Braise

It was a day of celebration, a celebration of me and my gf's 1 year anniversary together that we decided to patronize a recommendation by my boss. The location was good, nestled in the middle of Sentosa with practically no one around to bother us. Still, it was with trepidation that we went since i've heard no other accounts of a good visit to the place due to its relatively infant start. Loving adventure and the unknown, we went ahead.

Location: 60 Palawan Beach Walk Level 2 Sentosa

Price range: $70-150 per head

Braise

Interior

Interior 2

Interior 3

Here's a place that gives the impression of being miles away from your troubles and cares of the world. Calm, clean white covers most surfaces with glass walls and sleekly varnished tables and chairs. The view is equally enticing with the palawan beach spread before your eyes and your date. Its an ambiance that reinvigorates in the afternoon and energizes in the evening.

Set Menu

Pseudo Artistic shot

Pseudo artistic shot 2

Its not in my thoughts or habit to order drinks in a swanky restaurant but then again, i couldn't stinge on a date like this i suppose. The end result is that we ordered 2 fruit punches which could have bought me about 6 fruit punches elsewhere. To be fair, it is rather good, being well balanced in sweetness and sourness but its still an expensive drink.

Complimentary Bread

The complimentary bread was served warm with a nice aroma which reminds me fondly of pizza. Upon opening it, there are small granules of cheese and some chili thrown in for good measure. The crust is crispy while the inside was soft and warm. Not a bad start.

Pan seared foie gras, banana chutney and chocolate sauce

Doesn't this just look delightful? Who could resist foie gras anyway? Not me. This rendition was seared crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. The gripe here is that the foie gras itself, had a layer of salt on it and the "chocolate sauce" tasted more like soya sauce which meant it was extremely salty overall. The banana managed to lessen the taste but i wonder if they actually poured the wrong sauce on this? It could have been so much better if the sauce was sweet. Even with this gripe, the foie gras was still done well.

Pamma Ham, Scallops and Rocket Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing

I had a piece of the scallop in pamma ham and it was delightful. Light, sweet and fresh tasting, its easily taken and liked. Though the scallop could have been more plentiful and the dressing as well. The lack of honey dressing left a bitter taste on the rocket salad actually.

Pan Roasted Pork Belly with Savoy Cabbage and Spiced Port Sauce

This is a worthy main course. Don't be fooled by its rather oily and fatty appearance. What you get with each bite is melt in your mouth tasty meat (and fats of course) but sinning has never felt better. Crispy pork belly that actually tastes salty and sweet at the same time. This is definitely something to try. The savoy cabbage is light and manages to neutralize a bit of the aftertaste that the pork leaves behind. Still, this was pretty darn good.

Roasted Cod with Ratatouille and Basil Dressing

Another Look

My gf had this. Simply put, it looks amazing. 2 fine sized cod pieces between servings of ratatouille and sprinkled with basil sauce. Subject to the taste test however, and it falls flat. Amidst all the colors, i was unable to find much flavor in the roasted cod. In fact, it was also less tender and soft then any other cod dishes i've tried. The ratatouille was also lackluster in taste but at least it tasted fresh.

Cheese Platter

I was rather surprised with the menu when i saw the cheese platter as a choice for dessert. So, i decided to try it out just to know how it actually tastes like. The platter came with a variety of choices including blue cheese, cheddar and a few others i can't quite remember but the one thing i do remember is...i'll never have blue cheese...ever again. The taste is indescribably unpleasant. Stay away from this unless you have an acquired taste for it.

Cinnamon apple tart with cinnamon ice cream ($14)

Another look

Sweet! Sweet sweet and sweet! Sugar icing, mashed apples soaked in syrup and crumbles adorn this sweet dessert. The tart was served warm and crispy with a pleasant fragrance. In fact, it tastes pretty good until you mix it up with the cinnamon ice cream which tipped the scales from bearably sweet to excruciatingly so. Without the ice cream, this is one dessert thats easy to recommend.

Chocolate Lave Cake with Hazelnut Ice Cream

Another Look

I expected this to be good but it turned out only average. The reason for this is the rather thick layer for the crust and the unmelted chocolate which definitely did not flow like lava. But bigger then this gripe is the weird pairing choice, chocolate lava (bitter) with hazelnut ice cream (equally bitter). And to add insult to injury, the hazelnut ice cream tasted more like coffee ice cream to me which thus resulted in one of the most bitter desserts i've ever had. Improvement definitely needed.

Bill

The total bill this time came to $131.85 for 2 people. Acceptable but not for the quality of food i had.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
There's potential here for sure. The serene location and open space gives the customer a santuary away from the bustles of life. Yet, the pairing quality and the preparation of fish needs a definite improvement. Otherwise, this becomes perpetually, a place which has potential but lacks substance.

Tea Cosy

Tea Cosy formally known as Tea Cosy by Eclectic attic was the place for a foodie outing organized by HGW one quiet Friday night. Appearing on television programs and newspapers, Tea Cosy is not media shy in the least and has garnered reviews from both ends of the spectrum which ranges from flat out good to a foodie beating of disappointments. Of course, for us, we were there to discern if such praises and damnations were accurate.

Location: 68 Orchard Road #05-10 Singapore 238839

Contact: 63419318

Price range: $32.90 (HGW discounted offer for foie gras) + wine = $45 per head

Sign

Setting

One of the main draws of Tea Cosy is the strange setting that the restaurant resides in. Basically, it is possible to walk pass this restaurant without ever realizing that it is a place where you can have food. The reason for this is because of the fusion of a high end furniture store with the restaurant. Everything in the shop can be bought and has a price tag as far as the owners are concerned and to be perfectly honest, the prices are sky high IMHO. The restaurant itself changes according to the expected number of diners the restaurant predicts and this time, they've prepared a nice table set up for the event, which was appropriate.

Fat Bastard Chardonnay and Shiraz ($12 a glass)

Now, for our first disappointment for the day, the wines. As introduced by Martin, the wines are the absolute finest he has been able to find in recent memory as he enjoyed wines with a more subtle taste. The wines were actually served by the serving lady because she mentioned to us that the wine was "complementary" for the first glass which turned out otherwise but more on that later. The wines themselves were average to my tastes because i've had quite a fine wines on my own and somehow, this "Fat Bastard" label struck me as below average with its overtly weak taste and rather bland palate. And charging $12 a glass is simply ridiculous.

Ring For Service

The bell was a nice touch until you realise there wasn't much in terms of service from the temporary staff that was hired which was a pity since the hosts were rather entertaining and friendly.

Cream Of Mushroom Soup with Toasted bread and secret Mayo

The first item after a decidedly long wait was the cream of mushroom which came with generous bits of mushroom strewn within. Along with this was a piece of toasted bread which was toasted possibly with the restaurants own brand of mayonnaise which gave it a sweet and appealing taste. The soup was average as it struck me as too salty.

Decadent salad with prawns, foie gras and egg yolk

The decadent salad is a must try whenever you visit this place. Period. Fresh green salads and greens with three pieces of prawn, a half boiled egg and 2 small pieces of pan fried foie gras. To dissect the dish, the prawns were average, as are the greens and the foie gras but when you take this as a whole, it becomes a much better dish. The mayonnaise and half boiled egg is a stroke of genius since it gives the dish a much better taste than usual. The foie gras and prawns feel more like an afterthought since the foie gras was actually very small and charred on both sides while the prawns weren't the crunchy types i've come to enjoy.
Another service lapse happened here because the organizers of the party got bigger portions than ours which left a sour taste in my groups mouth since we thought they paid the same amount but got double standards. Which we found out that they paid a higher price for the bigger servings in the end but there was one more thing. We were at the restaurant first but ended up served last, now thats something they couldn't explain away and its my point that double standards were in place.

Lemon Pan Fried Dory Fillet

Grilled Chicken With Rice

Laksa Pesto

Had a try of some of the items above and this is what i think. The grilled chicken was good, soft, tender and went well with the lemon and sweet sauce. The dory was normal, nothing too special about it. The laksa pesto was reminiscent of Wild Rockets rendition except that this was more watery and had a little curry taste in it. From what i heard, it was extremely salty as well.

Foie Gras

The Foie Gras is another well known must-try dish during a visit to Tea Cosy. 2 rather decent sized pieces of goose liver pan fried on top of a bed of salad which looked much like the decadent salad of yore. Honestly though, having this on its own would have left me hungry as the foie gras weren't particularly generous. Taste wise, it was pretty normal as there doesn't seem to be much preparation in the cooking. A slightly crispy and salty outer skin is about all i could discern. Sage and Braise served better Foie Gras. This place is an option if you have a tight budget but still crave some wholesome fat.

Tirasmisu, Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Indulgence, Raisin Brownies and Cinnamon Cake

In case you were wondering. I made up the name above since i forgot what this was called. As i've only had .... less then a spoonful when shared, i'll refrain from commenting too much. I'll say that the cakes were quite good but not for the price.

Ebony and Ivory

Premium vanilla ice cream dribbled with chocolate and frozen set atop a chocolate brownie. Simple yet totally easy to like. The vanilla ice cream was very creamy while the chocolate gave it the slight edge in sweetness it needs. The brownie in turn gave the whole concoction a dimension of bitterness which makes it easier to recommend. My only gripe is that the portion is small and that after a few bites, sugar overload commences.

Total bill this time came up to $49 a person instead of the aforementioned and agreed upon $32.90 which the deal was supposed to be.

Overall Score: 6.5/10 (Service: 4/10)

Last Word:
Why the low score for service? Firstly because the wine which was supposed to be complimentary turned out otherwise. Secondly, upon informing the lady of the error, instead of waiving the cost of drinks, she waived the cost of the laksa which is not much help. Thirdly, i remember Martin mentioning he was not in the job for the money but apparently the ending was that the cost of 6 glasses of wrongly served wine proved too much to handle. In all fairness, apart from this hick up, the food was average in some while above average in others. If there's anything to try, its the decadent salad and that would be about all you should have to maximize your dollar.