Tuesday, June 27, 2023

LA SAVOIR @ Scotts Square - French-Inspired Cafe With Hermès Decor And Tableware

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Fancy having your next meal served on gorgeous Hermès tableware? Check out LA SAVOIR, the newest F&B entrant in Scotts Square. The first thing that caught our eye, stepping into the cafe, would definitely be the Hermès wallpapers and showcase of patterned Hermès plates. The cafe is carefully and luxuriously decorated to weave in colonial and Pairisan elements.

LA SAVOIR's menu has specially curated dishes to harmonise local and French flavours. They also offer a simple breakfast menu that is available from 10am to 11.30am on Monday to Thursday and from 10am to 2pm on Friday to Sunday.

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Mentaiko Fries 3.8/5

Our meal started with their Mentaiko Fries ($16). The substantial portion of crunchy fries is topped with mentaiko mayonnaise, tobiko and bonito flakes. These were decent, but considering this price tag, they could be much more generous with the mentaiko sauce, especially for fries in the bottom half of the basket.

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Wild Sprouts Salad 4/5

I could not resist ordering the Wild Sprouts Salad ($18) as I am a huge fan of brussels sprouts. LA SAVOIR presents their well-charred brussels sprouts and juicy mushrooms dressed in a slightly creamy yuzu aioli, further topped with guava pickles, bonito flakes and tobiko. The elements in this dish reminded us more of Japanese flavours instead of French or local, but we didn't mind it.

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Truffle Chicken Ballotine 3.8/5

We moved into mains with the Truffle Chicken Ballotine ($32). It uses free-range chicken alongside a creamy butternut mousseline, savoy cabbage, pickled carrots and black truffle. The chicken was a touch dry, but we appreciated the variety of textures that were put together.

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Uni Pasta 4/5

Next was the Uni Pasta ($35) with linguine sat in uni foam, topped with Bafun uni and trout roe. I recommend ordering this as a sharing dish as it is rich in its briny uni flavour.

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LA SAVOIR Butter Board 4/5

The LA SAVOIR Butter Board ($18) arrived with a board of freshly made butter in three styles and a bread basket. It was a pity that two of the three bread selections were over-toasted, but the unique butters were the highlight. Apart from classic sea salt butter, there was an appetising spiced shrimp butter and an addictive furikake-flavoured one.

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Dark Choco Creme Brûlée 4/5

The dessert menu has a simple list of three items. Our first was the Dark Choco Creme Brûlée (S$17) which uses Callebaut dark chocolate 70%, raspberries, pistachio crumbs and mixed berry sorbet. I appreciated the thin and crisp caramelised creme brûlée top and the chocolatey base, but the different elements on the plate could be better harmonised.

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Strawberry & Basil 3.8/5

The Strawberry & Basil ($16) is a carefully plated dish with house-made maple granola, yoghurt mousse, sliced strawberries, basil crush and lychee goji sorbet. While it served as a sweet and refreshing wrap up to our meal, we were definitely expecting more of it as a whole, considering its price tag.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


LA SAVOIR
Scotts Square
6 Scotts Road
#02-01
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 93777788
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Turn right and walk down Scotts Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [MAP]

Monday, June 26, 2023

Okasa Sushi Bar by Daiyusan @ Launches Omakase Menu In New Outlet

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Okasa Sushi Bar at Asia Square is opened by the same team behind Daiyusan, a highly popular Japanese restaurant in Tai Seng. Barely four months old, Okasa is working towards delivering one of the best omakase experiences alongside other speciality dishes, including mains and yakitori.

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Snow Crab Chawanmushi

Our omakase dinner started with Snow Crab Chawanmushi. Topped with a juicy fried snow crab leg and vibrant Ikura, every spoonful of the egg custard was elevated with an interplay of textures met with bursts of umaminess.

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Sashimi Mori

Our next course was Sashimi Mori (3 kinds) featuring Otoro, Hokkaido Scallops, Kue and Akami. Each of them was notably succulent with a mouth-filling texture. In particular, the Hokkaido Scallops were plump and sweet, and the Otoro captivated with a melting texture.

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Amadai

Grilled Fish was the next course, featuring charcoal-grilled Amadai. Before grilling it over the charcoal, the fish was first deep-fried to crisp up the skin. It was served with housemade Haku Su jelly, which had a vinegary profile that provided a refreshing contrast to the fish.

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Aka Ebi Sushi

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Kuromutsu Sushi

Our next course comprised six kinds of sushi. Amongst all, Aka Ebi Sushi with Ikura stood out with an enjoyable interplay of texture and flavours resulting from a combination of sweet, smoky and buttery aburi Ebi and pops of briny ikura. Kuromutsu Sushi was memorable. Also known as the chutoro of the mutsu fish, Kuromutsu was divine with a good amount of fats, giving the sushi a rich texture.

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Hay-smoked Salmon and Skipjack Tuna

What's next left an impression. House-smoked with hay, the Smoked Salmon and Skipjack Tuna was laced with hints of smoky hay notes that intrigued our senses. The smoked salmon was mouthwatering with a meaty texture.

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Chef Mini Don

Luciously loaded with Negitoro, Uni, flame-seared Flounder fin, Otoro, and Ikura is the Chef Mini Don, which is probably one of the best I had. What enhanced the overall taste was the Otoro that had been lightly seared directly with binchotan charcoal, imparting a depth of smoky flavour that seamed the ingredients together harmoniously.

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Truffle Tamago Yaki

Before dessert, Truffle Tamago Yaki is usually served. Interestingly, its sweet flavour profile acts like a palate cleanser. The tamago uses truffle oil instead of olive oil to achieve an earthy flavour. Hence the otherwise assertive flavour was subtle as it permeated the entire egg.

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A5 Waygu Yakitori

We had the chance to try one of Osaka's specialities - A5 Wagyu Yakitori. Done yakitori style, the wagyu cubes were rich with beefy flavours. They were skillfully grilled to attain nicely charred edges, adding a touch of smokiness to the overall taste profile.

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Red Bean Yokan

Our Omakase dinner ended with Miso Soup, followed by my favourite of all time! Our sweet was a red bean dessert - Red Bean Yokan. It looked so simple and rustic, yet it was pure deliciousness.

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.


Okasa Sushi Bar
Asia Square Tower 2
12 Marina View
#02-16
Singapore 018961
Tel: +65 87855855
Instagram
Nearest MRT: Shenton Way (TE Line), Downtown (DT Line), Marina Bay (CC, NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1115am – 3pm, 530pm – 930pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Shenton Way MRT station. Take Exit 3. Walk to destination. Journey time about 2 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Downtown MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to Marina View. Turn left onto Marina View. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Marina Bay MRT station. Take Exit 1. Turn left and walk down Commerce Street. Walk to Marina View. Turn left onto Marina View and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.  [Map]