Friday, June 22, 2018

Bacchanalia @ Hong Kong Street - Unveils New Menus Featuring The Best Seasonal Produce From Around The World

Bacchanalia6


One Michelin-starred Bacchanalia features a 28-seater space and an open kitchen concept devoted to the preparation of good food from quality produce. The applauded restaurant scored its first Michelin star under the auspices of Brazilian chef Ivan Brehm last year. Now helmed by Chef Luke Armstrong and fresh off a brand revamp, Bacchanalia' uniquely interactive dining experience is elevated to another level with the launch of its new menus comprising new and novel creations which feature the best seasonal ingredients from around the world.

To celebrate the seasonality and flavours of ingredients, you can expect their menus to change every few months, where Chef Luke and his kitchen team will whip up gourmet dishes using the finest ingredients available each day, selecting them based on maturity and maximum flavours. I had the privilege of tasting his current menu that introduces five new courses.

Bacchanalia2
Majestic Oyster Bavarois 4.5/5

A showcase of the chef’s passion, the Seasonal Inspiration menu begins with the amuse bouche Majestic Oyster Bavarois. These high-quality Ireland oysters are served fresh, made to replicate a bavarois with a lusciously smooth and creamy texture. Prepared à la minute, the oysters are topped with glistening Schrencki caviar and has a lovely melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Bacchanalia4
Asparagus and Morel 4.2/5

The first course Asparagus and Morel features very small wild morels from Loire Valley in France, a region teeming with wild mushrooms that are highly sought after by chefs around the world. Roasted and deglazed with French wine Vin Jaune, the mushrooms are stuffed with veal sweetbread and garnished with parsley for an aromatic lift. The asparagus is cooked fresh every time in sparkling water upon order. A moreish morel velouté accompanies the dish as well.

Bacchanalia5
Hand-Dived Scallops 4.5/5

The second course sees Hand-Dived Scallops pan-roasted and served on top of king crab salad and sweet peas. The plump and juicy Hokkaido scallop is topped with an ensemble of 36 months aged parmesan and red peppers sauce with a squeeze of lemon juice. The pairing of the scallop's delicate sweetness and umami of the rich broth develops a great explosion of flavours yet presenting a good balance.

Bacchanalia7
Mieral Duck 4/5

The main course Mieral Duck features fourteen-day dry-aged French ducks slow roasted on the crown to give a pronounced flavor and tender texture and keep the meat pink and juicy. It is then served with braised Tokyo turnip and duck sauce made using bitter chocolate and duck juice.

Bacchanalia9
White Chocolate Tart 4.5/5

End the meal on a sweet note with the White Chocolate Tart. Served chilled, the caramelised white chocolate and cognac tart comes in a buttery soft egg custard base. It is topped with fresh Gariguette strawberries for a sourish-sweet finish, and Madagascar vanilla ice cream which is made using vanilla aged in Bourbon barrel for 4 years, hence boosting incredible flavours and nuttiness. The ice cream is then glazed with natural vanilla fats that give it a nice shine and topped with creamy champagne sabayon, resulting in a sublime piece of dessert which makes for the perfect finale to the course meal.
 
1

With three different menus available during lunch and dinner, it offers diners more flexibility in food choices, hence living up to its promise of being dynamic. For bookings of eight and more pax, guests will get to customise their menus.

Lunch
Carte Blanche at S$145++
3-course working lunch set menu at S$48++
Bacchanalia’s 3-course set menu at S$108++

Dinner
Carte Blanche at S$238++
3-course daily dinner menu at S$118+
4-course Seasonal Inspiration menu at S$168++

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Bacchanalia
39 Hong Kong Street
Singapore 059678
Tel: +65 69096360
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 12pm - 2pm, 6pm - 945pm
(closed on Sun-Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Clark Quay MRT station. Take Exit E. Cross the road using the overhead bridge. Turn left and walk down New Bridge Road. Turn left onto Hong Kong Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Ichiban Boshi @ Century Square - Enjoy Kyushu Cuisine With A Kyushu Ryori Specialty Menu

IMG_20180621_104550_387

Located in southwestern Japan, Kyushu is famous for its long list of delicious dishes, hot springs, and is also home to Japan’s most active volcano, Mount Aso. Look forward to savouring over 20 specially curated iconic dishes, as Ichiban Boshi unveils a Kysuhu Ryori specialty menu, exclusively available at their newest outlet at Century Square.

IMG_20180616_111110_244
Tori Mizutaki 3.8/5

The first dish we had was the Tori Mizutaki ($15.90) which is a chicken based hotpot dish popular in Fukuoka inspired by the Western consommé and Chinese cuisine. Filled with chicken, assorted mushrooms and fresh vegetables in flavourful chicken broth, a unique way of eating is to push the minced chicken from the bamboo poles into the broth for cooking. Pour in the side of Japanese citrus vinegar for that flavour oomph.

IMG_20180616_111110_242
Jigokudai Udon 4/5

Another of our favourite is the Jigokudai Udon ($14.90) which is a warm dipping style udon served with kurobuta black pork, poached egg, shimeji mushrooms and assorted vegetables. Mixing in the side of bonito flakes, sesame seeds and citrus pepper paste adds a subtle salty and citursy flavouring to the udon noodles.

IMG_20180621_104741_796
Mentai Hakata Nabe Gozen 3.8/5

The Mentai Hakata Nabe Gozen ($26.90) features a bounty of ingredients famous in Kyushu such as the mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and kurobuta in a delightful chicken broth served with silver-stripe round herring and Japanese sweet potato in a Hakata-style hotpot. The set also comes with sides of tempura, assorted sashimi, chawanmushi, rice and fruits for a fulfilling meal.

IMG_20180621_104401_339
Aburi Shime Saba 3.5/5

For sides, we had the Aburi Shime Saba ($8.90) which features thin slices of seared mackerel seasoned with Japanese citrus vinegar, spring onion, sesame seeds, grated ginger and citrus pepper paste. While the mackerel is full-flavoured and has a firm texture, we find it a tad salty.

IMG_20180616_111110_248
Daigakuimo Ice 4.2/5

We had the Daigakuimo Ice ($6.90) as a sweet finale to the meal. It comes in thick strips of fried Japanese sweet potato coated with brown sugar, sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and a scoop of creamy rich vanilla ice cream. The sweet potato strips have an addictive soft texture and the brown sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the dessert which complemented the ice cream well without being too overly sweet.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ichiban Boshi
Century Square
#02-17/18/29
2 Tampines Central 5
Singapore 529509
Tel: +65 62601273
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tampines (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tampines MRT station. Take Exit C. Turn left and walk to traffic light junction. Cross the road and walk down Tampines Central 5. Walk to Century Square. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]