Zambuca, Pan Pacific Hotel

I never got to visit Zambuca (#03-00, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, tel : +65 6337 8086) back in the time Angelo Sanelli and Dennis Sim were around to run the show. Those two chefs have since moved on to Mietta's, We came one evening not knowing what to expect. One of my friends absolutely detested this restaurant and no one I personally know have actually visited it since the old chefs have moved on.

Their web site was sorely in need of an update. I couldn't find out what the current menu as email inquiries were a one way affair. The first glance at the menu didn't really look that interesting. The server seemed to have the idea that their gnocchi and quail salad was actually pasta. Didn't appear encouraging. 

 

amuse bouche

Amuse bouche was something made with a blender. Tasted very much like gazpacho. There was tomato and olive oil in it. Light on the palate and also refreshing in a cold way. If you're wondering what's the stirrer like object resting on the rim of the glass, it's a single stalk of chive which I almost used as a straw.

warm gnocchi and quail salad

This was hands down one of the most enjoyable salad I've had. Not that I was big on salads in the first place. This was well tossed with olive oil and moderated amount of vinegar. There was something moreish and savoury in the dressing I couldn't identify. Loved those salted bits of morels and slightly crisp pan fried gnocchi. Quail tasted like chicken. I would come back for this again.

tomato and goat cheese tart

We got the tart with goat cheese. Light tartness from the tomato balanced the rich creaminess from the goat cheese. Would have liked more balsamic vinegar than those artistic drizzles but not complaining here. Very tasty warm tart. I wished that something like this was more readily available. I mean, I shouldn't have to come to a restaurant just to eat a tomato and goat cheese tart.

porcini risotto

Adequately flavoured with porcini but wasn't punchy enough with that. It was however quite cheesy as well and that made it up for me. Liked it.

tenderloin with red wine reduction & foie gras sauce

Zambuca did a nicely grilled hunk of medium rare tenderloin. Not as puny as the one from Valentino's. The foie gras in the red wine reduction didn't quite play itself out as I expected. When I read that fat liver is included into a sauce, I would want to taste that fat liver. Not much of those flavour. Those onion things on the side were however an amazing mix of sweet and tartness.

apple tartine

The obvious comparison that came to mind for this was the apple tartine from Saraceno. I can't tell which is the better dessert. I liked them both in their own ways. This one (apart from the carefully carved fruit) has apples which were baked and retained more then the other. Also the crust tasted less heavy. Both are what I consider something worth trying if one visits.

Barossa, Esplanade Mall

Wow, this prime rib from a watering hole (8 Raffles Avenue,Esplanade Mall,#01-11, tel : 6534 5188) was really not bad. It was in fact a much better deal in the department of both price and taste than the cote de beouf down at Absinthe which tasted quite flat by comparison. In fact it was one of those that made me feel quite agreeable to coming back again for another shot at it.



What made this prime rib a hit for me was that it wasn't overly thick, nicely charred without being overly so and was well flavored with a well measure of coarse grained salt over the top that was just sufficient to flavor the meat with savory goodness. Steak comes with an option of two sides. We picked the cream spinach and an option called apricots & walnuts. The latter turned out to be a chilled rocket salad with apricots, walnuts and goat cheese. Yes, nice crumbly goat's cheese so I would definitely recommend the latter over the creamed spinach which didn't quite match up to what I had imagined (think Lawry's). They had a roasted pumpkin soup with apple and almonds which unfortunately didn't taste like it was roasted to any degree, was totally absent of any apple whatsoever and used cheap sliced almonds that one could buy off the shelves. Avoid that soup. Waste of money.

Morton's USDA Prime Burger

I was initially a little skeptical about how good a burger this might be at $30 even though it was Morton's, but I'd have to admit in retrospect that I was pretty impressed by their hefty 12 oz patty oozing with deep red juices from each bite. That being said, these guys have inched my expectations of a good burger up by at least a couple of notches. That much I can give them credit for. The options were simple here. A choice of doneness for the fine minced patty and one of three cheeses (blue, Cheddar or Swiss) to top it with. Everything else comes with it including a couple of strips of grilled bacon and sautéed onions. What didn't feel as hearty about it was that it lacked the coarse textures which made the meat feel a little refined. 

It seems that they're charging $5 less if you do your orders after 8p.m. so that's something to look out for if you're in the vicinity having dinner later than usual and willing to shell out some bucks for a man sized burger. Bar service is surprisingly poor in comparison with the restaurants. I thought I had detected one of those professional aversion skills that many service staff acquire in the course of their work.

A packed away nasi padang lunch

It is sometimes a chore getting lunch in the building at my current workplace. Occasionally when the sun is not as blistering, I venture out a little further into a grimy food centre amidst some JTC blocks and get some nasi padang which costs less and actually tastes pretty good. Here's a pack of that with curried mutton, a hard boiled egg and some salty fried squids. Did not register the name of the stall since I never looked, but good food finds a way. There couldn't have been a more blatant invitation for the Z monster to rake its claws across your back in the mid day.

A random nasi lemak breakfast

Here's a grease bomb of a breakfast with the sweet Taiwanese sausage, greasy fried egg with semi liquid yolk and deep fried chicken wings in bed with some hot coconut rice. It was definitely miles away from a healthy breakfast, but one doesn't begrudge the satisfaction that comes after. And to make up for something like this, I skipped lunch at work. Heh.

Lamb chops from Zac Cafe

What struck me about this rack of lamb from Zac Cafe was that each piece extra thick. Not double cut but thicker than most single rib. It was unfortunate that the meat was a little more cooked that I was hoping for. This resulted in them being a little more chewy than I would normally like. I recalled them being tender even when they were well done from a previous visit. It's hard for me to argue against thick hunks of grilled bone in lamb laced with fat. I'm going to try this again another time.