Expectations tend to run higher when a great night out to mark a birthday is at stake (in this case, it was for my god-daughter/niece Yujun who turned 22). The restaurant has to have a winning hand of great food, fabulous drinks, comfortable ambience and impeccable service. That’s why I picked @cutbywolfgangpucksg. I knew we’d be in the excellent hands of Executive Chef @gregabess and his team.
Shortly after we had settled into our seats, warm cheesy gougère arrived. We all loved them but the birthday girl, most of all.
Setting the tone for the evening were the first two snacks which sent us over the moon. I could’ve inhaled three of those buttermilk chicken sliders - they’re real flavourbombs with jalapeño aioli, jalapeño slices, pickle and honey. Not to be outdone was the apple apricot compote-dotted pork belly braised with Chinese spices and glazed in hoisin - it melted like butter in the mouth. I washed them down with the refreshing gin-based “London Calling” cocktail.
When the bread basket arrived, I attempted to not scoff too much but it was hard. The olive ciabatta, onion focaccia and German pretzel were a formidable trio of temptation.
In order to taste more items, we shared the appetisers. I chose the Maryland Blue Crab Cake with heirloom tomato relish and basil aioli (Yujun is a fiend for crab so I knew it would be up her alley), the Big Eye Tuna Tartare in wasabi ginger, served with thin, spicy togarashi crisps (surprisingly, this turned out to be her favourite), the brightly herbaceous Vietnamese-Style Beef Carpaccio plated with crunchy beef tendon, nước mắm vinaigrette and holy basil (my favourite!), and the Asparagus with Poached Egg on thin toast with mushroom marmalade, a lipsmacking bacon vinaigrette and bacon slice.
What has always impressed me at CUT is the attention they pay to the smallest details. Like serving us hot plates to eat our main course off.
@kndherb used to rave to me about the Rotisserie Baby Chicken at CUT, and of course I’d eaten it before but it was particularly well executed that night - immensely juicy, tender and flavourful. And let’s not forget those meaty chanterelle mushrooms.
Usually, deciding on a steak at CUT isn’t an easy task as they offer a premium variety but since I’d been floored by the Snake River Farm (an American Wagyu) when we had it at @spagosingapore (yes, they serve it up there on the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands too), I made a beeline for its Sirloin cut. Everyone heaped it with praises too.
The other red meat I selected was the juicy ColoradoLamb Chops. Like the steak, each piece was perfectly cooked, and although a mini jug of cucumber-mint raita arrived alongside, it also tasted perfectly fine on its own.
That’s not to say we didn’t have fun mixing and matching the assorted sauces and condiments with our meats.
In all frankness, the side dishes deserve top billing. I was most smittened by the Tempura Onion Rings - each thin ring was ethereally light yet really crunchy. Even though they look similar, no other Creamed Spinach comes close to the version here that’s crowned with an organic egg. Proving highly addictive as well were the Mac & Cheese and the ridiculously silky and buttery Yukon Gold Potato Purée (if you love mash, this is a must-order).
Thank you Chef Greg for sending us the Spring Peas. I adored this seasonal side dish for its sensational mix of fresh peas, pea purée, ragu of peas, runny-yolked eggs, bacon and perky pea tendrils.
Naturally there was cake since we were celebrating a birthday. I’ve had the moist chocolate beauty before and it was as scrumptious as I recall. The team helped to slice and present it with raspberry sorbet and a macaron for us to enjoy. Besides that, I ordered the Apple Butterscotch Crumble to share. Served warm with toasted almonds and Tahitian vanilla ice-cream, it was very well received by everyone too.
The petit fours we nibbled on with our tea and coffee at the end, were also exquisite in appearance and taste.

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