Fusion Food

While we were all looking forward to a ravishing dessert to complete the celebration, we were disappointed by the ‘Orh Nee’ unfortunately. An interpretation of the traditional dessert and deconstructed, made using taro mousse, coconut gelato and coconut crumble, topped with gold flakes. The pastry came across as overly salty, and there were chopped lychee between the layers. Since lychee is known to have a floral fruity profile, it conflicted with the rooty taro. Sometimes, less is more.

Might come across as slightly pricey for the portion of this Asian inspired risotto, but with the introduction of Hae Bee Hiam, an umami bomb and morsels of lobster tail, we were glad we made the right decision to splurge. Didn’t mind the fact that the seafood flavours overpowered the Arborio rice, and welcomed the kai lan stems for an additional crunch.

Ah, the Iberico pork jowl slices with fats that melt almost instantaneously in mouth. The indulgence that we were all pleased with, as the pork was beautifully executed. As a Brussel sprouts lover, I thought that they were marvellously charred with the honey sherry further enhancing the vegetable’s sweetness. Paired with garlic jus and a creamy earthy butternut pumpkin purée.

Locally farmed mussels served in an Asian broth of Shaoxing wine, lemongrass that gave an aromatic punch and some bird’s eye chili. While I enjoyed the slight spicy after taste of the shaoxing wine and the juicy mussels, the broth came across as watery and would have been better with more richness. The charred homemade sourdough served were immersed in the broth, hence soggy upon consumption. A preferred choice was to have it served by the side.

Available as an appetiser only during dinner, this was indeed one dish that had me blown away. Not just by its presentation, but also the creativity in condiments pairing. Holding a battered frog leg sprinkled with Nori, mix it well with the sous vide egg, artichoke purée and black garlic jus for an explosion of creamy, balsamic flavours. Who would ever imagine frog legs could be executed so well other than the usual frog porridge?

One of the highlights at JU95 that you should not miss is the Grilled Baby Squid Donabe, served in a Japanese claypot. As we started tossing, I could already smell the seafood flavours coming through from the grilled baby squid and umami ikura. The umami taste was further accentuated by the shimeji mushroom, and of course when the ikura starts popping in your mouth. The baby squid was nicely grilled with a hint of char. What was unique was the Seaweed Schmaltz , consisting rendered chicken fat, that boosted the overall taste and aroma.

For the main dish, we chose the Ibérico Pork Pluma 300gm ($58), from the signature series. The pluma cut is located at the neck end of Iberico black pork loin and characterised by the extreme tenderness and leanness with generous marbling, which was exactly what left us in awe. Interestingly, it is known also for its wing-like shape. Pairing with the red miso, the dish imparted an earthy, umami taste and slightly salty (also partly due to the salt crystals sprinkled), countered by grilled carrot sweetness.

Celebrated the hubs’ birthday at @capitolkempinski this year where we were also given SGD 100 dining credits that was well spent @15stamford, one of the best Asian fusion restaurants in Asia and one that I have been wanting to try.

We started the dinner off with river prawn bisque, one that had velvety texture and was brimming with sweet crustacean flavours. The touch of cognac elevated the luxurious flair, with a hint of herbaceous note from the parsley oil. Served with sous vide cucumber and prawn dumplings which I found the skin a little too sticky.

There was a choice between the herb crusted lamb rack and wagyu cheek rendang for the 3rd course, but if you aren’t a fan of either, you can request for it to be changed to a pork as well. I went with the herb crusted lamb rack, which was constructed with a substantial piece of lamb rack that had lemon verbena and hazelnut on its crust, which helped to reduce the gamey notes with a refreshing citrusy herbaceous taste. Below, there was raspberry purée and smoked lamb jus, but surely it was the raspberry sweetness that tuned the dish to a sweet one. In fact, the staff was meticulous to notify me that the lamb rack was cooked till medium rare and that it could be further cooked if I found the gaminess unsuitable. Though it looked slightly bloody, the lamb rack was actually quite tender and turned out to be more pleasant than expected.

Other than the green curry barramundi, we also had
roasted cod for the second course. An oriental dish prepared using french technique of ginger and soy veloute, which reminds me of the usual Hong Kong Style steamed fish where ginger and soy sauce are crux of the dish. Amplifying flavor of the silky roasted cod slab further, were some slices of fish maw and shiitake mushrooms. The preserved cabbage salad somewhat had a similarity to what you’d find in yusheng.

For the second course, we had a choice of Green Curry Barramundi or Roasted Cod. The green curry barramundi comes with a thick slab of the white fish, served in a distinctive Thai green curry style, of green curry pea purée so mild that you wouldn’t even be able to taste the pea for those who are worried about the vegetative pea taste. Embellished with some compressed green mango that adds an acidity and citrusy tang to the dish, while finishing off with what I felt was most memorable, the Tom kha espuma. The coconut milk, and the herbs usually used for the dish such as lemongrass and kaffir like were on point, leading to an imagination of the actual dish.

I was looking forward to this dish and honestly, you can tell that there was much effort in the thoughts behind it. The slab of pork belly was pretty thick, although a little less tender than expected. The pig skin was crispy on first bite, but slowly, it started getting stuck to teeth when it didn’t crack properly which gave us a hard time chewing. Served on a bed of mashed potato which thankfully helped to soften the overall texture a little, coffee rum glaze and charred kale. Had difficulty detecting the characteristic roasted notes but the charred kale saved the day with its green, charred taste yet at the same time providing a fresh cut towards the less tender pork.