Fine Dining

I’m not gonna run through course by course cause this was the only decent photo I managed to catch (I’m heavily reliant on my flash), so TLDR; every course was very well thought out and conceptualised, each element adding a complementary yet contrastive aspect to the dish, and really I’ve got nothing but compliments. The meal started off with starters that were absolutely stunning: chawanmushi was the bomb, and the mushroom tart was just 🤯 like who’d think microplaned raw shrooms could taste so good?? I’d recommend you get the $10 upgrade for the Jeju abalone multigrain risotto cause omg the smoky, tender, meaty abalone with that light risotto (I swear I tasted barley in there) was among the highlights of the meal. After plate and plate of insane flavours, the meal ended off with a light dessert of mellow melon sorbet, sweet sweet seasonal muscat grapes, and an ethereal makgeolli meringue. ⁣

Stealing my heart right from the start, this Spanner Crab appetiser sure set the bar real high. The massive portion of fresh, sweet crab is first tossed in a light and zingy lime mayo, then topped with crisp spring herbs and flowers, and some seaweed crackers for a little crunch. All that's then finished with a touch of subtle wasabi snow and (perfect squares of, may I add) earthy sansho pepper. Flavours and textures on point, playing 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻, and so much fresh crab as part of a $75++ dinner set menu? Insanely worth the buck.

Not usually one for smoked/cured/marinated salmon, but this deceivingly plain-looking Cured Salmon dish was nothing short of amazing. Spirals of home-cured salmon with hints of citrus, crisp and fresh cucumber shavings, refreshing pickled cauliflower, and just a touch of wasabi that makes you think "oooooh there it's coming" before tempering down to this mellow, earthy flavour. The final touch? Fermented apple juice — a sweet and ingenious condiment.

I took a bite of this, and I said - no yelled - "THIS IS MY FAVE." I was that close to going all Sparta and wrestling this shared dish from the boyfriend. Perfectly seared barramundi, boasting a crisp skin and silky moist flesh, ingeniously paired with caramelised onion purée, braised leeks with bonito butter, and roasted Japanese rice pops. The complexity of this dish amazes me. If you haven't made lunch plans tomorrow, ☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻cause the lunch set is super worth it.

One of my favourites over dinner, because of the different flavours that came together. Though it was immensely disappointing that the suckling pig lacked its trademark crisp skin, the fantastic braised pork below saved it all. That, the tangy onions, and smooth mash - so good.

One of Portico's signature, this Pan-seared Pulau Ubin Sea Bass is an epitome of the chef's culinary prowess. Super crisp skin, perfect cook on the fish leaving it soft and moist - the execution was flawless. Especially love the flakes of coarse sea salt on the fish! Unfortunately fish aside the accompanying sides were a tad underwhelming. Not a fan of the beurre blanc which was quite tasteless (unseasoned and none of that rich tangy flavours), nor the roasted potatoes and shallots that fell flat.

I don't often see pairings other than tomatoes/basil/proscuitto with burrata, so Mozza's extensive menu of mozzarella dishes were very appealing. This came highly recommended apart from the usual caprese. I love how the savoury ingredients complemented the creamy burrata, especially the caramelised shallots. The escaroles (a kind of endive) however weren't my thing. They were extremely sour, and ended up blocking all other flavours. But the burrata though - top notch.

Decent mash, almost tasteless artichokes (what a waste of an amazing veg!), a tad too crunchy sautéed onions, and a forgettable mash. All of that could've been overlooked should the cod be done well; unfortunately it was a little dry and overcoked, nothing like the prized buttery fish.

Some really atas nom here: these Foie Gras Truffle Siew Mai don't come cheap at S$31 for 4. Each bite is packed full of minced smoked-duck meat, foie gras, and topped with apricot, ginger and shavings of black truffle. It may sound a little over the top, but these juicy little pouches were nothing short of delicious. Pricey, yet worth the occasional splurge.

Red Malabar snapper, whole langoustine, blue mussels - that sure is a mouthful. Fancy sounding pretty looking seafood aside the bouillabaise was a pleasant surprise. Somewhere between the traditional rich stock and a creamy bisque, this bouillabaise was flavourful and very reasonably priced.

Haven't had carbs in awhile cause I'm blubberous, but this mad week of finals-mugging is giving me strong pangs of craving 😩 missing the awesome bread selection offered at JAAN

Blogging last night made me miss this so so bad. Throwback to the amazing mushroom soup amuse bouche at Restaurant JAAN. Please let me have this, day and night, err day ❤