Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt (OCF) Singapore @ The Arts House - Launches A New Summer Menu

My first visit to Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt or more commonly known as OCF Singapore was back in 2014 on a food trail with restaurant week. I am back again at OCF Singapore to check out their new summer menu specially designed by Chef Jonathan to feature the seasonal produces. By the way, do note that this menu is only available from 11 July to 11 September 2016.

Amuse Bouche 3.8/5

The dinner menu at OCF Singapore is very simple. It only offers two set menus. 3-Course Gourmand Menu ($88) or 5-Course Prestige Menu ($158). The group of us decided to go for the 3-course gourmand menu, starting with the amuse bouche. Served in an egg shell is a poached egg topped with some sort of egg foam perfumed with some Indian spices.

Les Coquilles Saint-Jacques 4.2/5

There are 3 choices of starters on the gourmand menu. Since there was three of us, we just order one of each. I had the Les Coquilles Saint-Jacques (supplement $30) which is actually Hokkaido Scallop and Cauliflower puree with a touch of lemon and kristal caviar. A clean dish on the palate focusing on the sweetness of the scallop complemented by the saltiness of caviar.

La Pommes de Terre 4/5

The other two starters we tried are the La Pommes de Terre and La Tomate des Jardin Rabelais. The  La Pommes de Terre showcases two textures of the agria potatoes. The butter and crumbly potatoes are accompanied by bacon spiced with aromatic vadouvan, watercress coulis, crisps and aged comte cheese.

La Tomate des Jardin Rabelais 4.8/5

My favourite of the three starters is the La Tomate des Jardin Rabelais. The rabelais tomatoes poached in vanilla was so sweet, it was like having candy on a plate. I would highly recommend going for this.

Le Boeuf 4.2/5

For the main, I had the Le Boeuf (supplement $70 - 150grams). The Japanese Hida Striploin is cooked perfetly to medium, paired with braised cartilage and onion marmalade. I specially enjoyed the sweetness of the onion marmalade to cut through the richness on the plate. I thought the sauce was a bit heavy for the beef hence I ended up have the striploin on its own which is already so flavourful.

La Legine 4/5

For non meat lover, there is the La Legine. The herb-crusted patagonian toothfish is moist and buttery, accompanied with summer cabbage and wild mushrooms, dressed in a poultry jus. Nothing fancy but a smoothing experience cleaning up the plate.

Le Pigeonneau d'Origine Francaise 4/5

An acquire dish on the mains is the Le Pigeonneau d'Origine Francaise. I think the chef has got the doneness of the brittany pigeon spot on. The unique pairing of the bitter chocolate sauce, is new to me and it did work with the game. The pickled cherries also played an important supporting role to cut the gamy taste.

Cucumber Sorbet with Compressed Grape 4.5/5

We were served Cucumber Sorbet with Compressed Grape as palate cleanser before moving to our dessert. The cucumber sorbet was light and very refreshing. All I know is I was craving for another scoop of it.

L'Abricote 4.2/5

Wrapping up the 3-course meal is the L'Abricote. The choux puff pastry with earl grey mousse is topped with a spiced poached apricot from rousillon, served with a scoop of tahitian vanilla ice cream. The crispy and airy pastry completed a delightful culinary experience at the historical building which housed OCF Singapore.


Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt (OCF) Singapore
The Arts House
1 Old Parliament Lane
#02-02
Singapore 179429
Tel: +65 63339312/9412
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 2pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sat: 6pm - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit H. Turn right and walk towards the river. Turn right on the right at the river, walk towards the bridge. Cross the bridge. Walk along the river and turn right onto Parliament Lane. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Opus Bar & Grill @ Hilton Hotel Singapore - Letting Quality Ingredients Speak For Themselves

Some things do come better with age. Dry-aged beef, is what I'm inferring to, which is also the star of Opus Bar & Grill at Hilton Hotel Singapore. Many may perceived restaurants in hotels to be less exciting than what we have today, perhaps due to their strong corporate identities. However, Opus Bar & Grill identifies itself strongly to us as an independent restaurant with something more to offer than what its predecessor Checkers Brasserie used to be. It continues to provide hearty buffets by day, however, by night, it will close its specially designed dividers to form a more cosy and intimate dining space. The tables for the buffet are also customised to be used as tables for food preparation.

Using a specially commissioned Himalayan salt tile cabinet and charcoals, the Opus culinary team seeks to deliver some of the best meats that you might ever tasted in Singapore. The fresh, marbleized meats are aged between 14 and 36 days to create a rich depth of flavour. 'Letting quality ingredients speak for themselves' is the philosophy behind Opus, which is reflected by their adoption of simple cooking techniques combined with the purity of grilling.

Onion Cheese Bread 4/5

To get our engine started, we were first served a warm Onion Cheese Bread. Sweet & savoury works for me always, which is why I even kept some aside to accompany my dinner throughout.

Hokkaido Scallops 4/5

For starters, we have the recommended Hokkaido Scallops ($22.00) and Tartar of Bluefin Tuna ($17.00). The fresh green colour somehow eased my tired eyes. The edamame puree was smooth and its delicate taste balanced that of the smokey-savoury blood sausage. As tiny as the blood sausage may seem, it imparted whole of flavour to the scallop.

Tartar of Bluefin Tuna 4/5

Tuna Tartar has always been my favourite and theirs just affirm my liking for this dish. Fatty and creamy with abit of zest, I could easily wipe the plate clean.

Halloumi with Eggplant and Squash 3.5/5

King Prawn Skewer 2.8/5

With charcoal grills, there is skewers. We had 2 of them, Halloumi ($16.00/$22.00) and King Prawn skewer ($20.00/$30.00). Halloumi a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese. Due to its high melting point, it is very suitable for grilling. It looks like Dougan, doesn't it? But it is much firmer, with a rubbery texture. It is mild and a little savoury which I quite like. I can imagine having it with something sweet and crunchy, rather than grilled eggplants and squash. The latter pales in comparison to Halloumi for its lack of novelty and average taste. The green chilli at the side, however, manages to up the taste by a notch.

Himalayan Salt Dry-Aged OP Rib 800g 4/5

The mains was the reason behind all the wait. What are on the menu is a premium selection of hand-selected Australian Prime Cuts of marble score 4 to 6. Sitting on top of the list is their Opus signature Himalayan Salt Dry-Aged OP Rib ($110 for 2 pax), the slab of meat that people come for. Juicy, bloody you called it, there are people who just love it. OP rib, even before it is being dry-aged, is known for its intense flavour and richness. After being dry-aged, it is even more so. Aging harnesses the microbes and enzymes present in the meat itself to behave in a certain manner, giving you a steak that is more tender, coupled with a more intensified flavour due to loss of water. In particular, the steak will gain a 'blue cheese characteristic'. Given my untrained palate, I miss out on that. Hence, do take an extra second to savour its taste.

Australian Tajima Wagyu, 220g Sirloin 4/5

For something more ladylike, you can opt for Tajima Wagyu ($88.00). It is still flavourful and fatty, and give you more spaces to try the rest.

A few personal touches to note from the Team. Customers get to choose their respective steak knife from the collection, according to the color of the handle that caught their eyes. It was quite a delight when I was approached with their collection. 3 different types of salt were given, and a list of sauces to choose from. The recommended ones are Bone marrow with red wine sauce, as well as Black truffle & mushroom sauce.

Smoke Risotto, Leek & Pecorino 3.8/5

We also had a few sides to accompany our steaks. What I find more interesting is their Smoke Risotto, Leek & Pecorino ($6.00). It is one of the most mildly flavoured risotto I have tried, akin to a thick white porridge but grainier and creamier. Half of it was gone, fast.

36-hours Pork Belly 2.5/5

36-hours Pork Belly ($36.00) is one of their new hot items. It came elegantly glazed and garnished with pickled beets and I couldn't wait to dig my fork into its tender fats-flesh. However, what really happened was that my fork couldn't seem to find an opening to penetrate it. It seems that all the fats and muscles had seized up to form a wall. A pity.

Glacier 51 Toothfish Fillet 4.2/5

Their Toothfish Fillet ($49.00) picked me up from my disappointment with my highly anticipated pork belly. High in fat, this particular fish boosts rich flavour and sweetness, which is well complimented by the savoury dashi and the sweet-smokey leeks. The charred broccoli nuances the dish with its hints of bitterness and crunchy texture. You will enjoy this dish even more, knowing that it was sustainably caught. The same goes to a few other seafood dishes as labelled in the menu. Opus prides itself for being environmentally friendly having achieved the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)'s Chain of custody certification prior to opening.

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Charcoal Grilled Banana with Smoked Salted Caramel, Coconut & Calamasi Ice Cream 4.2/5

Do leave space for their signature desserts - Charcoal Grilled Banana and Grilled Honey Pineapple dessert ($12.00 each).

Charcoal Grilled Banana was better than expected. I appreciate the fact that the banana was caramelised with its skin attached, hence retaining its firmness. Given its mealy texture and savoury sweetness with the salted caramel, pairing it with sweet and sour coconut ice cream couldn't have been a much better choice.

Grilled Honey Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream, crumble & Rum Sauce 4.5/5 

You can see the excitement in my eyes when I heard about their Charcoal Grilled Honey Pineapple. I first got acquainted with it when I was at FYR. Served as a juice, the smokey sweet taste of the pineapple acquires the taste of a rainforest. As for this, coupled with homemade vanilla ice cream and crumble, this is a much more luscious version of your usual apple crumble.

From 18 Jan to 31 Mar, enjoy special beverage offers with any order of Opus Beef Selection (Prime Cuts from $58++ only). Free flow of sparkling, white & red wines from 7pm to 9pm (Mon to Thu), 50% off on wine by the bottle (Fri to Sun).

Nature has a lot to share, so long we know how to harness it in a responsible way. Basic ingredients can form fine dishes, so long they are in good hands. That is what I see in Opus.

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.


Opus Bar & Grill
Hilton Hotel Singapore
581 Orchard Road
Singapore 238883
Tel: +65 67303390
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 630pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue walking along Orchard Road. Journey time is about 8 minutes. [Map]