The Royal Mail @ The Ascott Raffles Place

I have never known that there is a restaurant located at The Ascott Raffles Place until my recent visit to The Royal Mail. I like the cozy ambience being away from the busy CBD area. The modern British cuisine offering at the The Royal Mail has recently undergone a face lift introducing a new selections of classics British cuisine with a modern twist, reflecting post war migration and globalisation.

Amuse Bouche 4/5

The dinner kicked started with a dual of Amuse Bouche. In the spoon was a scallop with orange jam and olive cavier, very interesting combination that worked well on the palate. In the shot glass was avocado mousse with green apple slices that was light and refreshing with the apple slices adding a nice finishing crunch.

Pan Seared Foie Gras 3.8/5

Next up we tried a couple of the appetizers on the menu. The Pan Seared Foie Gras ($24) was beautifully cooked and paired with scented honey mustard with riesling jus lending a subtle sweetness to it. Sharing the plate was a piece of camembert cheese. While I enjoy cheese, this seems a bit out of place with the goose liver.

Baby Octopus & Bay Scallops 4.2/5

Plated like the coral seabed, the Baby Ocopus & Bay Scallops ($28) is served with wasabi aioli, ikura and squid ink crust. The wasabi aioli complemented the octopus and scallops excellently.

Sou Vide Half Maine Lobster 4.5/5

The Sou Vide Half Maine Lobster ($24) with Japanese pumpkin, crispy iberico de bellota, saffron beurre blanc and port jus was not only beautiful in its plating but beautiful on the palate too. All the different ingredients simply comes together and worked in harmony.

Lobster Linguine 4/5

The Lobster Linguine ($28) with garlic, semi dried tomatoes, chilli oil, lobster and squicd ink espuma was beautifully cooked with a perfect marriage of the different ingredients.

Roast Prime Rib

The highlight at The Royal Mail has to be the roasts section. The Roast Prime Rib comes in 3 different cuts namely English (200g $48), Classic (280g $58) and Royal Mail (340g $68). I tried all the three different cuts and I preferred the English cut which is more flavourful compared to the rest. It was sliced thin to heighten the flavour. The roast prime rib served on a wooden plank comes with sauteed brussels sprout with molthen blue cheese, pine nuts, roast whole garlic, yorkshire pudding and veal jus.

Kurobuta Pork Chop

Another favourite of mine at the Royal Mail is the pan roasted Kurobuta Pork Chop ($48) served with caramelized apple and apple jus. The pork was flavourful and succulent which is excellently paired with the apple jus.

Duck Fat Baby Potato and Truffle Risotto

To go with the mains and roasts, there are a number of accompanying side dishes available on the menu. A couple of my favourites are the Duck Fat Baby Potato ($8) with garlic, harlort verts and rosemary and the Truffle Risotto ($14).

Roasted Deboned Fish of the Day 700g

Good for sharing is the Roasted Deboned Fish of the Day (700g $52). The whole roasted sea bass was served with grilled lemon, garlic confit and scallion. Cooked to perfection, the grilled fish was fresh and moist. Squeezed the lemon juice over the grilled fish for added zest and further lifted the sweetness of the fish.

Chocolate Fondant

Moving on to desserts, I had the classic Chocolate Fondant ($18). The moment of delight when I cut into it and the molten lava flow out from the centre of the chocolate cake. It is served with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and freeze dried raspberry chocolate crumble.

Eton Mess 

A signature dessert since their opening is the Eton Mess ($15) which reflects the strong British influence. Served in a messy glass of strawberries, meringue, hazelnut crunch, salted caramel and devon cream no wonder it got it's name. The dessert originated from Briton's famed boarding school Eton College, where it is served at the school's annual cricket game and has been known by its name since the 19th century.

Not to be missed is the daily bar promotion at the Royal Mail. I was there on a Thursday and it was having all martinis at $5. What a steal isn't it?

Monday - 1 for 1 full pint draught beer
Tuesday - 1 for 1 all cocktails
Wednesday - 1 for 1 single malt whiskies by the glass
Thursday - All martinis at $5++
Friday - House pour liquor by the glass at $5++
Saturday - 1 for 1 on house pour liquor by the bottle
Sunday - 5 bottles of selected bottled beers at $35++

[CLOSED]
The Royal Mail
The Ascott Raffles Place Singapore
2 Finlayson Green
Singapore 049247
Tel:+65 65093589
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheRoyalMailSG
Website: http://www.theroyalmail.sg/
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 630am - 1030am, 12pm - 3pm, 630pm - 11pm
Sat: 7am - 11am, 630pm - 11pm
Sun & PH: 7am - 11am

Direction:
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit I. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

The French Table @ West Coast Plaza

People in the west should rejoice with the opening of a new casual French dining concept in The French Table at West Coast Plaza. The less than a month old new restaurant at West Coast Plaza is already attracting a crowd when I visited the place on a weekend for dinner. Browsing through the menu, the tell tale sign is quite clear it is almost a carbon copy of Poulet. It is not a surprise as the men behind The French Table is non other then Chef Nelson (ex Poulet) and a ex Poulet manager.

Wild Mushroom Soup 3/5

The Wild Mushroom Soup ($5.80) which is served with Alba truffle oil was flavourful but it was on the creamy side. The flavour of the mushrroom and truffle oil is missing from the creamy wild mushroom soup.

Shellfish Pot 2.5/5

The Shellfish Pot ($9.80) which is sauteed fresh mussels and clams with vegetables served in butter nage. My partner had some sandy clams and mussels which was disappointing. While I could taste the white wine in the soup, the butter nage was lacking a body. It felt like I was drinking diluted butter water.

Lamb Navarin 3.5/5

I actually wanted to try the pork belly but it was not available so I went for the Lamb Navarin ($16.80). I was expecting a whole lamb leg but instead was cut into pieces. The lamb leg is braised in white wine and served with french beans, carrots and tomatoes. The lamb although not melted in the mouth but it was cooked to fork tender. It was a decent dish and the portion was substantial but a bit one dimensional. Probably adding a mash or puree will make it a more dimensional and enjoyable dish.

Oven Roasted Half Chicken 3.5/5

The Oven Roasted Half Chicken ($15.80) definitely fell short in flavours compared to Poulet's rotisserie chicken. The sweet onion sauce was also kind of boring and one dimensional again. It felt like the oven roasted chicken is swimming in a french onion soup. I would preferred something more savoury to pair with the chicken.

Overall I think the concept will work but the food still needs more fine tuning. Opening at West Coast Plaza is also quite strategic offering something different for the neighbourhood. Judging from the crowded restaurant, it is quite well received. While the food is not to the mark yet, I hope when things settled down they can fine tune their offering and maybe even provide some characteristic of their own in their food.


[CLOSED]
The French Table
West Coast Plaza
154 West Coast Road
#02-26
Singapore 127371
Tel: +65 67779483
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station (Stop ID 17179). Take bus 189. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station (Stop ID 17179). Take West Coast Plaza shuttle bus to West Coast Plaza. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]