Path Restaurant @ Marina Bay Financial Centre - Celebrates 1st Anniversary With New Menu And Whole New Dinner Format

Time flies, and Path Restaurant celebrates its first anniversary with a new menu and dining format. Back then, the menu was more communal, and which is hard for customers to try everything on the menu. Now, two new prix fixe menus allow diners to explore Chef Marvas's interpretation of East Asia flavours through French fine-dining techniques and presentation.

Aubergine Sphere 3.5/5

Lamb Beignet 3.8/5

I had the eight-course Expedition Menu ($228++), starting with a trio of Amuse Bouche comprising of Aubergine Sphere, Abacus Seed Skewer and Lamb Beignet. The Aubergine Sphere is made with graffiti eggplant puree served atop a housemade parmesan sable tartlet. The Lamb Beignet is like a croquette encased with hand-shredded braised lamb shoulder in teriyaki sauce.

Abacus Seed Skewer 4.5/5

My favourite is the Abacus Seed Skewer which surprised me with its modern execution of the traditional Suan Pan Zi. The abacus seed is grilled on binchotan and topped with dried shrimp ragu and winter truffle shavings.

Japanese Katsuo 4/5

Next, I had the Japanese Katsuo featuring dry-aged bonito fish. Bonito fish trimming is chopped, mixed with quinoa and soy sauce, and topped with bonito fish slices. It is then garnished with caviar, beetroot flower and nashi pear cubes. While it is a tartare dish, it felt more like having sushi. It is a new and interesting way of having tartare.

Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe 5/5

Hands down, the Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe is everyone's favourite dish for the night. The umami hairy crab roe is served on a bed of soy curd, together with fresh crab meat and crispy rice. The dish comes with mini French baguette, allowing you to mop up the deliciousness.

Deep Sea Fish Maw 4.2/5

The Deep Sea Fish Maw is a dish I enjoyed on my previous visit. This is version two of the dish. Due to supply issues, Chef Marvas changed the fish maw supply but retained the desired textural enjoyment. It is served in a bright and vibrant beurre blanc sauce that lifts the enjoyment of the fish maw that has been double-boiled in sake and dashi broth.

BBQ South African Abalone 4/5

Next, we had the BBQ South African Abalone served on top of a bed of risoni. It felt like a Chinese rice dish with the risoni pasta substituting the rice grain pan-fried in teriyaki sauce. The abalone grilled over binchotan is firm and tender, topped with burnt seaweed emulsion and pickled Huaishan.

Oriental “Bouillabaisse” 4/5

The Oriental "Bouillabaisse" comes in a tofu bag, also known as money bag, filled with diced Australian sea cucumber, shrimp, bamboo shoots and Beijing cabbage packed with contrasting textures. What intrigued me was the soup's complex flavour. The soup is made by coming prawn and fish stock, followed by adding tomatoes into it for a tang fish.

Pork Trotter “Crepinette” 3.8/5

It is a creative and unique way of recreating the classic pork trotter in the form of a Pork Trotter "Crepinette". The pork trotter is chopped into small pieces and mixed with mushroom ragu. The mixture is moulded into a ball and wrapped in caul fat. It is then pan-seared until crispy and paired with housemade Mei Cai sauce. I would enjoy the rendition even more if the mixture was less fatty.

15 Days Dry Aged US Duck Crown 4.8/5

The meal's highlight has to be the 15 Days Dry Aged US Duck Crown. The beautiful red meat is dry aged, hung on top of a charcoal grill to infuse with the smokey flavour, slow roasted and finished with deep frying before serving. It is paired with eight different condiments, showcasing how the duck is appreciated differently in Asia.

Heirloom Tomato 4.5/5

After all the savoury dishes, the Heirloom Tomato creates the bridge to the dessert. It is sweet and refreshing, finished with fresh strawberries and oolong tea foam.

Mongolian Milk Curd 4/5

The Mongolian Milk Curd is an uncommon dessert made using whole milk enriched with Valrhona white chocolate, Greek yoghurt and extra virgin olive oil. Fresh blueberries and chopped pistachio nuts are added for extra texture and taste profile.

Petite Four - Red Date "Sorbet"

Petite Four - Citrus "Bonbon"

Last but not least, we ended our eight-course menu with the Petite Four consisting of Red Date "Sorbet", Citrus "Bonbon", Hawthorn "Gummies", and Lotus Seed "Madeleine". It is a perfect ending to an impressive and delicious meal. My favourite is the citrus "bonbon" and the lotus seed "madeleine".

Petite Four - Hawthorn "Gummies"

Petite Four - Lotus See "Madeleine"

Chef Marvas has also refreshed the lunch offerings – one prix fixe menu titled “Gourmet Lunch” and a curated a-la-carte lunch menu. While a few dishes parallel those of the dinner menu, most items are unique to the lunch hour and vice versa.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Path Restaurant
Marina Bay Financial Centre
Tower 3
12 Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018982
Tel: +65 64430180
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Downtown (DT Line), Marina Bay (CC, NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 2pm, 6pm - 9pm
Sat: 6pm - 9pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)

Direction:
1) Alight at Marina Bay MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk to traffic junction Boulevard Central and Marina Way. Cross the road. Walk to Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Downtown MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to Straits View. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Binary @ Palais Renaissance - Celebrating One Year Milestone With A Revamped Menu

Binary at Palais Renaissance is a gastro-bar that conceptualises its menu based on the concept of Binary. Presenting a single produce in both Asian and Western versions, you can choose either one flavour or even both if one intrigues you just as much as the other. One year on, Binary has recently refreshed its menu to incorporate new creations in a more considered format that better reflects its binary approach towards cuisine.

Signature Kubaneh Bread 5/5

Kubaneh is a Jewish Yemeni pull-apart bread, and what we had was done using the chef's very own winning formula. Apparently, this Signature Kubaneh Bread ($14) has made itself quite a name for the past year. And indeed, it was on every occupied table. Its beautiful gold crust illuminated in the light, and pulling it apart revealed the soft and fluffy interior. While some like it slathered with the accompanying garlic butter and kombu butter, I enjoyed it equally with the small plates and mains that were served after.

Octopus/Lao Gan Ma Chilli Crisp 4.5/5

From Small Plates Section ($18 each), we were first served with Octopus tossed with Lao Gan Ma Chilli Crisp (+$14) was moreish and definitely the most innovative way of presenting a grilled octopus. Using the household Lao Gan Ma Chilli, the crisp itself was piquant with a desired amount of heat. The grilled octopus is served thoughtfully sliced up instead of whole, allowing each slice to be enjoyed easily with the crisp without having to slice it up with utensils.

Sesame Prawn Toast 2/5

The following Small Plate, however, paled in comparison. The Asian approach of the Tiger Prawns is presented through a Hong Kong-style sesame prawn toast. A housemade tiger prawn paste is spread onto white bread, deep-fried and finished with a drizzle of kecap manis sauce. The idea is appealing, but not our greasy toast and the salty prawn paste.

Fresh Burrata 4.5/5

Coming to the single produce Cheese, we had a vegan-friendly Western style - Fresh Burrata, served with homemade impossible meat sauce and basil. The meat sauce was impossibly delicious! Like a good bolognese sauce, it was well seasoned with herbs, spices and sweetness from plumb tomatoes, and the minced impossible had a nice bite to it, unlike some other vegan versions, which turned out somewhat mushy. It was indeed a fitting match with the divine pillowy soft burrata.

Wagyu Petit Tender 3/5

The Asian-style Wagyu Petit Tender is new, glazed with savoury char siew sauce. My favourite parts were the tail and front, fully caramelized on one side. Unfortunately, the larger slices in between were a tad underseasoned.

King Prawn 2.5/5

We had King Prawn (tasting portion) oven baked with cajun herb butter for the Mains. The flavours were good, but the prawns lacked the desired firmness.

Oven-Roasted Whole Spatchcock Chicken 4/5

We also had Asian-style Oven-Roasted Whole Spatchcock Chicken (tasting portion). It has the flavours of an Asian soy chicken but is even tastier with a savoury-sweet, slightly charred skin. The meat was tender, and even the lean breast meat portion was delectable.

Grilled Asparagus 3.5/5

New highlights under Sides ($14) include a Grilled Asparagus flavoured with housemade egg aioli, grated Parmigiano and salt-cured egg yolk. I couldn't taste the latter as it was being grated, but overall, it was an excellent complement to the mains.

Hongkong Egglet 4/5

The Dessert section surprised us with an unexpected offering - Hongkong Egglet with blue sea salt ice cream, yuzu jam and chocolate balls. I enjoyed it far more than any egglet I have tried in Singapore. You get an abundance of textures. Some egg pockets were fluffy, some were crisp on one side and doughy on the other, just like a typical egglet. I was impressed! The accompaniments are odd though. Perhaps they should just serve in Hongkong style, with condensed milk, sugar and peanut butter.

Alongside Binary also debuts a cocktail menu that adopts the same binary presentation, where you get a list of Classic offerings synergised with another list with an Asian style.

Photos and words 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.


Binary
Palais Renaissance
390 Orchard Road
#01-01A
Singapore 238871
Tel: +65 93630101
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours
Sun-Tue: 1130am - 1030pm
Wed–Sat: 1130am to 12midnight

Direction:
Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to Wheelock Place. Walk to traffic junction of Orchard Road and Angullia Park. Cross the road to Royal Thai Embassy. Turn left and continue down Orchard Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]