the prime society. 10 dempsy road. singapore. +65 6474 7427.

After hearing numerous raving reviews of the quality meat served in The Prime Society (especially that of my boss), I decided to take my tingling tastebuds to its doorsteps for my palatal advancement. It was a difficult choice between dining indoors or alfresco in the lush verdure of Dempsy Hill where this high-ceiling-ed colonial-styled restaurant lies. I opted indoors finally to place myself in a more appropriate position to fulfil my review duties.

As we narrowed down on our meal selections, our waitress assisted us greatly through the difficult process of final decisions making. It warmed me greatly to be able to establish the fact that holistic service complete with friendliness and eloquent product knowledge conveyance still exists in Singapore.


For starts, we savoured the BEEF CARPACCIO ($16. Blackmore Wagyu, black truffles, Jerusalem artichoke and parmesan cheese). Tender raw beef disippates in my mouth leaving behind the lingering aroma of black truffles. A sip of the MALBEC RESERVE (Mi Terruno, Mendoza, Argentina 2009) brought the blend of flavours to amazing heights in my palate.

For mains, GRAIN-FED BLACK ANGUS ($62. 300g Sirloin, North Western Tasmania) was ordered with additional red wine jus and truffled mushroom sauce. The sauces proved to be weak accompaniments the perfectly grilled Black Angus. The steak was startling in flavour but even more surprising was the 1/2 RACK BABY BEEF BACK RIBS ($36. Chilli & Lime marinade). As the succulent meat was slurped off the bones in swift successive motions, it became apparent that we ought to have ordered a full rack instead of all the unworthy sides.


Unfortunately, we had no room left for desserts. Despite feeling really stuffed, it was definitely calories well-spent.
 

the jackson plan. 40 duxton hill. singapore. +65 6866 1988.

Hidden on the gentle slopes of Duxton Hill is a new venture by Beppe De Vito, the man who had brought us Il Lido, Forlino and once a main player of the Garibaldi Group. Gastropubs had only been concepted since 1991- a mere decade-long existence in the F&B scene and definitely a rare commodity in Singapore. The Jackson Plan had the critics raving about their quality of food since their opening of last month.


The quaint little restaurant reminded one more of a british country-styled restaurant with its lively theme of yellows, blues and lovely posies in silver buckets than that of a gastropub.

The Brit-Indian influenced cocktail menu provided a refreshing choice of drinks with interesting ingredients. Their house cocktail- JACKSON PUNCH (Gin, Campari, Orange, Strawberries, Lambrusco @$13.50) was the perfect thing for washing away a day’s hard work in the terrace before dinner.

 

Famed celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay once said that crab cakes are the best way to find out if a chef knows how to please the palates. The three little CRAB CAKES served with quail eggs and anchovy cream($16.50) did not fail to excite with its crispy exterior and well blended and flavourful interior. Piquant flavours of celeriac & caper coleslaw may be too strong to be just for having on its own, but adds a great crunch to the CURED OX TONGUE ($11.50).

Equally amazing was the ROAST QUAIL ($25.50), nicely browned skin complete with trimmings, bread sauce and gravy on the side. The BEEF SHIN served with bone marrow and potato cakes ($25.50), though beautifully presented, was unfortunately outshined by the above mentioned dishes in terms of taste.

Savouring the meal with a fruity and medium bodied SHIRAZ-CABERNET SAUVIGNON (Elderton, Barossa, 2009 @$60) had Beppe easily forgiven for his misuse of the term “gastropub” sometime or somewhere in the midst of the meal. One does not have the heart to blame him who possesses the power of creating a venue which teleports the mind away from the madness of city life within the city itself.

nogawa. 27 bukit manis. sentosa golf club. singapore. +65 6373 7120.

birthday treats. one of my favourite things in life. being away from home for 5 years will make one treasure these precious little moments with the family where tastebuds and light-hearted conversations take over.
nestled in the golf club of singapore's very own place of pure leisure, the island of sentosa, lies my red-ribboned gift for year 2010.

"irashaimase!"
the shoji doors, the chef behind a sashimi counter and the waitress dressed in a lovely light blue kimono bustling around in rapid little steps completes the japanese picture.


once the daiginjo for the meal had been served, our eyes opened up to a miniature garden of thinly sliced flounder, chu-toro, aji mackerel and botan prawns. an interesting mix of mild flavoured flounder to the wild strong flavours of the mackerel and the smooth-juiciness of the semi-fatty tuna to the springy tasting prawns. the dish left us craving for more.

a little addition order of uni was in order to complete our tour of textures. enhanced with the nori which was served together.

next up, tea pot soup with king mushrooms. the scents of the forest lightly encircled my palate with each sip, getting it ready for the dishes to come. one cannot help but wonder how apt the name was given the light and delicate flavours of the soup.  

the family love eggs. a petite treasure trove of chawanmushi must be ordered whenever available. the dish left behind a mild lingering note of eggy sweetness.

before we could finish the chawanmushi, our attention was taken away by the aromatic scents of the garlic fried rice. the little bowl of rice was a blend of delightful touches and tangs.

2nd splurge of the meal. japanese kobe on aoba leaf. im not sure if the charcoal did bring out the flavours of the maple leaf and our lady in kimono should had probably warned me about the possibility of getting a complimentary dish of human tongue cooked rare... but the way the kobe beef dissipates in my mouth made it all worthwhile.

it happened to the sanma season hence grilled sanma had been ordered. smokin'. simple yet gratifying.

japanese creativity came in the form of uniquely flavoured ice creams at the lunch finale. pumpkin and black sesame. black sesame had always been a personal favourite of mine whereas pumpkin, a first. pleasantly surprised and loved the continuity of flavours which does not rudely demands for your attention but slowly churns out wondrous. 

my red-ribboned gift proved to be a sensational journey through the wonderland of savours and textures. no words can begin to describe how grateful i am to be home...

le pont de vie. 26 kandahar st. singapore. +65 6238 8682.

accompanied by the soothing sounds of prayer from the sultan mosque, past singapore's very own arab street of incense, spices & moussakas, we came to a petite french restaurant in the midst of kandahar street. le pont de vie.. the bridge of life. it gave me a surreal feeling that ive been suddenly teleported out of the hustle-bustle of singapore. so rustic, so calm.
the interior of the quaint and cosy little restaurant which sits at most 20 covers, was littered with corner tables of parisien bistro-like red table cloths.

an equally rustic amuse bouche was duck rillette served with a thin slice of toasted french baguette. the lovely flavours of the rillette which melted in my mouth made me wished that it was the entree rather than the latter..

after deciding on our entrees and mains, came the wine decision.. there was a good mix of old and new world wines on the list but it was the austrian wines which caught my eyes. at which point, tye, the restaurant owner, who was having his own little party at the terrace, assisted me in picking a lovely medium bodied oida schwoza to go with our choices of kurobuta pork and confit de canard.


baguettes which makes one want to shout "france!" out loud was served with truffled butter. we had to be careful that we did not gorge down too much of that before the entree and mains.

next, was the entree. a black truffle and 3 cheese souffle served with a mild rocket salad. yes, it was quite heavy an entree but the ever-friendly waiter had advised us against ordering 2 entrees if we were to have the dish. the truffle and cheeses infused together effortlessly to form a symphony of flavours for my palate.

their signature kurobuta pork cheek served with caramelised fuji apples was my main course. the use of star anise and soy give the dish a delightful chinese twist. 

his main course was the confit de carnard in a sauce of berries. due to a personal disagreement with certain fruits to be matched with a savoury dish, i did not particularly enjoy the flavours of strawberries and duck despite that it was truly a pan-fried confit of perfection. 

unfortunately the baguettes and souffle had gotten us so stuffed that we were unable to order any desserts. the symphony of the meal did ended perfectly though, with my little glass of cognac and expresso in the terrace- enjoying the little space of peace and tranquility away from the vibes of our busy and fast-moving city.  

the beginnings

"the beginning is always the toughest." the phrase has proven right as i am here struggling with what to say. okay, let's get back to the basics... being a waitress since my schooling days had extensively exposed me to the glorious world of food and beverage. one thing led to the other.. very soon it became a passion. one fine day, i found myself pondering.. it seemed a mighty shame that all the wondrous sensations which had been savoured either becomes a blurry image or totally cease to be remembered eventually. and then i thought, well, it may just be the time to start a journal of my quest to achieve palate enlightenment.