Xperience Restaurant @ Sofitel So Hotel Singapore - A So Seasonal Spring Menu

Xperience Restaurant at Sofitel So Singapore has a new chef at helm - Chef Trevor Paulo, to continue creating a dining experience that is So Singapore. The focus is on European cuisine but coming out from his kitchen expect something less conventional. His kitchen is not just simply being open-concept, it is an immersive one. You, as a guest, may join him as he cooks. From my experience, he is more than willing to share some of the tips which he himself has mastered through experimenting, trial and errors.

Cured Salmon (tasting portion) 4/5

We started off the evening with Cured Salmon ($25), accompanied by cucumber shavings, pickled cauliflower and tobikos. Dressed in homemade fermented apple juice, I love the tanginess and acidity of this dish. The pickled cauliflower has an exceptional crunch and Chef Trevor has shared with me his 'secret recipe' in doing it. It is so simple, yet versatile. I could use this technique on any vegetables that I want to pickle! I drank up the fermented apple juice to the last drop and I don't mind learning how to do that too.

Spanner Crab 3.5/5

The Spanner Crab ($25) share a similar Japanese vibe with the Lobster Jelly I had at Froth. The saltish, moreish elements are there, especially with the crispy seaweed crackers. However, I felt it lacks tanginess and perhaps my taste buds ain't sensitive enough, the Japanese ingredients Wasabi ‘Snow’and Sansho, fail to create any punch for the dish. What a pity.

Beef Short Rib (tasting portion) 3.5/5

For mains, we had Beef Short Rib and Lamb Confit ($38 each). One unique characteristic of Chef Trevor's beef short rib is that everything on the plate, apart from the broccolini are onions. As for the brown leaf, it is actually made of 'onion paper'. Pretty impressive. The method of doing it is rather technical, you may ask Chef if you are curious about it.  Sous Vide for 36 to 48 hours, the wagyu beef short rib has attained a pleasing level of tenderness with its fats intact. I'm not too sure whether is it due to the preparation process, the meat was kind of loose and I felt it lacked the rich flavour and juiciness of a good meat. The saving grace came from the shallot sauce, that brought everything together with its deep caramalised sweetness.

Lamb Confit 3.5/5

The Lamb Confit was beautiful with bright mustardy ginger carrot puree, perfuming our surrounding with a mouth-watering curry aroma. It got stronger as you put it into your mouth but the curry taste was somehow absent. It turned out that it was hardly any curry but Vadouvan, a French spice that smells like curry but minus the heat. Made using lamb neck, the tenderness of the meat reminds me of beef brisket. Still a little gamey for me though.

Chocolate Dome 2.8/5

Our desserts were a little disappointing. Chocolate Dome ($24) was served with a dome which melted away gradually under the hot vanilla cremeux. Made with 70% cocoa, it was like watching a premium hot chocolate being made right in front of my eyes. What is unfortunate, was that the hazelnut ice cream within the dome melted away together with the chocolate. So much for a hot chocolate but where is the hazelnut ice cream?

Carrot Cake 2.5/5

Their Carrot Cake ($22) didn't quite excite me either. We had a dollop of cream cheese mousse atop which had a lightness that I like. Supposed to be a deconstructed version, other than the loose cream cheese, I thought the cake itself was already quite 'completed', hence I feel the other elements such as the maple soil, white chocolate crumbles cluttered the cake and made it cloying. The apricot sorbet itself was quite refreshing but would have complement the cake better should it be less sweet.

If you plan to hold a special celebration, Xperience has the latest Xperience Celebrations, with Chef Trevor personally creates a customised dessert right before you, like an artist drawing a self portrait for you. We were lucky to have 2 chefs to double up this unique experience, one creating a colourful, vibrant artwork, which reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, while the other was gold and glamour. The Xperience Celebrations is most suitable for parties of two to four, and is priced at SGD 100++ for four.

Using seasonal produce, expect change of menu in every season for different experiences. Although there are hits and misses for me, I feel each and every dish has its own interesting element to engage my senses throughout the entire evening. If you ever drop by, just like me, you may even bring home really useful cooking tips from Chef Trevor!

Written and photograph 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. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Xperience Restaurant
Sofitel So Hotel Singapore
35 Robinson Road
Singapore 068876
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Nearest MRT: Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line), Telok Ayer (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 630am - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit I. Walk to Robinson Road. Turn left onto Robinson Road and walk towards Lau Pa Sat. Continue walking down Robinson Road to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit F. Turn left onto Robinsion Road. Cross the road and walk down Robinson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn right and walk down Cross Street. At the junction of Cross Street and Robinson Street, cross the road and turn right onto Robinson Street. Walk towards Lau Pa Sat and continue to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Bridge Restaurant @ Seah Street - Fine Dining Without Fuss Nor Pinch

Bridge Restaurant along Seah Street has recently revamped their menu with the introduction of the new Head Chef, Ace Tan who used to work in Pollen. The new menu focused in 3 main categories, creativity, haute and experimental-piquant illustration while not diverting from the motto of offering fine dining meal with reasonable pricing.

Our dinner started with some sourdough and anchovy butter. On top of their ala carte menu, the revamped menu has also introduced 3-course ($55) and 5-course ($85) set menus, offering a wallet friendly experience. The downside is that it is a fixed menu without any choices of starter, mains and dessert. I understand the restaurant is working towards that though.

Amuse Bouche - Oyster Leaf with Yuzu Gel 3.5/5

Amuse Bouche - Buckwheat Pikelet with Foie Gras Mousse 3/5

The set course started with two Amuse Bouche to kick start the dinner. First is the Oyster Leaf with Yuzu Gel, followed by the Buckwheat Pikelet with Foie Gras Mousse.

Textures of Crab 4.2/5

Moving on to the starters, we tried the Textures of Crabs ($20) and Foie Gras and Samphire ($22). For both the dishes, the staff will pour the sauce at the table upon serving.

Beginning with the Textures of Crabs, I like the play of cold and hot from the sweetness of the crab meat and deep fried crispiness of the soft shell crab. All these is held together by the lovely umani gazpacho, for a light and refreshing finish.

Foie Gras and Samphire 4.5/5

Another impressive starter on the menu is the Foie Gras and Samphire ($22). It is common to pair foie gras with fruity jam or even a rich and heavy sauce but having it with smoked shitake consomme is something interesting that works excellently. Even my friend who don't really take foie gras, felt that it masked the gaminess of the foie gras perfectly, giving it a total new dimension.

Ink Risotto and Purple Octopus 4.5/5

I am not a big fan of squid ink dishes as I find it very one dimensional. However the Ink Risotto and Purple Octopus ($28) changed my mind totally. Cooked together with paramsan cheese, it gives the risotto a multi flavours experience. I enjoyed how the cheesy flavour infused with the squid ink for a harmoniously bite of the rice grains.

Chrysanthemum Infused Snapper 3.8/5

What I like about the Chrysanthemum Infused Snapper ($30) is the crispy fish skin that has been separated from the fish meat. This is probably my first encounter of such execution. The chrysanthemum is actually quite untraceable but I like the lemon tobiko that gives the fish meat a zesty kick.

Kagoshima Japanese A4 Wagyu and Fennel Spice 3.8/5

Another main dish we tried is the Kagoshima Japanese A4 Wagyu and Fennel Spice ($70 for 100g / $120 for 200g). The meat is cooked to a beautiful sear on the exterior. However I thought the flavour of the beef was a little disappointing. It did not have that sweet beefy flavour that I prefer.

Native Fruits of Singapore 3.5/5

Moving to dessert, the Native Fruits of Singapore ($18) showcases the local fruits such as jackfruit, lychee, topped with culture cream and almond crumbs. It is served with a scoop of Okinawa organic tofu gelato.

Sweet Potato Cake with Honey Cider Custard 3/5

Last but not least I had the Sweet Potato Cake with Honey Cider Custard ($16). I like all the components on the bowl such as the coconut jelly, sesame micro sponge and purple sweet potato gelato, except for the sweet potato cake which was on the heavy and dry side to wrap up the night.

The dining experience at Bridge is like bridging the gap between fine dining and casual dining. I can see and taste what it is trying to do and applaud it. While I enjoyed both the starters and mains, I felt that the desserts need some fine tuning to match the excellent start.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Bridge Restaurant
31 Seah Street
Singapore 188387
Tel: +65 63334453
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Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Wed: 3pm - 11pm
Thu: 12pm - 11pm
Fri: 12pm - 1am
Sat: 11am - 1am
Sun: 11am - 5pm

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road. Cross the road, walk towards Raffles Hotel direction. Walk down North Bridge Road and turn right on to Seah Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]