are very good and the next time we come back we’ll have to give them a try.

Parking is astronomical at $6 per entry, the most expensive I know of in Singapore. Fortunately if you ask, the restaurant will give you a $4 parking redemption voucher which makes the cost of parking more reasonable.

The dinner came to $22 after a 10% credit card discount.

Would I come back – Yes, reasonably priced for the quality.
Service – Friendly, prompt, meals were delivered quickly.
Food – Good variety of quality Hong Kong dishes.