Corner House @ Botanic Gardens

This is a very belated post of my 1st Anniversary celebration at Corner House, Botanic Gardens. The restaurant in the UNESCO world heritage site, is a fitting and romantic place to celebrate this special day. It has always been the restaurant I wanted to visit and finally I have the reason to do so with my beloved wife.

Upon placing our 4 course set dinner (from $98), we were served with some warm bread.

Amuse Bouche 4.2/5

Dinner at Corner House began with some Amuse Bouche giving a glimpse of what is lining up in the 4 course meal, showing Chef Jason Tan's culinary. Clockwise from the top left corner, we have the Oyster Leaf, Bikini, Cucumber Sphere and Cracker.

French Royal Oyster 4.2/5

For the Appetizer, we opt for the French Royale Oyster and Hakkaido Scallop. The French Royale Oyster is plump and huge served in a oyster shaped plate with plum granite, basil seed and caviaroli. This is a new and refreshing way of enjoying the oyster.

Hokkaido Scallop 4.5/5

The Hokkaido Scallop is served with miso, Ikura roes, burnt orange, yuzu and rice cracker. The flavours were complex but yet worked harmoniously together.

Maine Lobster 4.2/5

Moving on to the starter, we tried the Maine Lobster, New Zealand Cod "Crispy Scales" and Oignon doux des Cevennes. I enjoyed the doneness of the Maine Lobster, allowing the full appreciation of the fresh seafood with the smoked burrata, yellow capsicum and Kristal de Chine caviar.

New Zealand Cod "Crispy Scales" 4.5/5

Oignon doux des Cevennes 4.5/5

The other two starters were impressive too. The New Zealand Cod "Crispy Scales" and Oignon doux des Cevennes will take diners to a whole new dimension of culinary experience. The most interesting part in the New Zealand Cod  is using the crispy scales to be part of the dish which is usually removed. It gave the fish an extra layer of enjoyment with the Shanxi emlsion. For the Oignon doux des Cevennes,which is 62 degree egg, buckwheat and noisette crouton will delight everyone's palate with the dehydrated sweet onion.

Fish

For the Main, we went for the Fish and Japanese A4 Toriyama Beef. The Fish was baked with the bone intact, filleted and slightly grilled for flavour. Served together with squid and broccoli puree.

Japanese A4 Toriyama Beef 4.8/5

The Japanese A4 Toriyama Beef is probably one of the best steak I have ever eaten for a long while. The beautiful piece of beef is served with corn puree and mustard seeds.

Calamasi Chilli Sorbet 4.5/5

Before moving on to our desserts, we were served palate cleanser in the Calamasi Chilli Sorbet with Pandan and Lemongrass Jelly.

Kaya Parfait Gula Melaka 4/5

Durian Mousse with Kopi Ice Cream 4.5/5

For Desserts, we gone for the local inspired sweetness in the Kaya Parfait Gula Melaka and Durian Mousse with Kopi Ice Cream. On top of the exquisite execution, the flavours will bring back a lot of familiar memories.

Petite Four 4.2/5, Salted Egg Macaron 4.5/5

Last but not least we have the Petite Four to wrap up the dinner. We specially requested for the Salted Egg Macaron too as all my foodie friends highly recommended me to try it. It was one of the most heavenly macaron I ever had.

Overall it is really an experience dining at Corner House. The whole ambience, food and down to the service are top notch. I understand Corner House has come up with a new menu and I am looking forward to my next visit. Last but not least, a warm thank you to Corner House for the delicious anniversary cake/dessert.


Corner House
1 Cluny Road
EJH Corner Houe, Nassim Gate
Singapore 259569
Tel: +65 64691000
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Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours;
Tue-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 630pm - 11pm
Sun: 1130am - 3pm (brunch), 630pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Botanic Gardens MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Botanic Gardens. Walk towards EJH Corner House which is near to the vistor centre. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]

Kai Garden (嘉苑) @ Marina Square Shopping Mall

Kai Garden at Marina Square Shopping Mall, specializing in fine Cantonese cuisine, is opened by Owner and Executive Chef Fung Chi Keung, who has over 30 years of culinary experience. Owner and Executive Chef Fung is the former group executive chef of Paradise Group as well as the founder of Xin Yue Modern Chinese Restaurant. The 200 seater restaurant comprises of three main sections - Dim Sum, Roasts and the Main Kitchen. The 200 seats includes a function room for up to 60 seats, and 4 private rooms for 4 to 16 people.

Chilled Cherry Foie Gras 4/5

The Chilled Cherry Foie Gras ($24 per servicing) gives us a glimpse into Chef Fung interpretation of fine Cantonese cuisine. The foie gras is skillfully hand shaped into cherries, arousing one's curiosity with the priced ingredient.

Chilled Mini Tomatoes with Sweet Plum 4.5/5

The Chilled Mini Tomatoes with Sweet Plum ($10.80 per servicing) will whet one's appetite with its sweetness and tanginess. It kept going back for more, it was really very addictive.

Double Boiled Japanese Matsutake Served in Hot Pot 4.2/5

The Double Boiled Japanese Matsutake Served in Hot Pot ($38 per pax) is a light, sweet and nourishing  soup. Matsutake mushroom, priced for its rarity, is only found in the wild and is hand harvested from the foot of pine trees.

Braised Whole Ya Jian Shark's Fin in Supreme Collagen Stock 4.2/5

The highlight is the supreme collagen stock that is used to braised the whole Ya Jian Shark's Fin ($34.80 per pax). The collagen stock was rich and sweet, which was an excellent broth to pair with the shark's fin, for a luxurious enjoyment.

Signature Crispy Peking Duck 3.5/5

The signature dish at Kai Garden is the Crispy Peking Duck ($88 whole duck) served with 5 unique warps and 5 dipping sauces. The five different wraps are original, pumpkin, spinach, bamboo charcoal and beetroot.

Besides the colorful wraps using natural ingredients, the crispy Peking duck also comes with 5 different sauces for the wrap to enjoy the duck skin. These sauces are traditional, black pepper, sesame, seafood and special mixed sauces.

Signature Crispy Peking Duck 3.5/5

For a more textural enjoyment of Chef Fung's crispy Peking duck, he has introduced corn crackers into the wrap. I actually preferred to have the crispy duck skin without the cracker, the duck skin got lost and over shadowed by the corn crackers when eaten together.

Garoupa in Lobster Soup 4.8/5

As you can see from the picture, the fresh garoupa is sliced into slices. It is then briefly poached in a pot of rich lobster stock. The fish slices is then served with the broth which tasted like lobster bisque. The Garoupa in Lobster Soup (seasonal price) is an exquisite combination that is packed with richness but yet very comforting.

Sweet & Sour Pork On The Rocks 3.8/5

It is quite a sight when the Sweet & Sour Pork On the Rocks ($22 per servicing) is served to the table. It is quite an interesting presentation of the classic Cantonese dish with all the fundamental components and ingredients. The sweet and sour sauce is really good, nicely balanced to complement the balled shaped pork. However I felt that the pork was a bit too minced if to compare with the traditional execution, which I prefer the later.

Deep Fried Vegetable Roll 4.8/5

The Deep Fried Vegetable Roll ($22 regular) comes with mixed vegetables and mushroom with tofu encased in a crisp net of bamboo fungus. The bamboo fungus is the star for me in this dish for its soft, crunchy and spongy texture that lifted the whole enjoyment.

Pan Fried Charcoal Pork Bun 4.5/5

Mentioned earlier that Kai Garden also served dim sum on the menu. One of the dim sum items we tried is the Pan Fried Charcoal Pork Bun ($6.80 for 3pc). The black colour comes from the use of charcoal powder and squid ink, giving it a twist to the traditional pork bun. The bun is then pan fried for an exterior crispiness while retaining the fluffiness and juiciness of the pork filling inside.

Chilled Fresh Coconut Puree 3.8/5

Last but not least, we wrapped up the fine Cantonese cusiine at Kai Garden with the Chilled Fresh Coconut Puree ($6.80 per pax). I felt that the kitchen should replace the fresh milk with something sweeter to complement the coconut puree. Maybe it is a personal preference. Nevertheless, the refreshing puree of fresh coconut is a perfect ending to the sumptuous meal.

While the food at the Kai Garden is commendable, the price tag is not cheap. Compared to many other shopping mall, the crowd is quite thin here. There are also a few Chinese restaurants in the vicinity, hence business can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, I hope their business will pick up and continue to serve delicious fine Cantonese cuisine.


Kai Garden (嘉苑)
Marina Square Shopping Mall
6 Raffles Boulevard
#03-128A/B
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 62504826
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Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 330pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sat-Sun & PH: 11am - 4pm, 6pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B. Take the escalator to level 3. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]