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.

Chef Chan

Chef Chan's restaurant, decked in expensive antiques which make up his very own private collection and located within out very own Art Museum, the place screams of taste and posh before you even step into it. And we were there during his anniversary to try out his signature dishes done out in a set menu for 8. Expectations ran high for this chef who touts himself as a top chef in his Chinese namecard, Shen Chu San Jue but is it really that good?

Location: #01-06 Stamford Road Singapore 178897

Contact: 63330073

Website: www.chefchanrestaurant.com.sg/

Price Range: $88-100 per head

Cashew Nuts Coated With Honey

Well, first of all the place is interesting. Not quite what i was expecting with all the bells and whistles and highly provocative name. In fact, the place was quite the opposite, sublime, quiet and very much bare. This is true for the door that greets you to the interior which had a very minimalist approach apart from the gilded plates, jade set ornaments and glaring antiques. Each item within is painstakingly collected by the Chef, Mr Chan Chen Hei over the years and it shows. Simply refer to the pictures to understand.
The cashew nuts were good though. Exceptionally so, i could go for seconds and thirds of those cashew nuts easily. Crunchy with a finely roasted fragrance and honey sweet. Yep, its something i would want right now actually.

Setting

Interior

Partitions

Tower of Wine

Interior 2

Interior 3

Ornaments

Flashy stuff in terms of the decorations i would say. The place is also weird in that each table of guests had their own partitioned room and there were no open tables on the outside. In fact, it felt like an intimate gathering of friends in a mutual friend's place as opposed to a restaurant. Next up, on to the food.

Melon Strips Enlivened With Orange Juice

The first dish to adorn our tables is a rather normal looking item. Cut melon pieces, the difference lay in the color and taste which strangely resembled a crunchy orange. Our guess is that it was soaked in orange juice or extract but wasn't sure how to explain the crunchiness it retained. Still, it was normal when the dust settled.

Prawn Balls Stuffed With Pate and Wine

Prawn Balls Stuffed With Pate and Wine

I was actually looking forward to this particular dish. Pate and prawn and wine. How could it not be a winner? Well, in truth, it wasn't a winner nor was it totally bad. The prawn paste stuffing was springy and fragrant, the wine was minimal but could be tasted while the pate was a really small piece which didn't quite get its taste across due to the multitude of other flavors. The thing about this is that each of us got....1 miserable serving...which is rather miserly if you ask me

Stir Fried Shark's Fin with Eggs, Bean Sprouts And Spring Onion

Served In Lettuce Leaves

This was good. Period. Fragrant, tasty and crunchy. It embodies all the elements within to good effect. The shark's fin actually tasted like vermicelli but it was more fine and lighter. The complaint here is going to follow through for the entire post. There just wasn't enough to go around. One plate is all we got and shared among each other. I would have loved more of this but that didn't happen.

Sauteed Lobster With Garlic

The lobster in garlic is another of those dishes which came a little too little. For the price, i would have expected to be served an entire lobster but i only got half of it. A good half nonetheless. Sweet springy meat in glorious garlic. The taste reminds me of the garlic prawns in Hai Tien Lo but with a little more meat. Good stuff, if there was more.

Steamed Red Garouper in Superior Soy Sauce

To be honest, i don't know much about fish. So i can't differentiate between a red garoupa and from the same species of another color. And i can't tell you the price of this fish as well as the difference between superior soy sauce and normal ones. Having said all that, this fish tasted just like the ones my mother does at home. Slightly salty and juicy with a smooth texture.

Chef Chan's Famous Crispy Roast Chicken

Ah yes, the legendary Chef Chan's crispy roast chicken. I'm happy to report that this at least, lives up to its name. Crispy, well roasted skin with hints of salt and other marinates tantalizes your taste buds while juicy and tender meat sit beneath it just waiting to be tasted. Its definitely something worth trying at least once.

Sauteed Vegetable With Shredded Mushroom

Normal sums it up pretty well. I don't even know how this could have made the list but it disappoints pretty badly. Its not bad per se mind you, just not something i would expect to see on my table during an expensive meal.

Glutinous Rice With Mango and Gui Ling Gao

We gave feed back in the restaurant and we'll give the same feed back here. This combination simply does not work. Not one bit. The glutinous rice is sweet, the mango is sour and the gui ling gao is bitter. Throw them all together and the result is still a bad idea.

White Fungus

This dessert however, was good. Sweet, clear, light and warm. It served to calm the senses a fair bit after the meal.

Bill

The final bill worked out to be $860.15 after a 10% discount. A hefty sum to pay for the meal on display though.

Final Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
I expected more from this place. More atmosphere, more variety and most importantly, more food. Sadly, it didn't live up to expectations with the misses in the menu. Service was good overall and the items that were well done, were definitely worth trying. Still, i won't return for a second try anytime soon.