Preludio is a new fine dining restaurant at Frasers Tower opened by Executive Chef Fernando Arevalo serving Author's Cuisine. What exactly is Author's Cuisine? Originated from Spain, it is about allowing the chefs to express their creativity through food, without rules and boundaries. It translated to an experience that stimulates the senses and pleasing the palate with its unusual combination of textures, aromas and flavours. For the first chapter of the Author's Cuisine at Preludio, Chef Fernando has picked Monochrome.
Hamachi Amuse Bouch 4.5/5
We kick started the 8-course degustation menu ($238++) plus Wine Pairing ($158++) with the amuse bouche. The pear jelly on top of the hamachi gives the delicate fish a refreshing touch with a sweet note.
Elude 4/5
Before serving our first course, we were presented a root vegetable to guess what it is? The root ingredient is French white beetroot which will be served in our next dish - Elude. Blanketed underneath the white yogurt foam is the sweet white beetroot, burrata, walnut crumble and dil-marinated cucumber, paired with primeur sturia caviar on the side. The result is a complex combination with a delicate sweet note.
Allude 4.2/5
When the next dish - Allude is served, we thought there was a mistake as the dish looks very similar to the first course. Replacing the yogurt form is creamy mushroom potato mousse covering the fermented mushroom, bone marrow, thyme croutons and preserved Amalifi lemon, paired with Oscietra Sturia caviar. The taste profile is leaning towards the savoury side compare to the first dish.
Peek A Boo
Peek A Boo 4/5
Another mysterious looking dish is the Peek A Boo. Lifting the crispy rice cracker reveals a colourful contrast to the monochrome theme of smoked eel, lampascioni bulb, girolle mushrooms, heliantis, crosnes, salty fingers and viola flowers in a egg yolk emulsions made with mustard and yuzu. To eat, one cracks the rice cracker with the back of the spoon. Have a bit of everything together for that lovely play of textures and flavours, all coming together.
La Cortina 4.2/5
The La Cortina is a pasta dish made with eggs, double OO flour, salt and olive oil. Filled with butternut squash and amaretto, it has a delectable al dente texture. Besides the parmesan sauce and almond snow, what bonds the pasta dish together is the 25 years old balsamic vinegar that gives it a caramelised finishing.
White Opal 4.2/5
Moving to the mains, we kick off with the White Opal. The Patagonian toothfish is paired with cauliflower puree, crunchy shallots, leek and almond milk bubbles, and pickled fresh almonds. I enjoyed the crusty black olive powder on the fatty fish, giving it a nice contrast.
Pata Negra 4.5/5
A question comes to my mind. How is the kitchen going to plate the Pata Negra in a monochrome theme? It is a pork dish afterall. Smartly, the chef coats the pork with pulvarised squid ink panko bread crumbs. Cutting into it, reveals a pinkish interior that can be mistaken as a beef. When I put the tender pork in my mouth, the caramlised sweetness reminds me of our local char siew. It really surprised me with its taste profile.
Irezumi 4/5
Moving to the desserts, we start with the Irezumi which comes with a salted black sesame ice cream atop a bed of sesame snow, yuzu white chocolate ganache, strawberries with lime zest and baby basil. A light dessert with the rich intensity of sesame.
Gorbea Mountain 4.8/5
The Gorbea Mountain is landscaped to look like Gorbea, the highest mountain in the Biscay and Alava provinces where Pastry Chef Elena's home city of Vitoria is located in the Basque country. The beautiful mountain scene is plated with blueberry mousse, yogurt sponge, yogurt ice cream, Idiazabel cheese, blueberries, blackberries and milk foam. What impressed me is not only the beautiful mountain view but how the savoury cheese ignited the sweetness of the dessert into a firework of flavours.
Petit Fours 4/5
The Petit Fours wrapped up the 8-course meal. It consists of tropical fruits white chocolate bon bon, orange and coffee dark chocolate bon bon, vanilla chantilly filled pate choux and white macarons.
I have to applaud the team for putting together the delicious 8-course degustation menu, it is not an easy task to stick to the Monochrome theme. It demonstrates the team's creativity and innovation while adding a sense of curiosity in each dish. Even the wine list are specially curated to fit the theme, in which the grapes are harvested white soil (limestone) and black soil (volcanic soil).
Note: This is an invited tasting.
Preludio
Frasers Tower
182 Cecil Street
#03-01/02
Singapore 069547
Tel: +65 69045686
Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm
Sat: 6pm - 1030pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)
Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.
