Girls Lunch

It was time for our last girls’ get-together lunch before we all head off on our separate ways for the festive period, so we decided to go upmarket and made our way to Au Petit Salut at Dempsey Village. Like most Dempsey venues, this restaurant is set back from the road and nestled in amongst the greenery. We took our seats in the timber-decked al fresco area, where we could dine in the breeze and to the sound of the trickling water features.

Au Petit Salut is certainly a popular choice for lunch, particularly with the “Ladies Who Lunch” crowd, I’m guessing because of the high quality of its food and its fantastic value $30++ set lunch. Set menus can often be somewhat restricting, but here it is very extensive, and with six choices for each course it offers as much variety as many a la carte menus do. You are also given the option to supplement any course with one from the Executive Lunch Menu for an additional charge.

I kicked off with the Homemade Duck Rillette with Mesclun Salad and Walnut Dressing, which was rich and creamy and delicious.

Then followed it up with the Oven Baked Sea Bass Fillet with Fresh Mixed Vegetables and Light Herb Butter Emulsion, which was beautifully cooked and perfectly seasoned.

Being French, the cuisine is all very rich, and had we been allowed to choose our desserts after we had eaten our first two courses, I probably would have followed my more sensible friends' lead and opted for the Fresh Fruit Salad infused with mint and served with blackcurrant sorbet.

Having chosen at the beginning however - when I was in greedy-mode - I instead decided on the Choux Buns Filled with Vanilla Ice Cream in Warm Chocolate Sauce, with Sliced Almonds. It wasn’t a bad choice, but the feeling of over-indulgence was certainly starting to kick in around the second mouthful.

So would I recommend Au Petit Salut to my friends? Absolutely - a beautiful setting, fantastic food, knowledgeable and attentive service and great value for money all combine to make this the perfect venue for a girls’ lunch.

Au Petit Salut - http://www.aupetitsalut.com/index.html

Duxton Hill Charmer

Not being a regular of the type of establishments usually associated with Duxton Hill, I have never ventured up there. But one of the girls suggested lunch at Broth, and I had read good things about it before, so we decided to try it out. Once past the neon Chivas Regal signs and KTV bars, a quiet leafy pedestrian oasis awaits, with Broth amidst the beautifully restored shophouses.

We chose an outdoor table to fully appreciate the serenity of our surroundings (serene at least until the construction started next door, but that’s no fault of the restaurant) and took some time to peruse the menu. Describing their food as ‘a modern approach to classic Australian recipes’, the menu features tempting treats such as ‘Lamb Loin in a Green Coat, served with Garlic Potatoes, Fine Beans and Mint Jus’ and ‘Salmon Fillet with Grilled Eggplant Steak, Fresh Soy Beans and Miso Cream Sauce’. They also include a Fish of the Day and a Pasta of the Day.

We skipped starters to allow room for dessert and went straight to mains, for which I chose the Pasta – an Aglio Olio with Clams. Now I’m not a huge fan of eating pasta when I’m out as to me it’s something to be thrown together at home on a mid-week evening, but I can certainly recommend this. Delicately flavoured, with al dente pasta and vegetables and succulent clams - truly delicious.

As promised to ourselves, we went on to order dessert, where I just couldn’t see past the ‘Supernova Pavlova with Whipped Cream, Banana, Passion Fruit and Berries’ – I mean, really, how good does that sound?

And it certainly caused some excitement when it arrived at the table – a large single-portion sized pavlova piled high with cream and fruit. In fact it looked so good that two passers-by actually stopped and came into the restaurant, pointing at my dessert “I’ll have one of those”. Alas, last orders had already been served and so they left, pointedly looking at me, eyes begging for a taste.

Well luckily for them, and unfortunately for me – this was a classic case of never judging a book by its cover - I’m afraid to say that it was hugely disappointing, and more than that, quite horrible… Two of us had ordered one and we spent a few mouthfuls looking across the table at each other in a state of confusion – “Just what is wrong with this Pavlova?” Our deduction? They used Salt instead of Sugar! Yep, it was a salty Pavlova. Whether this was a case of mistaking one for the other, or a deliberate ‘modern approach to a classic Australian recipe’ I don’t know – but I certainly won’t be ordering it again to find out… how disappointing…

Nonetheless, salty pavlovas aside, this is a charming little spot for lunch, and I’m sure also for a relaxed dinner à deux… and I shall definitely be returning for more…

Broth - http://www.broth.com.sg/

Fondue Night

I love skiing – the adrenaline rush of hurling yourself down a mogul run, the wind in your hair, the fresh crisp mountain air, vin chaud in the mountain restaurants… and of course, fondue! Well there aren’t any snow-covered slopes in Singapore that’s for sure, but I have discovered a fantastic little fondue restaurant.

Tucked away behind its rather more popular neighbours Long Beach and Samy’s at Dempsey Hill Green, is La Fondue. Keeping up with the European theme, the people at La Fondue have tried to recreate a ‘medieval castle’ atmosphere in which to enjoy your fondue. In fairness the restaurant is rather too contemporary to achieve this aim, but the stone walls, exposed beams and subdued lighting do make for a cozy environment for a fun dinner with friends.

In fact so modern is the set up here that each table is equipped with its own fully controllable electric hot plates – no naked flames and lighter fluid here thank you very much.

As there were four of us, we opted for two of the 4 course ‘Fondue Feasts for Two’, which enabled us to sample a good proportion of the menu between us. This kicked off with a choice of 3 salads - we chose the Caesar which was surprisingly good.

Next up was the first of the fondues – the Cheese course. Out of a choice of four different cheese fondues, we went for the Swiss Traditional Cheese (Gruyere, Swiss Emmenthal, Kirsch and White Wine) and the Black Pepper Cheese (Smoked Black Pepper, Stilton Cheese, Coarse Pepper, White Wine). Not only did two enormous pots of fondue appear fairly swiftly, but they were accompanied by a mound of bread cubes and trays of cooked crunchy vegetables.

These were pretty good – although a small complaint would be that the Swiss Traditional Cheese was perhaps to strong on the Kirsch flavour, and the Black Pepper Cheese perhaps not stilton-y enough (although this suited me fine).

Next up was the Meat & Seafood Course. Here, we opted for the Bourguignonne European Style Soup and the Chicken Broth (the other choice was a Flat Pan Grill which didn’t sound half as fun as dipping into the fondue).

With the soups we were served an amazing array of meat and seafood to dip in and cook - Garlic Herb Chicken, Marinated Sirloin, Shrimps, Teriyaki Chicken, Venison, Black Pepper Pork, Honey Pork, Sausages, Cajun Fish, Marinated Salmon, Spicy Fish, Beef Tenderloin – phew!

And it was all fantastic – each meat really carried its own flavour, and also differed depending on which soup they were cooked in. This led to several comments such as “Ooh, ooh, you have to try the Shrimps in the Bourguignonne” “Oh my God, have you tried the Honey Pork in the Chicken Broth yet?”… Ah, endless hours of fun!

Thankfully the fun didn’t end there, and the best was yet to come – yes, every girl's wet dream come true – the Chocolate Fondue. Again we were presented with a choice and after much deliberation we decided on the Original Chocolate (straight up Milk Chocolate) and Orange Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Liquor, Orange Peel). To be honest, looking back at the menu now it is beyond me why we didn’t order the Cookie & Cream Marshmallow (Dark Chocolate, Marshmallows and Cookies), but anyway what we did end up with was certainly worth coming back for. Served with a selection of fruit, marshmallows, pieces of chocolate brownie, pieces of donut and ice cream, this was a heavenly end to a fantastically indulgent meal.

I will definitely be returning here – on top of the fantastic food, the serving staff were some of the most welcoming and attentive I have come across in Singapore. The only thing lacking was a buzz – there was only one other table in when we were there, so I hope it doesn’t suddenly disappear like so many other places in Singapore.

And if you happen to venture to La Fondue yourself… I can recommend the chocolate brownie dipped in the chocolate fondue, with ice cream on the side… sounds like chocolate overload… tastes like heaven…

La Fondue - http://www.lafondue.com.sg/

25 Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill Green. Phone: 6474 0204

I’ll take the Fake

So the much-hyped Supperclub has finally opened its Asian doors in Singapore. Having had such a good night at the Bed Supperclub in Bangkok (note – no relation to the Singapore/Amsterdam chain – like so many others things in Bangkok, that one is a fake/copy), we were keen to check out the new one here. With this being the original from Amsterdam we had high hopes, so with a group of friends we booked a 'bed' and made our way down to Odeon Towers.

Walking into the Supperclub is exactly like the one in Bangkok (oh yes, like my Chatuchak market Gucci handbag, Bangkok does a good fake) – whitewashed walls, large communal beds lining the room, DJ box, bar, upstairs balcony, dance floor… although perhaps the waiting staff here were a little stranger.

Having kicked off our shoes and made ourselves comfortable on the beds with a glass of wine (no cocktail menu here unfortunately), we sat back and waited for the entertainment to begin. In Bangkok we were continually being entertained – there was always something weird and wonderful going on, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen the same here.

Never mind, the food was brought along so we had something to keep us occupied. The five course surprise meal (unlike the one in Bangkok where the menu was revealed after each course on the projection screen, we were never told what each course was) kicked off with a Tuna Tartare, served in polystyrene takeaway boxes, with chopsticks.



It then moved on to a Seafood and Sweetcorn "Cappucino", served in a half pint Heineken glass



Followed by Swordfish with a Risotto



Lamb Cutlets with a Sweet Potato Puree and Vegetables (unfortunately raw – no, not rare, I said raw!)



And finally a Chocolate Molten Cake with Caramelized Pineapple and Ice Cream.



The food unfortunately was all pretty average - so back to the entertainment. Well, somewhere between those courses they did eventually bring in a painted lady offering suggestive dance moves with a large snake round her neck. It lasted about 10 minutes... then we went back to entertaining ourselves. Then once the meal was over an artist wearing a gimp mask turned up to paint some canvases in the middle of the dance floor for 45 minutes – well there’s only so much paint splashing that can keep you amused and after five minutes most people had got bored of it... so we went back to entertaining ourselves.

So our highly anticipated evening out ended up being a bit of a damp squib really… the entertainment was lacklustre, the food average and the bill exorbitant ($250 per head in fact) So in otherwise in comparison to the copy in Bangkok, the Singapore Supperclub is half as good for twice the price… thanks Singapore, but if I’m thinking of heading back to a Supperclub, I’ll take the fake in Bangkok…

Supperclub – www.supperclub.com

Lunch in a Deli

Back in Singapore after our lovely break in Bali and it was soon time for lunch with the girls again. We managed to somehow end up at another firm tai tai favourite, Jones the Grocer at Dempsey. This is first and foremost a deli, with counters encircling the room brimming with tasty looking treats, an entire room dedicated to cheese, and a very impressive looking cake counter.

I was particularly surprised therefore by their menu – mainly consisting of heavy dishes such as Steaks, Chicken served with Potatoes, Pastas and Sausage with Mash. In my mind, lunch in a deli should consist of platters of cheese and cold meats, with fresh breads, pickles etc. The closest we got to this was the blackboard specials which included soup, sandwiches and salads.

My friends opted for the Chicken Caeser (got the thumbs up)

And the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Sun Blush Tomatoes and Pesto (which was “okay”)

I was torn between the Roast Ham and Cheese Sandwich and the Eggplant and Roasted Tomato Quiche… I asked the waiter which he would recommend and was told in a bored voice “They’re both good”, which decided it – the Quiche.

Unfortunately they weren't both good at all, or at least the quiche wasn't - in fact it was verging on tasteless and, not really knowing whether it wanted to be hot or cold, had settled on being lukewarm instead. Topped off with a ridiculously salty side salad (perhaps this was an attempt to give the quiche some flavour), and it was a very disappointing lunch - to put it mildly.

We finally managed to track the waiter down to order a dessert – the main courses certainly weren’t filling enough to leave without one – and whilst he was at the table, we held a little competition amongst the four of us, to see who could get the waiter to crack a smile… alas, we all failed miserably and he continued miserably on with his work.

The desserts however faired a little better than the main courses: The Lemon Tart was sticky and gooey and struck the right balance between tart and sweet, although the crème fraiche was a slightly odd accompaniment, as was the lemon zest ‘syrup’ which was far more vinegary than syrupy.

The Fruit Tartlets sounded and looked promising, but whilst rich and sweet, didn’t really taste of anything in particular.

The highlight of the meal was my little cupcake. It was my birthday week so my friends had snuck a beautiful little marshmallow-covered cupcake out of the counter and arranged for it to be brought to me with a candle. By this stage I was too full of my Lemon Tart, and half of my friend’s Fruit Tartlets (yes, that’s why they call me the Greedy Glutton) to manage it… but they obligingly boxed it up for me and I enjoyed it later on that evening whilst watching the American Idol final… and very tasty it was too…

So it was meal over, and after several attempts to get the waitress' attention and eventual frantic waiving of hands, we finally managed to get the bill… and pay… and no, we couldn’t get the waitress to smile either…

Jones the Grocer - http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/store/singapore