Senso Ristorante - Dining under the stars

The sweetheart & I make it a point to celebrate each month-sary whenever possible, and the honour of the sixth month went to...

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Senso Ristorante!

 (trying to create suspense when it's stated in the title of my post =/)

Absolutely love the alfresco courtyard setting.

Can count stars with your loved one. Lol~

Both indoor and outdoor seatings are available for dinner, and we chose to sit outdoors because of the ambience. My photos above do not capture the sensuality of it at all.  

 

So, I decided to grabborrow some pictures from dearest Google.

photo credit: SingaporeDine

 Recommended by the sommelier, we had some prosecco ($16/$18++?) to start the meal (picture taken before it was served). Forgot the name but it was light and fizzy, great for preppin' the palate.

 The bread basket was nothing to shout about. The only thing that I like was the crispy and addictive breadsticks. Couldn't stop nibbling at it.

 Amuse bouche: Salmon mousse with some kind of cheese fritter (sorry, forgot)

 For starters, we had the Parma ham 18 months ($26++) to share. They were nice enough to portion it for us; the above is my share. (yes, there were only two.)

It's essentially Pan-fried Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Parma Ham, and served with black Olives Tapenade. Two words to describe. Utterly Delicious. Succulent Parma + Chewy Mozzarella= The Sex. It was simple yet full of flavours, and not to mention, oozing juices with every bite. Seriously, I can't imagine anyone not likingloving these gems.

 The boyfriend had the Cappellini Pasta with (either bacon/chorizo, sorry forgot again!) in Saffron-Cream sauce ($28++). I liked how the cream sauce was revved up with the use of a little saffron, to create this uplifting aroma that the expensive spice is known for.

I was torn between the Duo of Risotti and Homemade Taglierini Pasta with Boston Lobster and fresh Basil ($32++). No prizes for guessing which I eventually chose.

For this dish, you can choose to have your pasta done in Black (Squid ink) or White (original) version. It was Black anytime for me, coz me.heart.squid.ink.

However, it kinda disappointed me a little when I realised that there were no squid ink sauce at all in this dish, but rather, squid ink-infused pasta instead :(

K, The Good first: Pasta was perfectly al dente, springy with bite. The tomato sauce was tasty with a good balance of sweet and tangy notes. Very generous with the lobster chunks.

The Bad: Lobster was a tad too chewy and lacking in the sweetness usually found in the crustacean. (boring)

But lobster aside, this was still a mighty competent pasta.

For sweets, we opted for one that was on their seasonal menu (truffles this time) - Truffles & Truffles’ Chocolate Truffles & Truffle Ice-cream ($16++).

Yeah truffles, we get it.

The chocolate truffles was actually a chocolate truffle cake, which tasted something like a mousse cake. This had no taste of the truffle(fungi) but was given an sharp twist with rock salt sprinkled on top. Quite nice and light tasting.
On the other side of the spectrum, the homemade ice-cream had the earthy notes and nutty savoriness of the prized fungi, which my palate needed getting used to. (what the heck, it's fungi-flavoured ice-cream!) I wouldn't say that this was mind-blowing, but it was definitely interesting and worth a try.

They've been around since 2000 and have won many awards for the food, wine and ambience, which  means that they're definitely doing something right! Scoring with their well-executed pasta dishes that are full of finesse and flavours, Senso Ristorante is definitely the place to go to for authentic Italian nosh. This place is definitely one of my favourite Italian restaurants from now on.

Senso Ristorante

21 Club Street

6224 3534

Open Weekdays: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm

Sat–Sun: 6pm – 10.30pm 

Sun: 11am – 3pm (Brunch)

A taste of Finland @ Gordon Grill

I jumped at the chance when a lovely friend of mine asked if I was interested in this special Finnish promo at Gordon Grill. He tried to further entice me by saying that I could expect to have reindeer meat in this meal. I initially thought it was a joke, until I found out he was dead serious about it.

So here I came, with no expectations at all as I haven't tried anything Finnish before, hence there's nothing for me to benchmark with.

We had the obvious choice: The 6-Course Degustation Dinner at S$98 per person.

The meal kicked off with a glass of lovely pear cider that was light and refreshing.

 Amuse bouche: Dried reindeer steak with red onion jam on a crisp cracker

Chewy, fibrous strips of smoky meat that were reminiscent of beef jerky or in chinese terms - bak kwa. Plenty delish when eaten together with the red onion jam and thin cracker.

 And also a selection of dark rye breads and crackers. Bread was chewy and rustic, but I'm no fan of it. The sandy rye crackers were fragrant and tasted like cornflakes, in a good way.

Juniper marinated reindeer tenderloin with wild mushroom salad, smoked vendace and buckthorn-carrot puree

The meat here was a little more thickly sliced than the amuse bouche, but was miles apart in terms of taste and texture. It was slimy and moist, but had gamy notes of lamb. Wild mushroom salad was yummy, even if it was a tad salty. Vendace was delish in every nibble. Taste-wise, it was like a cross between unagi and sardine, and was non-fishy. And that smoky aroma was simply intoxicating.

 Blini-style buckwheat brioche with salmon trout roe, beetroot-fresh cheese mousse and red onion jam
Cut into two tiny halves, l thought that the brioche looked cute. Served warm and moist, it tasted like a toasty, nutty, non-sweet version of a muffin. I enjoyed eating it together with the red onion jam, which was sweet and slightly tangy. The star of this dish would be the beetroot cheese mousse. Creamy, cheesy and insanely delicious. Beetroot gave it a tinge of sweetness and this yummy stuff was polished off easily. Salmon trout roe however, was so fishy that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.

 Reindeer roast with liquorice sauce, potato pudding and sautéed cabbage roll

The thickness of the reindeer meat had increased in this dish, as did the intensity of the flavour. Though the gaminess of it tended to overwhelm at times, I still liked the full-bodied and richness of it. and I swore I could taste hints of foie gras. The liquorice sauce was lip-smackingly delicious and did much to enhance the flavour of the meat.

Potato pudding got me at a love-hate situation as I loved its soft, mushy texture but hated the taste of star anise in it. But when eaten with the dollop of lingonberry jam, this was mighty tasty. The tiny beads of barley had an nice chewy texture but was pretty tasteless and the cabbage roll was forgettable.

 Leaf celery sorbet

This was intriguing as neither of us had tasted anything like this before. The first taste had us stumped as it tasted exactly like celery, sharp and pungent. However, it was really addictive and it grew on us after a few more bites. The sugar-crusted celery leaf was way too sweet; it seemed like we were eating sugar crystals.

 Selection of Finnish cheeses with cloudberry jam and toasted oat bread

This was the dish that my dining partner had warned me about, and I was rather apprehensive about this course as I am not a fan of pungent and sharp-tasting cheeses. Surprise-of-the-day, I actually found the cheeses to be plenty toothsome!
Crumbly, salty, with a slight astringent taste, it was such a joy to eat. I especially loved the blue cheese for its sharp and slightly rancid flavour, which bonded beautifully with the delicious cloudberry jam and chewy rye bread.

I hereby pronounce myself as a cheese convert =)

Dessert Symphony – Lapland cottage cheese, milk chocolate mousse and cold blueberry soufflé

This is gorgeous. The best part was the blueberry souffle. Yummilicious, chilled blueberry compote oozed lazily from its dark chocolate shell and had me at wow. Milk chocolate mousse was a little too sweet and got a little cloying after few bites. Lapland cottage cheese was sadly bland and no amount of vanilla sauce could save it.

At the end of the meal, we were served yummy Finnish chocolates and offered the choice of coffee/tea which we both rejected as we did not want to end up awake all night =P

Conclusion: Exotic? Definitely. This was such a rare opportunity and I probably would never have the chance to sample Finnish cuisine again. It was a real eye and palate-opener for me. Simple ingredients used, but the effect produced from the combination was gorgeous. Kudos to Chef Kim Palhus; he made the Finnish and their cuisine proud.

Gordon Grill

22 Scotts Road

Goodwood Park Hotel

6730 1744

Daily: 12pm-2.30pm, 7pm-10.30pm

The best meal of the first half of 2011 - OTTO

Who said it was all about the food?
I just had the most wonderful meal of my life last week, at none other than OTTO Ristorante.

Delectable yet unpretentious food aside, I particularly loved their elegant decor and dimly-lit interior; perfect for a nice, quiet meal with a loved one.

Their service was tip top. Staff were warm and sincere, attentive and never intrusive.

A server came around with a bread basket with a selection of four types. I loved the onion foccacia; the tip of the bread was rather sweet and tasted like melted cheese. Yums.

Up next was an amuse bouche of vegetable ragout of tomato and zucchini which was slightly tart; a simple start to a scrumptious meal.

And my boyf is the sweetest. It's the white asparagus season again and he knows how much I wanted to have it. Despite him being anti-greens, he still ordered it as a starter for me. We were spoiled for choices by the number of white asparagus dishes on the menu. It ranged from safe options like white asparagus risotto, tagliatelle, to interesting ones like white asparagus souffle. After obtaining the opinion of a server, we decided on the Montasio cheese gratin white asparagus with sunny side up egg (price forgot. should be either $18 or $24).

Three giant white spears arrived on our table shortly. It was so soft that I had a hard time picking it up with my fork, but who's complaining? The fruity flavour of Montasio cheese further enhanced the natural sweetness of the prized delicacy, and the alluring smoky aroma from grilling it was simply enchanting. Together with balsamic glaze and a sip of champagne, I had more than a few moments of ambrosia.

My main: Pan roasted "halibut" fillet wrapped in Parma ham with baby spinach and langoustine sauce ($38). This was a little less spectacular than what I had preconceived in my head. The parma ham encompassing the fish was so thinly-sliced that it had the barely there effect, as though it was there merely to add a touch of savoriness to the fish.

To be honest, I had zilch experience with halibut fishies and the boyf told me that it was not the real thing as the latter had an unmistakably firmer and meatier texture. Fair enough, the menu stated clearly that it was "halibut", instead of just halibut.

The unidentified fish was a teeny little dry, but that's coming from someone who likes her fishes slippery and oily. This may just be the characteristic of that particular fish. The blandness of it was overlooked as I happily dipped it into the creamy langoustine sauce; think lobster bisque. Paired with a glass of Pinot Grigio, I'm still a happy girl.

 My boyf's main was my personal favourite of the night. The Crispy "suckling pig" lacquered with acacia honey and balsamic vinegar ($48) was so incredibly delicious that I half-wished that it was mine instead. Ultra-crispy skin that remained status quo throughout plus crazily soft meat with just the right amount of fat sandwiched between. Drizzled with my favourite balsamic glaze(again), this was absolutely divine.

The research findings about us humans having second compartments for dessert? Certified. We were stuffed after all the food and booze, but nothing could stop us from ordering the Haitian vanilla creme brulee served with Vincotto marinated berries ($14).

I am not hard to please when it comes to creme brulees, and this one scored with me. The fun part of eating this is cracking the hard sugar crust which gave way to creamily smooth custard innards. The aromatic waft of Haitian vanilla engulfed my palate with every bite; it was sheer pleasure.

Sigh. A round of applause for OTTO please. With such finesse and dedication, they are the ultimate pride of contemporary Italian cuisine.

OTTO Ristorante

28 Maxwell Road, #01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building

(S)069120

6227 6819

Open Weekdays 12pm-10:30pm; Sat 6:30pm-10:30pm

A classy meal at Lawry’s

The boyf and I had talked about visiting Lawry’s to sample their signature ribs; and we made a trip down sooner than expected, thanks to the DBS 1-for-1 main course e-voucher promo which ended on 30/4. It cost us $80 for 2 main courses, which is a great bargain considering the mains start from $50 and above.

 Our meal started with a complimentary bread basket, which IMO wasn’t any spectacular and it was served barely warm. I had ordered the Prime Rib Dinner which includes their Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad, Yorkshire Pudding, and Idaho Mashed Potatoes.

The salad was served in a pretty entertaining way. A wait staff would ‘spin’ the salad in front of you; tossing and mixing the salad dressing in a huge metal bowl with ingredients like iceberg lettuce, chopped eggs, shredded beets, cherry tomatoes, and croutons. It was light and refreshing; the perfect start to a yummy meal.

Lawry’s serves their meals in a way similar to a live theatrical performance; my prime ribs were served in a rollaway counter where it was sliced according to the cut that I chose, California Cut ($62.90++).

 Although I haven’t eaten many ribs before, but I could definitely tell a good rib when I taste one. Tender, check. Juicy, check. Yummy, triple checks! It was drenched in a more-ish brown sauce, which also complemented the Yorkshire pudding well. On its own, I thought the pudding tasted more like egg omelette. Being cooked in beef fat, the fragrance was undeniable, but it’s not something that would leave me craving for more. Also, I loved the consistency of the mashed potatoes. Not mashed to death, it still had substantial body to it, and I could taste tiny cubes of potato in it.

Boyf had the Kurobuta Baby Back Ribs ($46.90), which was served with coleslaw and fries. I had some of it and I thought that it tasted even better than the ones I had in Tony Roma’s. There was no struggle when I tried to scrape the meat off the bone; it fell off with minimum effort. It was well-marinated in a very appetizing BBQ sauce, making it super yums.

One word to sum up my first time at Lawry’s, Fantastic. I would definitely return for more of their yummy ribs, and also their cold lobster tails and crab cakes which have received rave reviews as well.

Lawry's
333A Orchard Road, #04-01-31
Mandarin Gallery
6836 3333

Daily: 11.30am-2.30pm, 5pm-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? ;)

Big on Small at Gordon Grill

Dragged the makan kaki down to Gordon Grill for a lovely lunch. The initial mindset of having the UOB Chef's Creation was scrapped when the appealing Big-on-Small Lunch Menu caught my eye.

The option of being able to choose 3 items from both the Appetisers and the Soups selection, 1 main course each, and 2 desserts was a godsend for a fickle-minded girl like me.

 Appetisers

 Cold Japanese Noodles with king crab, farm caviar and white truffle oil

The somen noodles sure looked AND tasted like angel hair pasta, albeit not as springy. Tastewise, it tasted rather bland and a stronger taste of white truffle would have done the trick.

Scottish salmon confit with pickled cucumber and sesame shoyu vinaigrette

The well-marinated salmon was totally not fishy at all. It had a firm texture, but it literally disintegrated in my mouth.

Wagyu beef carpaccio with celeriac remoulade and parmesan cheese shavings

Forgettable. And celeriac remoulade, where were you?

Roasted duck foie gras with poached pear and raspberry vinegar sorbet

This was my first encounter with a proper slab of foie gras and I would say that it was less than enjoyable. I disliked its metallic aftertaste; thankfully the raspberry sorbet helped to quell the unctuousness.

Marinated Dublin prawn tartar with tomatoes and virgin mary sorbet

This did not leave much of an impression with me either, as I found the prawn tartar to be lacking in that slight sweetness present in fresh prawns.

Hokkaido scallops with Spanish ham, green asparagus and black truffle dressing

Pan-seared to perfection, this was easily the best appetizer of the lot. Salty parma ham sitting pretty atop of a plump, sweet, and juicy scallop. What's there not to love? And the black truffle sauce was the perfect complement.

Soups

(from left): Lobster Bisque, Mushroom Cappucino, French Onion Soup

My meal was starting to get better when the trio of mini teacup soups arrived. I couldn't decide which I loved more; they were all flavourful, creamy(for the first two), and absolutely titillating.

 Main #1: US Beef fillet and braised cheek in Bordelaise sauce and seasonal mushrooms

Awesome choice my dining partner made. I tried a tiny cube and was instantly won over. Done medium-rare, it was slightly charred on the outside, juicy and succulent on the inside. Bordelaise sauce was able to bring out the depth of flavour in it, and together, it was a match made in heaven.

Main #2: Baked 'fresh catch' with a light seafood risotto and tomato vinaigrette

Crispy skin, check. Firm, tender, nary a taste of muddiness in flesh, check. Cooked in seafood stock, the risotto was flavourful and whetted the appetite. The grains were suitably al dente without being too hard. Simple dish, yet perfectly executed.

Desserts

 Chocolate and hazelnut tart with a light orange ice cream

Finally, to my favourite course of every meal. Velvety rich dark chocolate, followed by a layer of hazelnut praline, encased in a crispy tart base. The orange ice cream was light with a tinge of zest in it. My only lament for this baby was that it was simply not enough!

 Pistachio creme brulee with almond crust

Torched a la minute, it arrived warm on our table, glistening in pride. I enjoyed cracking the sugar crust and scooping up the morsels of custardy goodness into my mouth. Pistachio could be identified, though not overwhelmingly so.

Conclusion
The food here is good, though not mind-blowingly so. But it's GG's attention to detail that impressed me. They actually bothered to garnish with crumbles of almond that provided added texture to the whole dessert.

 We ended off our meal with complimentary teas and left with our stomachs perfectly satiated. 

For their good food and polished service, I'll have no second thoughts about returning to GG. It helps that they add variety by bringing in various specials (white truffle, white asparagus, etc) from time to time.

Gordon Grill

22 Scotts Road

Goodwood Park Hotel

6730 1744

Daily: 12pm-2.30pm, 7pm-10.30pm