Crystal Jade Dining IN - Dim Sum with a fantastic view

This posh branch of the CJ chain is way cool.

Walking through the grand hallway into the restaurant's dining area made us feel like VIPs. Hehe. Their floor-to-ceiling windows ensure you a panoramic view of Sentosa island no matter where you sat(well of course, the nearer the better).

picture courtesy of FortheLoveofFood

Other than the stylish decor, the menu here is also different from what you get in the usual outlets. Finesse is the adjective to describe its dishes; and on top of that, it offers interesting dishes like ostrich meat as well. Be expected to pay a little more than the usual. After all, this is a 'fine-dining' restaurant(as stated on their website).

Char Siew Cheong ($5-6++)

This is done Cantonese-style― steamed rice rolls (aka chee cheong fun) with BBQ pork fillings sitting in a pool of sweet soy sauce. 

Skin was of appropriate thickness, this is best eaten hot as the skin gets rather chewy and floury when cold. Sadly, I thought that it got rather monotonous after awhile. Would have preferred if the char siew fillings were moister and more gooey.

But hey, that's just me. I've always preferred prawn/scallop fillings in my cheong funs.

  Fried XO Carrot Cake ($10-12++?)

Greasy stuff, but that's how it's meant to be.

The XO sauce lended a kickass flavour to the slightly crispy carrot cake cubes that were pillowy-soft inside. Crunchy beansprouts not only provided a contrasting texture, but also added a tinge of sweetness to the dish. If only there were more eggs here and there :P

Salted egg yolk custard bun ($3.60++)

Nothing spells L.O.V.E more than these babies. And I actually have a 2-step ritual for eating them.

1) I break the bun into two equal halves; it excites me to no end whenever I witness the molten custard lava flowing out..

2) I savour the two halves, one by one.

I can never forget the taste of these; a blissful marriage of creamy custard accentuated with pungent salted egg yolk. Sweet and savoury, slightly grainy. Gimme another basket now.

 picture courtesy of aromacookery

 Egg tarts ($3.30++)

The tantalizing fragrance exuded from the wobbly, eggy custard tart was already a good sign; tasting it further confirmed my suspicions. I appreciated its light and flaky crust too, as soggy ones are such turn-offs.

Ee fu noodles with seafood ($19++)

Littered with goodies like prawns, scallops, fish slices, this were more than decent. Each bite is punctuated with a delicate sweetness from the addition of yellow chives. Also, thumbs up to the slick noodles that were springy with bite.  Flavourful and well-braised, I found myself wanting for more.

Conclusion:  With 3/4 hits, I generally have no qualms coming back again. Just imagine yourself having a leisurely afternoon dim sum while gazing at the stunning sea views. I would recommend this place to not only dim-sum lovers, but also to avid fans of Cantonese fare.

However, prepare yourself with slight service waits as lunch time here is almost always fully-packed, even on weekdays. I found it quite hard to get the attention of the wait staff as:

1) They were obviously very busy

2) The restaurant is too big and they can't seem to see us flailing our hands helplessly

3) Shortage of manpower during peak periods.

1 Harbourfront Walk

#01-112 VivoCity, Singapore

6278 5626

Opening Hours

Mon–Fri: 11.30am–3pm, 6pm–10.30pm 

Sat: 11am–3.30pm, 6pm–10pm 

Au Petit Salut - Classic French nosh done good

Dempsey again. This time, Au Petit Salut.

The moment I walked into the restaurant, the number question on my mind was, where to sit? 

Inside?

 Or outside?

The external dining area looked good for some privacy, while the interior looked really elegant.

We eventually decided on dining inside as we wanted to enjoy our meal air-conditioned =)

 Complimentary bread platter was served and it didn't leave much of an impression.

 Lobster bisque with tarragon and lobster ravioli ($16)

We had a soup to share; our first dish and star of the night! We immensely enjoyed this. It was slightly creamy, savoury much, and we could also taste the natural sweetness of the crustacean. The soup was nicely perfumed with tarragon; and it was..bowl-licking good!

They very kindly portioned it into two for us. At that moment, I thought. "Why did we had to share? I don't want to share!" Every mouthful was pure pleasure.. Sigh..I only had one grouse; that they could have been more generous with the shredded lobster meat innards.

 Oven baked baby French seabass "butterfly" served with mixed greens and fennel salad, thyme and tomato vinaigrette

I didn't know what "butterfly" means; I just found it interesting and ordered it out of curiousity. And when this arrived, I immediately regretted. It was such a boring choice! Michelle NEVER orders boring food like this. 

What to do! It was my own choice. So simple and clean-tasting(read: plain) that I would have believed if you told me that it was steamed fish. Not that this was bad, I just don't fancy it.

Crispy shredded pork with braised red cabbage, chestnuts, and grain mustard

The boyf's main was a much better choice. This was yummy. I loved the charred, crispy skin and the silky strands of pork which were juicy and flavourful. As this was almost half a year ago, I really forgot what the accompanying sauce was. Madeira sauce, I'm guessing?

But I do remember that the whole dish hit the right notes and there was nothing not to love about.

Orange and Grand Marnier soufflé with chocolate truffle

This was remarkable as well. The exterior was slightly crispy and had a nice caramelized taste, and the innards were ethereally light. The souffle was infused with a little grand marnier, giving it a nice, citrusy taste. I felt..What's that word? Oh yes..Invigorated. And the melted chocolate truffle in the center was a nice touch of sweetness. Chocolate and orange come together just like long-lost best friends.

Warm melted 70% chocolate cake served with 64% dark chocolate sorbet and red currant jam and pistachio nuts

Ubiquitous, but resistance is futile when faced against the sheer indulgence of chocolaty goodness.

APS's rendition had a crispy chocolate crust which when provoked, oozed out a tide of gooey, molten chocolate. Warm chocolate paired with cold ice cream. My, this was ridiculously decadent. The tart jam provided a nice contrast against all the sweetness.

With 4/5 hits, we remember leaving APS with a satisfactory smirk and a champagne-induced high. The big question..Will I ever return again?

Hell yeah.

Au Petit Salut
40C Harding Road, Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Tel: +65 6475 1976
Website

Opening Hours
Mon– Fri 
Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm (last order)
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.30 pm (last order)
Sat 
Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm (last order)
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.30pm (last order) 
Closed Sundays


Random: We adjoined to PS Cafe for some post-meal drinks. And I have to comment that their Passionfruit martini is really good! It's not passionfruit syrup, mind you. There were more than a couple of passionfruit seeds in the martini glass.

And there was this Sunrise Caprioska or something that was pui, but the boyf insisted on finishing it. Guess who got tipsy in the end? ;)

Pamplemousse - From that moment on, everything changed

Okay, post title has nothing to do with the food nor service. It's referring to something magical that happened which changed the lives of two people ever since ♥


Dempsey Hill is one of my favourite places to dine in due to its secludity(which is sadly diminishing due to increasing popularity) and its peaceful ambience.

I brought my boyf(then-friend) for dinner at Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar, which serves European cuisine with a fusion touch of Jap, Korean, Chinese, Greek, etc here and there. We had the Prix Fix Dinner Menu at $48++ per person, from which diners are given a choice of Appetizer+Main or Main+Dessert. Click here for their menu.

No pictures taken of the warm ciabatta that was served as pre-meal complimentary bread. 

We shared the Pan-seared foie gras, which required an extra $12 supplement. I thought that Pamplemousse's macadamia nut crusted version was an interesting variation but the boyf found it odd instead. Well, to each of his own. I liked how they played up the textures; gritty nuts, soft and curd-like goose liver, and crusty sweet brioche. It was both teasing and pleasing on the palate.

And the Onion soup "Breakfast" was for me only(selfish) :P

Now, this was unlike traditional ones that are served with melted gruyère and croutons, it arrived deconstructed in four parts. The flavourful broth of sweet, caramelized onions came in a generous portion and I felt that I was momentarily transported into a quaint little cottage, enjoying a thick, hearty and comforting bowl of soup.

Sidekicks consisted of cheese croquettes, truffled nori butter, and french toast brioche with caramelized onion fillings which were decent.

For my main, I had my eye on the Uni Tagliolini that was unfortunately not available on that day. Disappointed much :( So my alternative was the Black Cod that was served with caramelized cauliflower, oyster mushrooms, with conpoy and curry leaves sauce.

I was too absorbed in my meal that I forgot to snap pictures of the mains, but I guess you can pretty much imagine how it looks like yeah?

Here's a taste guide: Silky and tender goodness under a crisp skin accompanied with rich and creamy curry sauce(not unlike McD's curry sauce :P). My only gripe was the dry-ish cauliflower. Otherwise, nicely executed but not definitive in any manner that made it truly outstanding.

 Picture courtesy of yumyumtumtum

Boyf's Duck Confit was decent but wasn't spectacular either. It passed the crisp skin test, but would have achieved perfection if the slivers of duck meat were a little moister. It went well with the braised red cabbage which was sweet and slightly sharp in taste, a little along the lines of sauerkraut. The piquant lychee gastrique had a nice caramelized taste and slight sour notes, a perfect counter for the richness of the poultry.

The retrospective overview is that Pamplemousse serves up affordable, new-age European food that are bold in the inclusion of fusion elements(check out their menu and you'll know what I mean) and they're definitely not crappy. Their quiet location and nice Parisian ambience scores them a plus too. Nuff said. A return visit is already on the cards. Hmm.. Their brunch looks nice as well *hint hint* =P

Pamplemousse
Blk 7 Dempsey Road, #01-04 Singapore
Tel: +65 6475 0080

Opening Hours
Tue–Fri: 12pm–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm
Sat–Sun: 11.30am–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm
(Closed on Mon)