Corner House (Singapore)
Number of visits: 2
Nestled within the Botanic Gardens, a recently inscribed UNESCO World Heritage site, the Corner House provides a welcome escape from the city’s concrete forest. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding lush greenery, the restaurant describes its food as “Gastro-Botanica”, where produce is given equal footing with proteins. At the helm is Chef Jason Tan, who has been through the kitchens of Les Amis, Sky on 57, and Robuchon Au Dome, giving rise to Contemporary French dishes dotted with Asian influences (think Soya and Kaya).
Onions are an oft-overlooked vegetable; here, onions from Cévennes, prized for their delicate sweetness, are rightfully celebrated .Imagine an onion cloud; an ethereal espuma of onion, its sweet, almost honey-like flavour dissipating slowly on the tongue. A softly-cooked egg lay in the middle, the yolk lazily oozing out upon contact, adding warmth and depth like the sun. Croutons, and a dehydrated wafer of onion provided lovely textural contrasts, each bite the crackling of lightning. Pure bliss.
By treating top quality ingredients with finesse, it’s not hard to see why the restaurant has emerged as one of the country’s most exciting dining destinations. The perfect accompaniment if you make a special trip to the Botanic Gardens. Or is that the other way round?
Corner House
1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore 259569
GastroSmiths Bistro & Bakery (Singapore)
Number of visits: 1
The latest project from the team behind now-closed café The Humble Loaf, GastroSmiths is a step up to the larger stage as a fully-fledged bistro. The menu travels the globe, jumping from Italy to Asia, resulting in an intriguing array of dishes ranging from pastas to various seafood and meat choices. Bread used in their sandwiches and bruschettas are baked fresh daily too.
Generous tranches of flaky cod cooked with chilli oil lay on top of Mee Sua, Chinese noodles made from wheat flour. The use of dashi and mirin during the cooking process added depth, the sweetness rounding off the spicy kick from kimchi puree and chilli threads.
Amidst the numerous steamboat and Chinese restaurants in Bugis, Gastrosmith’s well thought out combinations at great value makes it an interesting choice for something different in the area.
GastroSmiths Bistro & Bakery
103 Beach Road, Tan Quee Lan Street
Singapore 189704
Moosehead Kitchen-Bar (Singapore)
Number of visits: 2
A short walk from the city’s financial district, Moosehead’s buzzy vibe with its edgy decor and music stand outs from the row of shophouses it’s housed in. The menu is concise, making good use of a charcoal grill to lend smoky notes to sharing plates with Mediterranean flavours at its core.
A beautifully cooked fillet of Sea bass was a beneficiary of the grill, the light char melding nicely with bits of eggplant. The anchovy butter lay hidden in the background, adding an underlying savouriness. A really tasty dish.
A change of the head chef in the early part of the year has not altered the restaurant’s direction; to offer a dining experience with experimental and bold food alongside art and music . Despite the assured cooking and daring flavour pairings, the restaurant is still somewhat of a hidden gem. It’s a place I readily recommend to my friends whenever I can.
Moosehead Kitchen-Bar
110 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068579
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