After closing the restaurant temporarily for about a month to undergo renovation, Alma by Juan Amador reopened with a refreshed interior, a new culinary team and a new menu. Chef Juan trains the new team first-hand with the highly anticipated new menu featuring his signature dishes and innovative take on Asian ingredients.
Egg Benedict 2.0, Sa-Bo-Fun, Purple Tikka Masala
We had their 5-course Menu ($228), starting with a trio of snacks. We had the Egg Benedict 2.0, Sa-Bo-Fun and Purple Tikka Masala on the plate. My favourite of the trio is the Egg Benedict 2.0. It is not your usual egg benedict which comes in a crispy Vol-Au-Vent, topped with bafun uni and black truffle.
I realized the snacks are a representation of global flavours. For example, the Sa-Bo-Fun comprising red wine duck sausage and salted fish on top of a charred rice cracker, is a rendition of the Chinese claypot rice. Lastly, our taste buds are tickled by the Indian spices from the Purple Tikka Malsa layered in coconut yoghurt chicken tikka, compressed cucumber coconut masala cream and oyster cracker.
Beurre Blanc Ice Cream 4.5/5
After the complimentary Potato Bread with smoked butter, we had one of Chef Juan's dishes, the Beurre Blanc Ice Cream. The classic French sauce is presented in an ice cream form, paired with Fine de Claire oysters, Kaluga hybrid caviar and finished with hazelnut foam. The refreshing execution is entirely unexpected, bursting with lovely flavours.
Parfum de Siam 3.8/5
Next is another signature dish from Chef Juan, Parfum de Siam. The butter-poached Australian rock lobster, yellow zucchini noodle and tempura zucchini flower are paired with a Thai-inspired thick and creamy sauce. It showcases how the chef marries Asian spices and ingredients into Western cooking techniques.
Crackling Iberico Pork Belly 3/5
Moving on is the Crackling Iberico Pork Belly. While I understand premium pork is used and the pork belly was cooked perfectly, as good as you can find in any Hong Kong roasted meat restaurant, it didn't have that element of excitement or surprise I get from the earlier dishes, maybe because the cooking style of the roasted pork belly is too commonly available and eaten in Singapore.
A4 Satsuma Wagyu 4.2/5
I prefer the A4 Satsuma Wagyu over the pork belly for protein. The melt-in-the-mouth beef is richly flavoured, and it is the grade I enjoyed as it has a slightly more textural bite than A5.
Moutai "Flying Fairy" Ice Cream 4/5
Though distilled Chinese liquor is used in the desert, the Moutai "Flying Fairy" Ice Cream is light and refreshing, comprising of tree gum snow nest, strawberry air and a crisp hawthorn flake.
Petit Four
Lastly, the Petite Four of Pistachio Praline Bonbon, Passionfruit Pate and Financier completed our meal at Alma by Juan Amador, perfectly with a cup of coffee.
Note: This is an invited tasting.
Alma by Juan Amador
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)
Opening Hours:
Lunch
Tue-Sat: 12pm - 230pm
Dinner
Mon-Sat: 6pm - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)
Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk down Scotts Road to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]
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