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

Ember - Great food, Horrendous Service

Heard rave reviews about this place and I brought my friend down to try their 3-Course Set Lunches which are priced at $39.50++. My tastebuds are easily satisfied and I found the food was generally awesome.

Complimentary bread (Sun-dried tomato focaccia)

Served warmed, it was crusty on the outside, soft, fluffy, and a little chewy on the inside. The aroma is simply heavenly, the flavours of sun-dried tomato, basil, and others that I couldn't detect really went well together. We were so tempted to ask for a 2nd loaf, but we exercised enough self-restraint to prevent over-stuffing ourselves.

 Crispy tofu with foie gras-mirin sauce and white truffle oil

The wobbly soft tofu had shiitake mushrooms embedded within and was deep-fried till crispy with nary a sign of oiliness. 

The thick and creamy foie gras sauce is what makes this otherwise-plain tofu so magical. It was unique, intense and pungent, yet so delicious that it just begs you to slurp it all up. Topped with bonito flakes, this was a clever play on textures and tastes.

Not.a.single.drop.of sauce was spared.

 Spiced Crabcake in Oriental sauce

The crabcake was soft and moist, with a slight crispy exterior. I could taste the slight sweetness of the crab meat, and there were hints of wasabi in it, which neither of us could appreciate.

Marinated Cod with Black Miso, accompanied by sweet peas and herbed potatoes

This was generally a sweet dish. The cod was fresh and so tender that it threatened to fall apart at the slightest scrape with a fork. The fish had a slippery and buttery texture, but it did not give me the greasy, unctuous feeling that I hate. The black miso glaze was a little sweet but still had that savoury taste to it.

Pan-seared Chilean seabass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout in truffle-yuzu butter sauce

The sauce was rich and complex in flavours, and the ingredients (yuzu, truffle, butter) really went well together. Actually, I could only taste more of the truffle and butter but that was enough to make me swoon.

I loved it so much that I practically licked the plate clean. This prized fish came in a generous portion; the thick slab of it definitely satisfies fish lovers like me.

It was tasty enough; like the cod, it was fork-tender but it still retained its bite. I could still chew on the fibrous texture of the flesh.

Sticky date pudding with Grand Marnier ice-cream

This was their dessert of the day. Its more like a cake than pudding, but it was really moist and I could taste the dates embedded within, as well as a subtle whiff of ginger. It was only lightly drizzled with butterscotch sauce, and it wasn't overly sweet, making it easy for one to finish it all without

getting sick of it. The Grand Marnier ice-cream melted very fast due to it being home-made.

Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla bean ice cream

I just love it when the thick molten chocolate oozes out of the crispy, soft tower of a warm chocolate cake. The ice-cream was dottled with speckles of vanilla beans which I absolutely love it it's subtle taste of sweetness and vanilla fragrance. Similar to the Grand Marnier ice-cream, this melted at a rapid speed as well.

A sweet ending to a yummy lunch.

The service on the other hand, was on the other end of the scale.

1) The wait staff were very rude in their tone and the way they carried their message across. One of them even threw the napkin on my lap and left.

2) What's with the permanent scowl on their faces? I would appreciate if they had spared us their irritated expressions even if they couldn't manage a smile.

3) They literally chased us out of the restaurant, and I lost count of the number of times they told us "we're closing". They even pointed us to the door, which literally meant "Get Out Right Now".

However, if you're able to put aside all the shitty service, I would still recommend this place for its yummy and innovative dishes. 


Restaurant Ember
Hotel 1929
50 Keong Saik Road
63471928
Open Weekdays 11:30am-2pm, 6:30pm-10pm; Sat 6:30pm-10pm