5 Senses’ New Year set menu lasted long after the New Year was but a hazy, alcoholic blur so that sluggards like me could get some. And boy was I glad I caught it before it was gone.

The three course meal ($25.90++ per head) consisted of the above pictured bowl of seafood bouillabaisse, a main of peri peri chicken thigh, and a dessert of chocolate layer cake. And I gotta say, at $25.90++, it’s quite decent value.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was the unquestionable quality of the food. The seafood bouillabaisse wasn’t just loaded with fresh mussels, prawns and (unfortunately) slightly over cooked squid, the bouillabaisse itself was stunningly sublime.

The tomato broth is rich, briny and utterly umami after hours of slowly simmering with the seafood. As if the seafood wasn’t enough, there were a couple of superbly sweet cherry tomatoes that burst apart to deliver their palatable payload without much provocation.

To top it all off, there was an indecently irresistible wedge of pungently garlicky bread to mop up every last drop of that beautiful bouillabaisse.