COMO Cuisine @ Dempsey - A Collection Of Global Cuisines Across COMO Properties And COMO Shambala

Mentioned COMO Cuisine at Dempsey, many will think that the food here is about wellness. It is actually not that. The menu at COMO Cuisine comprises of signatures dishes handpicked from across the COMO properties and COMO Shambala. It is a unique culinary journey where you can experience a collection of global cuisines sans having to get on a plane, all in one place.

Bhutanese Momos 3.5/5

We started with some Bhutanese Momos ($12++). At a glance, it looks like Chinese dumpling, but the dough is thicker, made from a combination of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. It is quite substantial, filled with pork, garlic, coriander and Szechuan pepper. I was actually disappointed that the accompanying Ezay chilli sauce did not use Bhutanese sun-dried chilli powder but Korean chilli powder which lacks the spicy kick.

Mangrove Crab Salad 4.5/5

The Mangrove Crab Salad ($24++) may look a little dull in colour but don't be deceived by it. It is a colourful firework of flavours from the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and palm sugar. This is COMO Cuisine's interpretation of Thai Som Tum with fresh-picked mud crabs tossed in a salad of green mango, starfruit, cherry tomatoes, beansprouts, mint, coriander, Thai basil, fresh coconut slices and cashew nuts.

Spicy Prawn Relish 4/5

The Spicy Prawn Relish ($12++) is not spicy at all. It is like a bowl of chilli soup with chopped local tiger prawns and grilled corns. What is more interesting is the accompanying starfruit, guava, cucumber crudites and house-made rice crackers for dipping into the relish.

Golden Beetroot 4/5

A clean and delicious tasting dish is the Golden Beetroot ($20++). The heirloom beetroot is roasted in oil and vinegar, and served with Australian goat's feta cheese and finished with poppy seed dressing.

Lobster Biryani 4.5/5

The Lobster Biryani ($48++) really comes as a surprise for me. I thought COMO cuisine is all about the western fare, but this really was unexpected. I like how it is cooked with a house-made naan covering the bowl of basmati rice, locking in all the flavours. On the side, we have raita and guava pomegranate salad, for a balanced diet.

Tandoor Cauliflower 4.2/5

I guess COMO Cuisine never failed to surprise me with the Tandoor Cauliflower ($22++). I mean who will skewered chunks of cauliflower and roasted them in tandoor oven. What brings the dish together is the lemon dressing, giving it the needed acidity on top of the smokiness.

Pappardelle 4.2/5

Freshly made daily is the Pappardelle ($30++) that is cooked to a beautiful al dente bite. I love my pasta saucy and hence the duck ragout was a match in heaven for me. This is further topped with radicchio, basil and shaved pecorino.

Lamb Shank Massaman 4.5/5

Another beautiful dish on the menu is the Lamb Shank Massaman ($45++) served with naan bread and lightly pickled pineapple and cucumber. The lamb shank is cooked to fork-tender, falling off the bone with ease. It is so good that I could not stop going back for more naan to mop up the sauce.

Rich Chocolate Cake 4.2/5

The Rich Chocolate Cake ($14++) is COMO Cuisine's take on the chocolate florentine. The tart base is made from digestive biscuits and then covered with Michel Cluizel 70% chocolate. It is then served with rum-marinated cherries, fresh berries, coffee caramel, mascarpone chantilly infused vanilla bean and edible gold leaf.

Mocha Soft Serve 4/5

Subject to daily flavour, we had the Mocha Soft Serve ($10++). Who can resist a soft, creamy and refreshing soft served to wrap up dinner? It actually tastes like milo soft serve.

Jackfruit Pudding 4.2/5

Another beautiful dessert on the menu is the Jackfruit Pudding ($14++). The soft and moist ginger jackfruit pudding is served warm and topped with fresh jackfruit, passionfruit and coconut slivers. This is complemented by a scoop of house-made jaggery ice cream

Note: This is an invited tasting.


COMO Cuisine
Dempsey Hill
Block 18A Dempsey Road
Singapore 249677
Tel: 1800 3046688
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line), Holland Village (CC Line), Farrer Road (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Breakfast
Mon-Fri: 8am - 12pm
Lunch
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 3pm
Afternoon Menu
Daily: 3pm - 6pm
Dinner
Sun-Thu: 6pm - 10pm
Fri-Sat, PH: 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop along Orchard Boulevard (Stop ID 09022). Take bus number 7, 77, 106, 123 or 174. Alight 7 stops later. Walk to Dempsey Road. Walk to the round about near block 17 and 18. Walk to destination. Journey time 30 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop at Block 12 (Stop ID 11401). Take bus 106. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to Dempsey Road. Walk to the round about near block 17 and 18. Walk to destination. Journey time 20 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Farrer Road MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Farrer Road MRT station (Stop ID 11119). Take bus number 174 or 564. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to Dempsey Road. Walk to the round about near block 17 and 18. Walk to destination. Journey time 20 minutes. [Map]

Mimi (秘密) @ Clarke Quay - Modern Chinese Tapas Restaurant At The RiverHouse

Mimi is a new and modern Chinese Tapas Restaurant on the second level of  The Riverhouse. It takes over the space of the defunct VLV. This is the newest concept by the 1-Group, featuring four different concepts under one roof. Besides Mimi, the ground floor house the live music revue Yin, international club Yang, and Greek fast-casual concept Zorba.

Crispy Beef "Jerky" 3/5

The Crispy Beef "Jerky" ($14)is a long-forgotten Sichuan classic from the Ming Dynasty. The thinly sliced, deep-fried to crispy beef slices are glazed in a spicy and numbing mala sauce. This is topped with fried shredded ginger and roasted white sesame seeds. This is good to go with some drinks.

Black Gold Chicken 4/5

The Black Gold Chicken ($18) gets its name from the black garlic which gives the tender chicken a layer of sweetness. Probably a modern interpretation of the local chicken rice, the chicken rest on top a bed of crispy rice.

Garden of Mushrooms 3/5

The Garden of Mushrooms ($15) is an Instagram-worthy dish that features Char Siew Baos in the form of mushrooms on a bed of chocolate soil. It is really a beautiful dish that you just want to take out your handphone to snap a picture or two. However, this is not a new creation, as it has been widely served in other restaurants. I also dislike the white mushroom, which is just plain mantou or dough. I have difficulty accepting or appreciate a restaurant putting that in the dish.

A Saucy Crab & Egg Affair 3/5

I am also not impressed with A Saucy Crab & Egg Affair ($18). Presentation-wise may score some cherry points, but this so-called de-shell take of the chilli crab dish failed to excite me. It features a pool of spicy chilli crab, and a briny soup of egg whites with fresh crab meat served with fried mantou. Unless I am a tourist, I will not order this.

The Unsubtle Truffle Mein 3.8/5

The saving grace goes to The Unsubtle Truffle Mein ($20). Actually, this is not new as there is a similar dish using beef and hor fun. However, Mimi cleverly replaces it with bee hoon and tung hoon, giving it an enjoyable al dente and yet contrasting texture enjoyment.

Lychee Lust 2.8/5

Unfortunately, the Lychee Lust ($8) did not manage to arouse me. I applauded the effort to bring something different to the table, but the lychee fritters with candied ginger and vanilla cream just can't make it a satisfying orgy.

Overall I was not impressed with the food at Mimi. While it tries to do modern Chinese tapas, it lacked that creativity to bring something new and unique to the table. The restaurant, ambience and service give the feeling of a fine dining restaurant, but the tapas concept doesn't match the image. It felt like the restaurant is confused about its identity.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Mini @ The Riverhouse
3A River Valley Road
#01-02
Singapore 179020
Tel: +65 66610197
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Nearest MRT: Fort Canning (DT Line), Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 2pm
Sat-Sun: 6pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Fort Canning MRT Station. Take Exit A. Turn right and down River Valley Road. Turn right onto Tan Tye Place. Walk to the end of the road. Turn left onto Clark Quay. Walk to destination. Journey time bout 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit C or G. Walk to the riverfront. Turn left and walk down the river. Cross the bridge. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.  [Map]