Omakase And Tasting Menus

When they first opened about 10 years ago, I visited @lollasg (home of the much-copied uni and squid ink custard pudding) quite a few times. Then a slew of restaurant openings proved a huge distraction for a long stretch but lately, after seeing my foodie friend @safarislim keep sharing about his meals there, my curiosity about the current Head Chef @johanne_siy’s produce-driven Modern European style of cooking was piqued. So it didn’t take a hot minute before Steven booked lunch for @szeliang888, himself and I.
A recipient of 2021’s “Chef of the Year” award by the prestigious @worldgourmetaward (WGA), Chef Jo’s initial plan of a part-time gig at Lolla turned into something more permanent as Covid intervened. Lucky for us in Singapore, I say!
This lovely lady who left the corporate world a decade ago to follow her passion (it took her to renowned restaurants in different countries such as Café Boulud and Le Bernardin with Chef Eric Ripert in New York as well as Restaurant André in Singapore), puts out some brilliantly executed dishes with unerringly delicious flavours. All of her original creations are available in Lolla’s Seasonal Menu - either a la carte or in a Tasting format, alongside their regular one. We opted for the $195++ 9-course Tasting route (they do a 7-course for $158++ as well) and this is how it unfolded:
1. Spanner Crab, Spent Kombu, Alique (Crab Roe) - A big and unapologetically moreish opener that was umami meets bright.
2. Oyster - Tastiness: 100%. One of the standouts from the meal for me, it was charred before being accessorised with a foam of its own juices, cabbage and seaweed vinaigrette.
3. Squid “Linguine”, Beech Mushrooms, Beef-Chorizo Bouillon - While the ribbons of squid were delightfully springy, it was the fragrant house-fermented black garlic-enhanced broth and the acidity from the pickled mushrooms that made the dish beautifully complex.
4. Hokkaido Scallop, Bouchot Mussels, Smoked Celeriac - A sublime symphony of seafood on fragrant celeriac purée and prawn broth. The pickles and sea fennel were well chosen complements.
5. Porcini, Mandilli di Seta, Mushroom Fricassee - Loved the contrast between the minimalist look and maximalist flavours of this unique take on mushroom pasta. The al dente sheet of pasta, velvety-rich mushroom sauce, clear broth and slices of raw mushrooms - they all came together gloriously.
6. Glazed Veal Sweetbread, Puffed Beef Tendon, Spiced Palm Vinegar - If you aren’t squeamish about eating exotic parts, here’s a tastily done thymus gland glazed in Espagnole sauce and served with a crunchy beef tendon puff dusted in vinegar powder, chilli and lime zest.
7. Toasted Sourdough ($8++), Housemade Kombu Butter ($12++) - Not that we had much appetite real estate by this point in the meal but two of us couldn’t resist digging in when bossman @thaddeusyeo appeared with these.
8. Koji-cured Quail, Egg Yolk Confit, Black Truffles - Cutlery was redundant when it came to this. I found the quail immensely satisfying as it was grilled to juicy and tender perfection.
9. Strawberry Granita - My eyes widened when I had this palate cleanser. It seemed like the essence of the fruit was intensified but yet, it was not too sweet. Wouldn’t have minded a big bowl.
10. Black Truffle Gateau, Truffle Tree Nuts, Black Truffles - @szeliang888’s pick of dessert which he kindly shared a bite with @safarislim and I. The three-nut purée of chestnuts, macadamia and hazelnuts was really memorable.
11. Fallen Fruit - Steven and I selected this sweet and savoury wonder of a 3-month-vacuum-aged “Black Apple” which we enjoyed with an addictive Roasted Miso Ice-cream and toffee sauce.

Thank you Thaddeus,
Chef @johanne_siy and Team @lollasg: @blades.and.nibbles @alanquah522 @fireking555 @xmei2 for the impressive Seasonal Menu.

(Invited Tasting)
It is not just the eight kinds of caviar on the menu (they include the world’s number one Kaluga Queen as well as Oscietra, Sevruga and Beluga) that shine at Caviar (@cvr.sg) restaurant. The Modern European style of cuisine by Head Chef @leenkarleen and her all-Singaporean kitchen team deserves equal if not more of its share of the limelight too.
To be sure, the glistening pearls of fish roe reign in this eponymous restaurant, but think of it is being part of a strong ensemble cast of beautifully calibrated deliciousness that also showcases excellent produce and ingredients.
Formatted as degustation menus in varying sizes to please different appetites, the food is best enjoyed with a glass (or bottle) of champagne and wine. We trusted Restaurant Manager Rahul to recommend, and he chose very well - the Pinot Noir was an especially big hit with us.
For our hosted tasting, we were served the 8-course menu and this is how it unfolded:
1. Amuse bouche trio which we savoured with champagne - While the caviar toast of housemade white bread, egg yolk purée, avocado purée and 8 Gems Caviar’s No. 5 Royal Oscietra caviar as well as the crunchy tomato macaron laden with botan uni, Japanese uni cream and Sturia’s Oscietra pearls from France were lovely, we were most blown away by the first snack - the airy-light, fluffy Caviar Ball filled with crème fraiche and Polenco Oscietra Caviar.
2. Breads - Made in-house from scratch, both tasted original and superb. The larger, a twisted ball of Beef Fat Herb Brioche seriously tempted me into overeating. The smaller and paler Olives Semolina Bread was more complex than I’d imagined. To spread on them, an understated roasted yeast butter.
3. Botan Ebi Tartare - I am generally not the biggest fan of raw prawns but this was done deliciously with a light and tasty dressing of pomelo, chives, shallot, lime zest and dashi vinegar, plus two kinds of caviar: Polenco Oscietra Caviar and 8 Gems Caviar’s No.2 Superior Oscietra. Adding crunch was the crispy-fried prawn head filled with a tomalley custard. To finish, a buttermilk sauce with dill oil was poured on.
4. Italian Burrata - This little surprise was snuck in. The creamy cheese was whipped with honey and verjus, and decked out in slices of sweet green grapes and not-your-usual Canadian Uni.
5. Potato and Egg - One of the standouts from the meal was this delightful dish that had a confit egg yolk and Polenco Siberian Caviar laid on a bed of potato foam, diced potatoes that have been braised in kombu chicken stock, some puffed buckwheat and Iberico lardo. I really enjoyed the mix here.
6. Halibut - Love, love, loved this! Perfectly pitched with all the facets of flavour harmonising like the loveliest chorus, this was a truly magnificent course. The wild-caught fish which had been cured and aged for 3 days between kombu sheets, was exquisite on the tastebuds. It came in a pool of lemon-lifted pilpil sauce made from its own bones, swimming in Ikura which tasted as amazing as it sounds.
7. Caviar Tasting Platter - This other surprise item casted the spotlight on four different brands of caviar imported from China, Uruguay and France. It was an awesome opportunity to get to know the uniqueness of each.
8. Bressan Pigeon - Grilled over binchotan, the dry-aged French pigeon breast was plated with a brown butter celeriac puree, pickled blackberry, grilled plum and pigeon jus. It was spot-on in every way but the highlight for me had to be the juicy pigeon leg that had been confit in oil, grilled over binchotan and glazed with sherry reduction, then topped with 8 Gems Caviar’s No. 2 Superior Oscietra.
9. Fermented Cranberries - Not at all familiar a taste profile but fascinating and more importantly, nicely balanced, the first dessert of lacto-fermented cranberries came with cranberry sorbet, almond ginger crumbs and orange blossom foam.
10. Sake - It was this final dessert that took my breath away. Such wondrousness existed when the housemade sake lees ice-cream crossed paths with airy-light crunchy pieces of dehydrated lime meringue and the buttery pearls of Polenco Siberian Caviar.
11. Petit Fours - From the trio, the 8 Gems Caviar-loaded Financier filled with white chocolate ganache liquid ganache was the most irresistible. It’s so good, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Thank you for a most memorable evening, Jason and Team Caviar.

Our second visit to @magicsquare.sg 2.0 was to have Chef Eugene’s (@abangkau) menu. He’s the first of the four young chefs in this current version of 田 Magic Square.
Manager @itshozay kicked things off that evening, sharing some details about this incubator for the benefit of the first-timers.
Supported by Chefs @jonathan_gan and @pristinamok (@lawjiajun was on medical leave), Eugene presented nine courses based on his interpretation of Chinese heritage cuisine blended with his knowledge of French techniques.
Although it was bracing cold and upside-down, the first item had me immediately thinking of “chwee kueh” (our local breakfast favourite) with its mushroom duxelles, onion consommé and rice pudding.
Number two paid tribute to a dish found in both French and Teochew cuisines - the Aspic Terrine. The jelly which was formed by chilling the collagen-rich braised pork trotter and pork belly, was accessorised with a tiny dollop of red chilli jam for a punch of sweetish heat, and pickled onions and cauliflower. Yums.
One of my favourites from that evening was the Bone Marrow Chawanmushi. Finished with a delicious “pot au feu” broth and barbecued gingko nuts, it had tiny cubes of crunchy bamboo shoot buried in its silkiness. If only second helpings were available…
The succulent frog legs wrapped
in sheets of old cucumber with
mint and chervil were delectable. I liked them even more swooshed through the roasted garlic aioli.
For the fifth course, Giant Tiger Prawns were wrapped in chiffonade-cut beancurd skin for crispiness and extra flavour. Laid on a purée of roasted kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) and dressed with a luscious Dijon mustard chives and parsley creme fraiche, it was a dish that showed off the quality produce very well.
Local barramundi was the sixth. Steamed to perfection, it came with a garlic, ginger and aromats sauce, beurre blanc made from the fish’s own bones, as well as wok-fried “nai bai” vegetable, pickled white fungus and chrysanthemum flowers. In contrast to the soft flesh, its skin was transformed into crunchy “chiccharon”.
Chicken was the star in the seventh, and it tasted distinctly Chinese as the slices of tender breast meat were stuffed with glutinous rice cooked with “lap cheong” (preserved pork sausage), “yun cheong” (liver sausage) and mushroom, Surrounded by pickled daikon was a small liver ball which wow-ed me.
To refresh our palates after that, Chef Eugene and his team mates served a unique herbal-style pre-dessert that brought pomelo sorbet, barley amazake and chrysanthemum oil together.
Dinner ended with an astonishing creation of black sesame ice-cream crowned with a meringue made using the beef garum by Chef @markerpenn (Head of R&D at @nakedfinn). Utterly brilliant pairing.
Am looking forward to seeing what the other Chefs have up their sleeves in the months ahead.

Entering @oshinosg is like stepping into hallowed grounds. Their blink-and-you’ll-miss-it doorway tucked in a discreet corner of Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade belies the world beyond it - a sushi sanctuary for want of better words. The dining experience is beautiful and quite otherworldly, to say the least. My friend Vijay and I went for the Chef’s Omakase ($500++ per pax) that night and Chef-owner @k.oshino served us a goblet of Shijimi freshwater clams soup to warm our bellies before launching straight into what he is most revered for, his sushi.
A shockingly refined piece of Hirame (flounder) led the way. It had me gasping but before I could catch my breath, a Yellowjack came along and left me equally shook.
Chef Oshino then placed an elegant stand bearing Shiro Ebi (white shrimp) with Caviar, Aka Uni from Kyushu and Bafun Uni from Hokkaido in front of the each of us. I savoured that trio in quiet bliss.
Ika (squid) generally leaves me cold, but the white beauty I was presented with, dressed understatedly in salt and Japanese lime, had me longing for more.
A most astonishing Kinmedai came after, before the first streak of silver of the evening, a Kohada, arrived. I made both vanish in a flash.
Then, temperatures shifted with the arrival of a Hokkaido Hairy Crab baked with miso - I adored how the savouriness heightened the crustacean’s sweetness.
A school of “Glass Fish” from Hokkaido swam up next. Soft and slippery, they tasted of seaweed to me but like Vijay noticed, with a bitter finish.
The sushi continued with a stellar Sawara (Spanish mackerel) before another silver-scaled piece struck again - it was a delectably strong Iwashi (sardine) that bounced me up to cloud nine.
The following course consisted of Pen Shell, Ark Shell, Japanese Barracuda, very deliciously dressed Saury and Chutoro, and was as indulgent as it was divine.
One of my top three sushi from the meal was served at this point - the Aji (horse mackerel). I was so eager to eat it, I actually forgot to take a photo! Shocking, right? 😂
Anyway, sailing in after that momentary booboo was a fantastic Uni Gunkan, in all its cold, creamy magnificence.
Autumn’s gorgeous colours were captured in the triple threat of Oyster, Abalone and Ankimo (monkfish liver). Premium ingredients exactingly prepared to ensure immense satisfaction.
Moments later came the Shimofuri, a choice cut of the fatty tuna belly which melted in the mouth like I knew it would.
Topped with yuzu zest, Chef @k.oshino’s marinated tuna retained the texture of fish flesh and was not as smooth as other versions I’ve tried. Not saying which is better - just appreciating their differences 😋.
The Kawahagi (Leatherjacket) boasted the best accessory - its own liver. Suffice to say, we swooned over this.
Straight from the fryer flew the Matsutake Mushroom and ginkgo nuts. They were piping hot and tasty.
For our palate cleanser, we each received a fresh Japanese Gooseberry to munch. How clever and perfect, is it not?
Then, a mini ricebowl with Ikura so fresh, my teeth felt like they were popping bubble wrap! The confetti of yuzu zest was a brilliant touch.
I was blindsided by the Scallop sushi. Wow, wow, wow - truly bowled over by the mouthfeel and taste it delivered.
The sweet and springy-fleshed Kuruma Ebi (Japanese Tiger Prawn) in the second mini ricebowl was absolutely delicious as well.
Proving yet again its ability to stop conversations was the beguilingly smoky and oily-rich Nodoguro, the last piece of sushi in Chef’s Omakase.
Our final savoury course though was a superb Tuna Cheek Shabu Shabu served with ponzu and yuzu kosho. Although it looked clean and clear, the soup had remarkable depth and flavour thanks to the fattiness of the fish. I couldn’t get enough of this!
Tamago - the edible punctuation that’s dropped in before dessert at such meals, showed up right on time. Chef’s version was bold in savouriness with a hint of sweet.
We finished with seasonal fruit from Japan. My favourite was the melon which came in a heftier wedge than the usual.

The classic Kaya Toast Set is redefined as a single bite at @spagosingapore. And as @sulyntan mentioned, it is a beautifully nuanced creation of savoury and sweet.
While the housemade kaya and brioche toast appear as more straightforward components, the chilled butter is replaced by a rich slab of foie gras terrine. And the sidekick of half-boiled eggs is distilled into blobs of golden egg yolk jam. Soya sauce and pepper, both must-have seasonings for the eggs, are re-imagined as a soya salt. It joins the streaks of coffee powder (which stand in for the standard accompanying cup of coffee) as a topping. But that’s only half of the coffee story because Executive Chef @gregabess also serves an exquisitely earthy and almost-chocolate-y Keluak Coffee to enjoy with the elevated kaya toast. A decaffeinated blend is used, so no one is going to be left sleepless in Singapore.

(Hosted)
As it is inspired by Head Chef @cheffernandoarevalo’s journey as he seeks perfection in culinary art, referencing in particular the critical decisions he has to make from start to finish, the menu is designed as a fork in the road with diners having to choose between the themes of “Capture” and “Release”. While the former is inward-seeking with the essence of ingredients presented in precise minimalist fashion, the latter embodies the possibilities to maximise their fullest potential. When dining as a group, the entire table can’t differ in their menu choice. We couldn’t decide but fortunately, @preludio.sg has a solution on standby. My friend @renztan did the honour and fate dealt us “Capture”. Immediately, a centrepiece reflecting this theme was placed on our table. Fresh, charcoal-baked corn bread was close on its tail, a stellar kogarashi and spring onion butter in tow.
Then came the essences of “Smoke, Scallop and Butter” on an elegant tray. I was most taken with the novel brown butter ice-cream on oyster leaf covered in hazelnut crumble and French black truffle. The morel mushroom looked simple but with brocollini, spiced rub and preserved Amalfi lemon, it tasted anything but. The third bite was interesting as smoked caviar, Japanese cucumber, potato blini and yoghurt were encased in a crisp sugar shell.
To complement, @markyyw brought out a Greek wine. He took care of the wine pairing that evening and my group of ladies who know a thing or two about vino (I’m looking at you specifically @linosaur), were really pleased with his pours.
The next course was a divine double act of caviar dressed with drops of twenty-five-year-old balsamic vinegar and am amazing venison tartare with rice crisps, eggplant and clarified tomato water.
Following that, a dish that recalls the awe and wonder Chef Fernando had as a child, of the ocean. As he’s originally from Bogota in central Colombia, it was a magical moment for him. Sea urchin, chervil root and a consommé were what he used to capture this memory.
Conceptually and taste-wise, the pasta course was sensational. As perfectly cooked as the Brittany Blue Lobster was, it was the SINGLE STRAND of pasta THREE AND A HALF METRES LONG coiled next to it that had me floored. What’s more, Lin and I managed to eat our respective strands in one continuous, unbroken slurp, aided by the glorious sauce. So proud to have done justice to Chef Fernando’s efforts (he’d shared that since Preludio opened, there’s never been a harder dish to make).
The Turbot was my other favourite and plated with it, sweet slices of French Oudard pears, onion purée, cauliflower and a smooth creamy mash that’s actually rice with saffron.
Chef de Cuisine @stefanliau popped out of the kitchen to explain the “Crimson” which had delectable Wagyu beef finished with a mustard and red wine glaze, and topped with crunchy quinoa and almond flakes.
After we polished off the delightful palate cleanser, “breakfast” followed. This whimsical creation by Pastry Chef @elena_pdc was an “egg” with mango and passionfruit for a yolk, and coconut jelly as the egg white. Beneath was a lime sponge. The bits of broken “egg shell” on the side were actually white chocolate. We were completely captivated.
Her impeccable flair and finesse were on full display again in the second dessert - a sculptural scrumptiousness of white chocolate, earl grey, dulce de leche and cornflakes milk ice-cream.
Naturally, Chef Elena’s petit fours were nothing short of exquisite. While I liked the matcha yuzu tart and salted caramel cinnamon cake a lot, it was the orange marmalade cookie and coconut chocolate bonbon that I adored. It’s so cool she managed to pop out of the kitchen to do a quick FaceTime chat with @heyrozz and their mutual friend in Mexico.

Thank you again Team @preludio.sg for hosting us and @gastrosense PR for the invitation.

It was the jaw-dropping main course - a D.I.Y. “Banh Mi Party” with steaming hot, straight-from-the-oven fluffy pizza dough bread as the base. To build our own sandwich, we had four outstanding meats: lemongrass pork belly, spam pate, house-made beef tongue pastrami and pistachio-studded mortadella, as well as a truckload of fresh herbs, an assortment of pickles made in-house (think daikon, chillies and beetroot), and finally, the all-important condiments: spring onion relish, Maggi seasoning mayo and fermented chilli with shrimp salt. You bet we went crazy piling everything on, to customise behemoth #BanhMi #sandwiches we had to unhinge our jaws for. Flavour-wise, it was off-the-charts!

Received this unexpected treat from Head Chef Patrick Leano when I popped by recently to takeaway a couple of Burnt Ends’ Pulled Pork Sangers for a friend to try.
I had already eaten lunch but still enjoyed the hell out of this baby. In the crisp, buttery pastry shell sat the restaurant’s iconic smoked quail’s egg, perched on a bed of light custard and shored up by a truckload of caviar. You know I had to take a moment to give it my full attention. Reliving it now only makes me more eager for dinner tomorrow night with my Teochew Gang. Can’t wait!

Yes, I’ve had Donabe Rice several times (with different ingredients) and yes, I have had binchotan-grilled Wagyu Beef just as many times if not more. But having both simultaneously was a first for me, and we were even told to enjoy them together.
Verdict: I loved the outcome! 😋😋😋
Those huge, creamy oysters that had been braised in sake, shoyu, mirin and loads of butter, were broken up before being mixed into the piping hot rice to be served to us in individual bowls. After slicing up the smoky, melt-in-mouth Miyazaki A5 Wagyu (it had a crazy marbling factor of 11), we popped the oyster rice on top and enjoyed a “surf & turf” of the most delectable and flavourful kind.
I can’t wait to return to @fleuretterestaurant to discover what Chef-owner @tariqhelou has up his sleeves.

For his birthday dinner this year, T.H. was clear about where he wanted to dine. And this decision was made a few months ago when our dinner at @basquekitchenbyaitor left him hugely impressed.
I know many people specifically visit this restaurant to savour their Txuleta and/or Turbot that are grilled on the Josper, but we had the Tasting Menu by Chef-owner @aitortxuchef. Leaving it to chefs to decide what to feed me has always been my preferred because I believe they would want to share creations that best represent them, not to mention those they are most proud of. And that’s how we spent the evening enjoying the following:

1. A yet-to-be-launched premium pintxo of mushroom glazed uni on toast topped with freshly shaved white truffle. Outrageously yum!

2. Another incredible premium pintxo of decadently delish “egg on egg on egg” action featuring caviar on a cured Japanese egg yolk and bottarga.

3. Piping hot and crunchy truffle croquetta with a creamy core of black truffle aioli and more white truffle to finish. I’ve always liked this a lot.

4. Very tender and flavourful abalone that’d been sous vide for 48 hours served on sourdough and blanketed in a “Donastiarra” sauce.

5. Housebaked sourdough with the restaurant’s as-fab-as-ever smoky butter.

6. An exquisite creation of poached Kegani hairy crab meat with Kaluga caviar, mixed greens and chive oil.

7. Hearty course of meaty cep mushrooms with cured japanese egg yolk and marigold - I simply couldn’t believe how satisfying this was.

8. An interesting dish starring sea anemone rice with plankton aioli and sea succulents - ice plant and sandfire.

9. Very flavourful pan-fried red mullet smothered in beef tendon crackling puffs and a sauce of its own bones, liver and such.

10. Tasting of the sea, a mussel consommé with creamy bouchot mussels and goose barnacles hidden under the foaminess.

11. For the meat course, T.H. had his favourite A5 Miyazaki Wagyu tenderloin with foie gras, autumn truffle, pumpkin purée and jus, while I got the incredible lamb that had bowled me over the last time. It was every bit as mind-blowing as I remembered.

12. To enjoy with our meats, we had what T.H. christened the “King Of Chips”. I must concur as the heap of huge and chunky, triple-cooked chips were perfection - mealy inside, crispy out. The white truffle shaved on was lovely but not necessary because frankly, the chips were outstanding on their own.

13. “Heaven on Wheels” rolled up next and Sham prepared for us a selection. By selection, I mean nearly every cheese on that trolley, including those from the Basque Country. You could probably have spotted my beaming smile from outer space. So great was my happiness.

14. Palate cleanser was a yellow-on-yellow vibrance of mango ice-cream, tangerine sorbet and marigold petals.

15. For dessert, Chef Aitor served a flan with the most luxurious mouthfeel, and it had the excellent company of housemade chamomile ice-cream and yuzu dust.

16. Petit fours were thoughtfully packed by Chef @ippinn_ for us to take home because after that cheesapalooza and desserts, we could not imagine taking another bite.

To pair with the parade of seafood and red meats throughout the night, @jaureguiberryvincent recommended an atypical red which we found really lovely.

Thank you Team @basquekitchenbyaitor for a most memorable dinner.

(Hosted) Head @Chef.pinaki had joined @yantrasg just before Covid hit, so timing wasn’t great but based on our recent dinner at the surprisingly spacious and elegant restaurant, I think he has used the unexpected gift of time to great advantage - by creating new dishes and tweaking the flavours of existing ones to improve them. My family and I felt the Tasting Menu he served us, was most delicious.
Inspired by tradition as well as modern influences, the cuisine at #YantraSg is a fine balance of classic and contemporary. There is an a la carte menu of course but Chef Pinaki’s Tasting Menu allowed us to try a wide variety which is what I prefer when visiting a dining establishment for the first time. We did however, also enjoy a couple of other items outside of it, such as the Rajasthani Mirchi Yade, a traditional stuffed and batter-fried green chilli that was irresistible with its filling of spiced potatoes, and a fabulous Chicken Biryani that smelled and tasted as appetising as my video suggests.
Arriving first though were the amuse bouche of Papdi Chaat and Dahi Puri - a pair of exciting bites of contrasting flavours and textures. I was especially infatuated with the latter, a delicately crunchy ball filled with cool yogurt.
Head @chefpinaki then presented a starter featuring the meat of a young goat from Australia done in two ways (unlike most places, the mutton used at Yantra does not come from sheep). I found both preparation methods to result in deeply aromatic tenderness, with nary a trace of gaminess. But if you aren’t into mutton, fret not because you can opt for the alternative starter - a duo of Chicken Tikka and Chutneywale Fish Tikka (it features local seabass marinated in coriander, mint marinade). My mum who had this, liked it a lot and successfully pried the recipe from Chef 😆.
Next came the Macher Paturi, a speciality of Bengal which is where Chef Pinaki hails from. It showcased fresh local seabass marinated in mustard and coconut and cooked in banana leaves. I was reminded of Otah while tucking into this delectableness but the spice profile was completely different.
An intermezzo of Milagu Rasam followed. I loved the steaming hot, sour and peppery broth so much, I had to have two cups.
The main course comprised of two dishes to be savoured with saffron rice. One was the signature Chicken Tikka Makhani which had very tender boneless pieces of chicken in rich, thick and mildly spicy tomato-fenugreek gravy. The other, which had me scraping the bowl clean, was the humble looking but too-yummy-for-words Dal Makhani. After simmering for more than 24 hours on the tandoor, the black urad (lentils) were unbelievably soft and creamy.
We were also served a big plate of spinach to share. Cooked till mushy, the iron-rich vegetable was abundantly fragrant and flavoursome due to the large amount of peppers, spices and garlic used.
None of us could stop munching on the freshly-made garlic naan either, as it boasted a crisp bite rather than being limp and doughy.
Dessert was wonderful as we got a mix of Indian specialties. Served warm were the classic Gulab Jamun and the Gajar ka Halwa, a carrot compote (I really liked this), and in-between them sat a scoop of housemade “cream of milk” ice-cream which turned out to be a good complement.

This lunch took place barely a month after I was at @metasingapore with my friend SZ but when every meal is such a pleasure, repeating it can only be a good thing. This time it was with TH who‘d never been and was eager to go.
Snack game, as always at this One-Michelin Starred restaurant, was really strong. I found the sablé cookies, whenever they appeared, to be exceptional, like the Parmesan-flavoured one in the bite that came topped with foie gras mousse and verju gelee, and the raspberry version as petit fours at the end. The “prawns in two ways” turned out even better than when I had it previously because the texture of the brioche was lighter. Extra tasty too was the modern haemul pajeon (Korean seafood pancake).
Familiar and much-loved courses followed - the compact but richly-flavoured, uni-crowned chawanmushi, Meta’s signature Irish oysters dressed with a Korean touch and the tuna akami tartare with egg yolk jelly, crispy feuille de brick and a dome of @caviarcolony’s kaluga caviar.
After that, since I’ve had the “abalone with grains” a few times, the chefs decided to prepare something yet-to-be-launched for me. It starred a giant Irish scallop with crab sauce and chive oil and was a revelation - its simple appearance belied the overwhelming tastiness.
Then my lunch returned to regular programming as the much-talked-about Samegarei (rough skin flounder) and razor clam arrived, trailed by one of my all-time favourites at #metasingapore - the BBQ Wagyu beef with burdock rice plus a bouquet of dressed fresh salad leaves to finish up with. All flawlessly executed.
To my surprise, we had new sweet endings. The pre-dessert had multi-spice-poached pear, pear sorbet, a white cloud of ginger espuma and a sprinkle of fruity Timor Pepper from Nepal. Then a mushroom creation which I will state for the record, is my favourite dessert to date by Pastry Chefs Gail and Rachel. In that were nashi pear lightly coated in kimchi powder, cocoa soil, shiitake mushroom ice-cream, cocoa nibs snow and mini shiitake mushroom meringue. I think I have a thing for mushroom desserts so this suited me to a T.