Sparkling or Still: Sque @ Central Clarke Quay

Monday, November 28, 2011

Sque @ Central Clarke Quay

Back in September, the very enterprising Emmanuel Stroobant opened a new concept restaurant at the ground floor of Central mall facing the Clarke Quay river. Sque (Pronounced as Skew), combines an alehouse together with a rotisserie. Sounds weird? But the concept actually works.

There are 2 sections here: An alfresco outdoor area with quite a number of seats, and a smaller air-con indoor area which is much smaller (hence reservations is required during peak hours for indoor seating).

The selection of beer here is astonishing. Comparable to Brussels Sprouts (which is also by Belgium born Emmanuel Stroobant too). We were recommended the Schneider Weisse Tap 7 (S$11.50 for a 1-for-1 half pint) - Hefeweizen beer from Germany. Fresh, light and crisp. Perfect for fried and roast food.

A look at the open concept kitchen.

Another wonderful restaurant which serves free iced water.

We ordered the starter of Salt & Pepper Prawns (S$18) - The King Prawns were flashed fried in a light tempura batter which has been slightly spiced, and the sauce to go along is Citrus Spicy Dipping. The prawns were definitely fresh and sweet, and the batter was not oily. Most important of all is that it went well with the fresh beer. Yummy!

On the other hand, the Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup (S$14) was a bit too heavy - the soup had Wild Mushrooms, Chicken, Truffle Essence and Toast.

The roasts here have a Middle Eastern + Indian flavour to the food. Our first mains was the Roast Chicken (S$24 for half) with Sque's spiced rub, served with salad and roasted potatoes. The chicken meat was very tender and juicy, even the chicken breast! We think it was one of the best roast chicken we had for a long time. But we had a difficult time finishing the roasted potato sides. Think they were undercooked.

The Lamb Sque'r (S$32)- Lamb skewers marinated with cumin, coriander seed, paprika, garlic and lemon confit, also had a strong Middle East flavour to it. Served with salad and roasted potatoes. Top marks for the tender and juicy lamb, but minus marks for the undercooked roasted potatoes.

After the disappointing roasted potato sides, we were relieved that the Fries with Truffle Mayonnaise (S$8) fared much better. The fries were freshly fried (whole potatoes with skin). Crisp on outside, and starchy in the inside. The Truffle Mayo also went well with the fries.