Gordon Grill @ Goodwood Park Hotel

We are back at Gordon Grill for the 2nd time. It's a pity that this restaurant is usually not in the radar of most diners, because they serve really good western food with good service too.




After taking this photo, then I noticed that the bar outside actually has a name.




The rather grand lobby. It's quite crowded during the weekends as they hold their English High Teat at the lobby. From the looks of it, the English High Tea's spread looks limited as compared to their Local High Tea spread.



A glass of Medoc to start off our lunch.




The breads were warm and good. I like the Onion Roll.




Ice-Water is also served here at no extra charge.



(From left to right) Marinated Dublin prawn tartar with tomatoes and virgin mary sorbet, Cold Japanese noodles with king crab and farm caviar and truffle oil, Wagyu beef carpaccio with celeriac remoulade and parmesan cheese shavings. Out of these 3, I like the prawn tartar the most.



Braised escargots with red wine fus and garlic puree and melted parsley butter, Hokkaido scallops with Spanish ham and green asparagus with black truffle dressing, Roasted duck Foie Gras with poached pear and raspberry vinegar sorbet. These 3 appetizers were good too.



I like how the soup is served in small cups, so you get to taste 3 flavours in one sitting. Here we have Poultry Comsomme, Lobster Bisque and Mushroom cappuccino.




French Onion Soup, Lobster Bisque, "Soupe du Jour"




The Glazed Yorkshire pork loin with potato fondant, melted spinach and Puy lentil Ragout was good, but the pork was a bit dry for us.




But the U.S. beef fillet with braised cheek in Bourdelaise sauce and seasonal mushrooms will please even the most picky steak lover.



Done medium rare, it was juicy and tender.



Ended the meal with a glass of white Chateau.



Dessert was Arctic roll (an old favourite among many Singaporeans) of vanilla bean ice-cream with marinated red berries



But the best for me was the Pistachio creme brulee with almond crust . It was both creamy, sweet and had some nutty crunch.



I also like the Chocolate and hazelnut tart with a light orange ice-cream.




Silky coconut panna panna cotta with tropical fruit minestrone




Ended the lunch with a cup of hot Coffee with brown sugar crystals.



Gordon Grill
22 Scotts Road
Ground Floor
Goodwood Park Hotel

Bar Bar Black Sheep @ Robertson Blue

If it is not enough for condos to be outfitted with infinity pool and other amenities, the newer ones along Robertson Quay now comes with restaurants and shops.




The 2nd Bar Bar Black Sheep (1st at Bukit Timah) is located at the new Robertson Blue condo, which is opposite of River View Hotel along the river.




There is al-fresco are which is pretty cooling and balmy during a cloudy afternoon...




... and also a sheltered indoor restaurants with a huge industrial fan spinning on top of the exceptionally high ceiling.




There are 3 "food stalls" here selling food - Thai, Western and Indian. The Thai stall was formerly at Farrer Road Market (don't really know where).



White Russian (S$11) and Fruit Punch (S$3.50). The sweet White Russian is made from Kahlua, Vodka and Cream.



I like the Thai Green Curry (S$13.50), not too spicy yet flavourful and creamy. Pity the white rice (S$1.50) was a bit on the expensive side.



The Sambal Olek Chicken Spaghetti (S$11.90) was okay. Guess anyone could have whipped this up in their kitchen.




A nice watering hole along the rather quiet river at Robertson area. Average food, but great location.



Bar Bar Black Sheep
86 Robertson Quay
#01-04
Robertson Blue

Oyster Bar @ Customs House

What used to be the police customs building at Clifford Pier just received a multi-million dollars renovation to become the new Customs House, which boast several brand new restaurants along the now world famous Marina Bay.



Drivers who are going round and round to find the carpark to Customs House should note that there is really no car park here. The nearest car park is at NTUC Centre and we only discovered that after our second trip down to the Marina Bay area.



Although 3 restaurants have opened in Customs House, the entire place is pretty much still work-in-progress. Most of the walls have been knocked down and replaced with panoramic glasses overlooking the bay.



The first to open here is Oyster Bar. According to this week's 8 Days, the Italian and Singaporean owners of this bar were the previous owners of the now-defunct Ming Kia at the former China Square Food Court selling Italian food.



Keeping to its bay front theme, Oyster Bar looks more like a bar than a restaurant. And this is really what it is - It's a place to have drinks and also some oysters and light main dishes.



What is an oyster bar without... well, an oyster bar? Diners can sit along the bar counters or next to the windows, or at this oyster counter where the chefs freshly shuck open oysters from all over the world right in front of your eyes.



Those who need your carbo will be pleased to note that Oyster Bar serves a pretty good Bread Platter with Herb Cheese spread (Complimentary with every main course). My personal preference is the crispy toast, which went well with the creamy cheese spread.



Oyster freshly shucked by pair - Tsarskaya (S$18 for 2). As the name suggests, Tsarskaya oysters are premium French oysters served to the rich and power Tsars back during the pre-Soviet Union time. The oysters were one of the freshiest and best I had in Singapore, and it's not difficult to see (or rather taste) why they were a favourite on the dining tables of the Tsars.



Oysters Shooters Trio (S$22) - Bisque & Grand Marnier, Double Gin Nutmeg and Limoncello Balsamico. Real potent alcohol in these shooters each with one oyster. My fav was the Bisque and also the Limoncello.



Here come the mains. Oysters baked in eggs, and laced with Caviar made up the Emperor Caviar & Oysters (S$38) . The oysters baked in eggs were really addicitive, and by far the signature dish of Oyster Bar. The slabs of pancakes (more like Mee Chiang Kueh) were too thick and cold for my liking.



Not so nice was the Nordic Trio (S$32). I didn't like the Salmon Tartare and Salmon Heart which was a bit too raw and tasteless, and preferred the balls of Salmon Rosettes accompanied by Ikura All were served with small lobster bisque and greens together with a citrus dressing.



By then, we were already too full to enjoy this Duo of Champagne Foie Gras en terrine (S$32). Oyster Bar was very very generous and gave us 2 slabs of Foie Gras en terrine. We wasted half of it but it was of good quality. If you are feeling a bit "jelek" from the Foie Gras, spread some caramelized onions onto the toast.



So will Oyster Bar survive the intense F&B competition along the bay? Well, maybe. There are other items like Wagyu Oyster burger and Jamón Ibérico De Bellota which will please the carnivores, but perhaps the all oyster menu may not be able to attract more to this area. Hopefully when the other F&B restaurants open, they can bring more buzz to this area.



Oyster Bar
#01-01
Customs House

Ochre @ Orchard Central

Shopping centres built by Far East has the tendency to be cursed by weird designs. One is The Central @ Clark Quay. Tshops and restaurants there are hidden from the view of most shoppers, causing shoppers not knowing what is available.

Another would be Orchard Central. I have heard many complain that they usually end up at the dead end, and the only way to go up is to wait for the lift.



Ochre created a stir in the local dining scene recently not only because of its good Japanese-Italian food, but because its Japanese head chef Kentaro is quite a head turner. His photo has been splashed in major magazines and newspaper, and the chef has become an attraction to quite a lot of diners.



The name Ochre is both a reference to the yellow brownish mineral found across Italy, and also symbolizes that it is located here at Orchard Central. Fortunately, the interior did not reminded us of this mineral.



Complimentary warm bread was served upon arrival.



Fusion food usually sucks. But here, Chef Kentaro skillfully mixed the best of Italian food which he leartn while living in the city of Florence, with the freshness and high quality of Japanese ingredients.



Italians usually have creamy heavy soup. But here the chef created this clear wholesome Duck Consomme with Foie Gras Ravioli (S$12) - Clean intense poultry taste in a good way. We can always draw parallel between western consomme with our Chinese double boiled clear soups that is tasty and nourishing. Consomme is always my favorite Ang Moh soup.



Zuppa Mushroom Soup (S$12) - Nice rich flavour with velvety smooth texture



Anatra Smoked Duck Risotto (S$25) - This dish escapes a major problem among many restaurants when cooking the risotto, that it comes out either too soggy or too hard. Here, the risotto was just right and suitable for the Asian taste. Cheese and smoked duck added flavours to the risotto.




Pesce del Giorno - Catch of the Day - Grilled Fish Wrapped with Ham (S$30) - This is a unique combination of fish and ham, but quite a weird combination.




Another of their signature dish was the Tagliorini - Squid ink pasta with crab and prawn meat (S$27). It's everything that a good squid ink pasta should be: Flavourful, Al-Dente and of course, ink-black colour. It was well worth the S$27 as Ochre doesn't stinge on the crab meat.



Panna Cotta with Rasberry and Passion Fruit soup (S$11) - The passion fruit and rasberry are too acidic for us.



Nougat Glace (S$10) - The Nougat us not as hard as those which we usually have as sweets, and the pistachio gives this dessert a nice aroma and crunch.


Ochre
Orchard Central,
#11-03/04

Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant @ One Fullerton

Not far from One On The Bund is Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant. The name Palm Beach is very familiar with generations of Singaporeans, from the old to the young.



Palm Beach was originally located at Upper East Coast Road, before moving to the old Kallang Leisure Park and now finally at One Fullerton which is next to the Merlion.



The entrance to the restaurant. Many restaurants are showing the World Cup along One Fullerton, and it is possible to watch the World Cup while eating your Chilli Crab.



The interior is bright and clean.




Piggy & Bessy - What a name for this Kong Ba Pau (Braised Pork Bun) dish with a twist. Instead of the usual soya sauce braise, it is fried and cooked with Chinese tangy vinegar sauce.




Nothing goes wrong with tender juicy pork chops wrapped in Chinese steamed mantou.




Palm Beach serves some of Singapore's largest Crispy Crullers (Sotong Fritters) . Generous amount of Sotong paste were slathered onto the crispy Yew Char Kway, and is always a favourite among diners.




This Singapore Food Festival award winning dish Double-Baked Crab Ala Singapura is an original creation by them. I love how the cheese is infused and baked till crisp with the sweet and juicy crab flesh.



To wash down all the meat and seafood, we had the healthier Sambal Potato Leaves, which pales in comparison to the version at No Signboard.




Avoid ordering the Chilli Crab at Palm Beach. Consisting of 75% Tomato Ketchup and 25% chilli, this is a watered down version meant to cater Ang Mor tourists.

Worse, the crab came lukewarm. Isn't Chilli Crab suppose to be served pipping hot?



Seafood Hor Fun - Food reviewers raved about their hor fun, and indeed it was fried with excellent Wok Hei taste with generous seafood.



Location is a plus for Palm Beach, which faces the entire Marina Bay area. However, it is ironic that a seafood restaurant actually does better meat dishes than seafood items.


Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant
1 Fullerton Road
#01-09
One Fullerton Singapore