Taking over the historic Art Deco building at Cecil street, The Black Swan is a distinctive grand café and bar that sets to stir up the bustling, yet monotonous Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore. Formerly the Kwangtung Provincial Bank built in the 1930s, when Art Deco was one of the key design movements, months of effort was being put into restoring the place back to its former glory. A new menu has recently been launched, offering more elaborated dishes to whet your appetite.
Designed to serve European bistro classics in mind, but with a modern take to delight its diners, The Black Swan also offers a fine selection of signature cocktails, wines, and whiskies. On their list of cocktails, I picked Fountain Of Youth (19++) for their citrus note. What goes in are lychees, Japanese cucumber, Peach liqueur and a touch of citrus. I do highly recommend this, especially if you have had a long day at work.
Fountain of Youth 4/5
In between the meal, I had another concoction - Good Night & Good Luck (19++). I chose this because I thought using tea as part of the concoction is something unique. Because of this cocktail, now I know what to look out for when choosing cocktails. The tea’s astringency balances the sweetness really well. Compared to the usual sweet-smelling cocktails, this Good Night & Good Luck carries a sense of elegance in both its aroma and taste, which is strengthened with the use of Chamomile Pisco. Served to me with a generous whiff of lavender atop, every sip relaxes my senses.
Charcuterie 4/5
We had Charcuterie (18++) - This Baked Bone Marrow appetiser is sure a great way to start off the dinner. The marrow was rich and buttery, and the crusty Crostini became the perfect vehicle to deliver the taste to my mouth.
Seafood Platter 3.8/5
The Black Swan Seafood Platter ($148++) collects the freshest and finest - Alaskan king crab, Oysters, Maine lobster, Obsiblue prawns, Uni, Clam ceviche. This is a little piece of heaven for the seafood lovers.
Chicken Veloute 3.8/5
Another warm and comforting dish was their Chicken Velouté (18++) I was a bit sceptical about this creamy chicken soup at first as I was not a fan for both creamy and chicken, but the way it was done made it just right for me. The Maitake mushroom was fried with chicken cubes before mixing into the soup. That brought out the intense flavour of the mushrooms, which was a match with the creamy chicken soup. The overall taste and texture is quite rich and creamy, but certainly not cloying.
Steak Tartare 3.5/5
Steak Tartare ($26++). If you are fine with steak tartare dish, I’m quite sure that you will like theirs too. Using USDA 365 days grain fed beef, mixed with Crispy sunchoke, Raw egg and micro cress, it was light on the palette, and appetizing due to its tangy dressing.
Alaskan Snow Crab Salad 4/5
Their Alaskan Snow Crab Salad ($24++) is one of my favourite dishes. Perhaps, after all the meaty appetiser, something refreshing is always more than welcome. It is a delicate plate of Alaskan snow crab, Avocado, Mango, Orange and Grapefruit, dressed with Citrus vinaigrette. Even the guys love it!
Roasted Suckling Pig 3.8/5
Roasted Suckling Pig ($148++) is one of the signature dishes on the new menu, made using pork air-flown from Spain. The meat has been brine for 24 hours with herbs and sous vide before the roasting takes place. As promised, the meat, after being concealed and roasted for hours, remains tender and juicy with all the wonderful flavour of the herbs. If you would like to have a taste of it, please do remember to pre-order 2 days in advance.
Lobster Thermidor 3.8/5
We also got to try their Daily Specials - Tournedos Rossini ($50++) and Lobster Thermidor ($65++), which are available every Monday and Thursday respectively. Their whole Maine lobster is baked with Mornay sauce and Gruyère cheese, which are pretty common ingredients to pair with lobster without masking its sweetness.
Beef Steak with Foie Gras 3.8/5
If you are a truly meat lover, you may want to come down on Monday to enjoy this 150 gms tenderloin, which is paired with Seared foie gras, accompanied by Sautéed vegetables with Truffle sauce. You may be stunned by the size of the foie gras.
Black Swan Fireball 4.5/5
Dark Chocolate Dome 4.5/5
We rounded up the night with 2 desserts - The Black Swan Fireball ($22++) and Dark Chocolate Dome ($16++). The Black Swan Fireball is simply amazing. The Chocolate sphere is filled with berries compote, Crunchy pearls and Vanilla ice cream. After being flamed, the liquor flavoured the melted chocolate with a tinge of bitterness and every mouthful of it was sinfully good. My first encounter with Fireball was at 1 Stellar, this is my second and it just gets better.
There is another section known as the The Powder Room, offering premium bar bites and cocktails, as well as premium bottle service. If you would like to have a private dining experience, it will be held in what used to be the bank vault. With such a complete and exceptional concept, The Black Swan is right to be where it is, at the heart of our CBD, in this beautiful and stunning building.
The current Happy Hour Menu is available from 5-8pm from Mondays to Fridays, with the offer of $21++ for a glass of champagne and a pair of freshly-shucked oysters. Coming up in December, the Happy Hour Menu will be replaced with a $2++ menu for oysters, and $11++ for selected beer, wine and house-pours.
Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.
The Black Swan
19 Cecil Street
Singapore 049704
Tel: +65 81813305
Website
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line)
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 1030pm
Sat: 5pm - 1030pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit F. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]
No comments:
Post a Comment