Flutes - Amazing, Lovely Experience with Beautiful Flavours

Many years ago, while I was visiting the National Museum, a beautiful restaurant within immediately caught my eye. Then I found out the restaurant’s name is Flutes. There is a certain elegance to Flutes that I like and thus I secretly had been wanting to go there to dine. I didn’t get to fulfill this wish due to personal reasons and time faded that to the background. So I read about Flutes, relocated to Guoco Midtown, on Instagram recently, I know I have to go to this restaurant. So here I am!

I was expected to be impressed, and I am absolutely astounded instead by how amazingly good and unique the food is. It is way beyond my expectations! Every dish is so meticulously crafted with lots of details and 90% Australian produce. All instantly win me over at first bite. I feel sweet feelings of happiness when savouring all the dishes here.

The idyllic French songs playing in the background, the white ceiling decorated numerous gull-like pieces, the beautiful blooms placed around the place, the candlelights, the soft yellow lights and pristine white tablecloths create this romantic, classic yet modern feel that I loved. This place is perfect for dates and for anyone who just wants to indulge in the finer things in life.

The service is excellent, being thoughtful, detailed and attentive. Definitely one of the restaurants.

Salad of Skull Island Prawn with Avocado, Yarra Valley Caviar, Horse Radish and Dill is wow at first bite. Lots of flavours work together to yield briny, robust and refreshing taste. The texture is awesome too, with layering of crispness, springiness, juiciness and mashed texture. I love this!

Most delicious bageutte, with the dense fluffy, fine core and crunchy exterior.

Exciting trio of snacks that really reveals the exciting dinner experience that is to come 💖

BBQ Yumbah Abalone with Kombu Butter and Truffle speaks stories of the sea, earth and fire through the myriad of light yet intense flavours. There is this deep mild sweetness highlighted by the bitterness of char. The texture is excellent, being springy and crunchy.

King Crab Crumpet with Finger Lime is an excellent dish to come after the Abalone due to the refreshing, briny sweet taste that contrasts from the prior snack. And the flavours of the crab is a perfect match with cake.

Beef Tartare Kueh Pie Tee with Caviar features smooth, succulent beef served in super crispy pastry shell, topped with pops of excitement from the caviar. The taste is so luscious and full of umami.

Aquna Murray Cod Sweetcorn, Sambal Butter, Coriander is surprise of the day. And I love this surprise! The pliable fish tastes slightly spicy and has this plantal briny sweetness. The sweet crunchy corn adds extra texture to the fish. One of the best fish dishes I have ever tried? Yes!

Celeriac & Manimup Truffle Langoustine, Medeira tastes so amazing in that it develops into a complex sweetness. The lovely taste of the essence of sea packed within the prawn is elevated by the clean taste of celeriac, which is meticulously cut into super thin slices to be rolled and then roasted. Truffle adds a touch of lux and complexity to the dish.

Gin & Tonic Granita with Kiwi and Apple is so refreshing and tastes so unique due to the extra dimension in taste from bitterness of Gin.

BBQ Zabuton Satsuma Gyu Skewer with Beetroot and Rye is rich in taste and has the pure meaty sweetness balanced by the vegetal clean taste of the beetroot. The beef is so uniquely prepared to feature a taste and texture so different from that of other beef. It is succulent and juicy with a thin layer of char and crispiness on the surface. One of the best beef dishes I ever have.

Pre-dessert of Jerusalem Artichoke Ice-cream with Manijimup Black Truffle, Caramelized Milk Crumbs continues the trail of "Deliciousness that Wows". The ice-cream is so unique in taste, being earthy and creamy in tetxure. The Caramelized Milk Crumbs has this super crispy texture that goes excellently with the milky ice-cream.

Dessert of Strawberry & Lime Pavlova Mascapone, Calamansi sorbet is beautiful in both looks and taste. The tart, fruity taste of strawberry, lime and calamansi teases the palates and allows the mild taste and light creaminess of mascarpone to come through richness. So indulgent yet so refreshing.

Delightful and unique Sweet Treats: Rojak Flower Macaron, My Bucket Bon Bon, Yuzu Jube

Specially curated wine to go well with the dishes

The restaurant is located within this heritage building instead of the main building complex of Guoco Midtown House. 

Thoughts: Beautiful Experience, Beautiful Food, Beautiful Flavours!

120 Beach Road

Guoco Midtown House #01-02

The Masses - Truly Singaporean with a Modern Touch

Always on a lookout for local culinary talents and the refined taste of Singapore, The Masses naturally comes under my radar. And this quaint, humble little restaurant delivers. Combining the meticulous techniques of French dining and the distinctive tastes of Singaporean food, the food here invokes the feel of familiarity and cosiness, enhanced by good doses of lux, uniqueness and creativity. I really enjoy tucking into the food here that offers a new perspective on local delights.

The place is an eclectic, interesting mix of stylish modern watering hole and old school Chinese restaurant. It actually feels cosy here, great to hang out with friends. In addition, the service here is friendly and sincere.

Crabmeat Kueh Pie Tee is generously stuffed full with briny sweet, silky crabmeat. This is so good! And the Kueh Pie Tee pastry shell is so thin and crispy. And part of the magic lies in the bottom of the shell: shredded turnip with XO sauce that showcases that beloved local flavour. 

Charred Grilled Squid is nice, but I actually love the sauce and salad more than the squid. The salad is packed with flavours of all spectrum and tastes so refreshing. And the joy of biting into fresh crunchy apple and fennel to release refreshing juices that is complimented by the tangy, slightly spicy sauce of tomato and nduja, an Italian pork sausage. The squid goes so well with the sauce. The squid is quite easy to chew, but it can be more tender in texture in order for me to swoon over it.

I love C&C&C&C Pasta because of the generous dollops of crab meat, the hint of wok hey and smooth thin mee-sua-like pasta soaked in lobster bisque. The caviar amps up the umami meter further, which I always welcome. So luxurious and so satisfying. So unique and so old school. A must-try here.

Coconut & Lychee dessert is Chinese cracker and coconut ice-cream stacked on top of light, cloud-like coconut foam blanking over lychee salsa. A local flavourful dessert beautifully reinterpreted with French techniques to include excellent texture and juxtapose of flavours. Highly recommend.

The lunch set menu is really value for money since it has all the main stars of the restaurant featured here. And I also love the free drink of Pineapple Mango Basil that comes with the set meal. This is one of the great places to go to to enjoy luxurious local fare or just chill and have fun.

Thoughts: Totally worth it for the unique experience 

25 Beach Road #01-02

Nearest MRT: Esplanade or City Hall

Co Hai Banh Mi & Phở Vietnamese Restaurant - Garden Fresh, Herbs and Vietnamese Tradition

Co Hai Banh Mi & Pho Vietnamese Restaurant, the name of thus restaurant is quite a mouthful. I will just use Co Hai instead since Banh Mi refers to Vietnamese Baguette and Pho is a kind of Vietnamese noodles.

After a lunch at a French restaurant, where I love one of the dishes made with Vietnamese rice paper, it triggered my craving for some Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. I had not eaten it for many  years … for a reason that I will not reveal here. So when I saw how good Co Hai’s fresh spring rolls look, I set my eyes on this place already. I have to say that the fresh spring rolls doesn’t disappoint.

I was expecting food court kind of environment here, given the low price point, but the decor of this restaurant totally took me by surprise. The French influence is evident: lots of colourful flowers, posters and quaint lamps. But there is Vietnamese vibe in there. So it feels like the owner is putting every favourite thing into decorating the place. It works, giving that really cosy, homely vibe. Good thing I’m the first patron of the day, so I have lots of fun snapping photos of the place.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls is like a garden wrapped within the stretchy thin smooth rice paper. It is so fresh and full of herbal aroma. The bits of grilled pork and sliced prawns adds the umami and richness to the taste. When eaten without the sauce, it os flavourful enough to hold it on its own. With the sauce, its zest makes the spring taste even better.

If one does not have any aversion toward a particular plant or herb, this is a must-try. But take note of the hard meat pieces in there.

Frankly speaking, the amount of carbs in the fresh spring rolls is making me pretty full already. I suggest to share it if possible.

So I have less capacity to fully appreciate the Dry Vermicelli ordered. Especially when I ordered the wrong one. I wanted Grilled Pork, but I don't know why I didn't see the word "Minced" and got Vermicelli with Seafood, Minced Pork and Quail Eggs. This is actually very similar to our Bak Chor Mee, except that Vietnamese Vermicelli is used instead for the crabs.

I like this different kind of vermicelli used, it is made of rice and is flat, smooth and thin. I do find the boiled minced pork and seafood aka boiled squid rolls to be a bit too plain. Well, I just dip them into the sauce of fresh spring rolls, and then they taste great lol

Nice cooling and interesting drink of Lemongrass, Ginger and Lemon.

Ambience wise, I like this place a lot. But if one tends to get cold easily, like me, best to get a jacket because besides the air conditioning, there are fans to make the place real cold. Service is well, of brutal efficiency. They cut to the chase and get all things done. Don’t expect general pleasantries here. I have to make a special mention of the nice lady who suggested to me to take a table that is at a more comfortable position instead of the one near the staircase. Thumbs-up to her.

By the way, the restaurant is at second floor. And by 11:30am, the place is pretty full already.

Thoughts: Authentic, good Vietnamese food

359 Beach Road

Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway

Takemitsu Omakase Restaurant - The Sushi are so full of Natural Sweetness

I just sussed out a brand new Japanese restaurant that offers a whole new gastronomic adventure in the form of aged sushi made in Ginza style. And so I made a reservation straightaway when I found out about this hidden gem since aged sushi is quite a rarity in Singapore and the price of omakase is so attractive from $98 onwards.

The aged sushi here are so full of natural sweetness due to the amino acids breaking down the tissue through the process of aging. And the taste is different and most importantly, delicious. It's akin to making of the yummy sour dough bread by allowing the dough to ferment over a long period of time to break the starch down into sugars for the extra sweetness and aroma.

Service is outstanding too and Chef Peter serves up the dishes with lots of flair and gusto.

First dish of the omakase is the impressive Uni Chawamushi. And lots of uni added at that. I'm surprised that the fresh creamy uni with its distinctive umami and iodine taste complements the warm smooth egg custard very well. A very good start to the meal.

Cooked dish is Nodugoro, also know as blackthroat seaperch, which is a premium kind of fatty white fish. Due to the high fat content, the texture is very interesting with a bit of springiness, like that of a clam. I like this kind of texture, and it tastes good with the miso sauce.

Fatty chutoro is delicious with a good cut and size to allow the fish fill up the whole mouth with buttery goodness before melting into the mouth.

One of my favourite: Kani Miso! The generous amount of shredded crab meat is bursting with concentrated briny sweetness. One of the best crab dishes I ever have. This is the only place I have crab meat served to me in this way, so this is like another speciality of this restaurant.

First sushi is Shima Aji aged for 14 days. Brushed with heritage Japanese soya sauce aged for years by the chef, the sushi is so full of flavours with extra briny flavours and actually melt in the mouth,

Sake infused Hotate is oh-so-good. The scallop is so plump, succulent and sweet, with hints of floral notes from the sake.

Spineless squid actually has a bit of creaminess that makes for very interesting texture and bite. And it is yummy too.

Usually Hirame, aka flounder, has a clean taste. So is the one here, with the difference being the extra sweetness of the fish, which is definitely a welcomed addition in my sushi.

The chutoro, yes, more chutoro! Not only is this buttery, there is also an extra richness in aroma and taste in this marbled slice of fish. A luxurious treat.

The Akami here is probably one of the best Akami I have due to the additional briny flavour plus an iota of smokiness.

Rare Ishigakidai has the light umami flavours, perked up by the zest of lemon and yuzu. 

Watching the preparation of Flounder Fin Muscle is a delight to the eyes as the Chef Peter seared the top of the fish with hand-held torch. It is a delight to savour it too. This is so creamy, and the light char makes it even better.

The Salmon here is surprisingly from Hokkaido in Japan instead of Norway. The quality and taste is evidently superior. I never know salmon can have complexity in taste until I have this sushi.

Uni on Shimofuritoro, aka Uni Toro Temaki or Uni Bomb, is super decadent. I absolutely love it that so much uni are piled on top of the generous amount of shimofuritoro. Shimofuritoro is actually otoro with the fat evenly distributed. The result of these two premium ingredients paired together is luxurious, rich, creamy umami dream.

Nice miso clam soup filled with the taste of ocean from the clams.

This special Japanese tea ice cream tastes like a lighter and more cooling version of chocolate, nice.

The interior of the restaurant is of zen influences and is a very cozy, intimate space housing only 10 patrons, so it feels pretty exclusive to be dining here. Service is outstanding: Yong Jie is very professional and knowledgable about the food while the lady staff dressed in kimono is very responsive and polite. And Chef Peter is friendly and chatty.

This place has one of the most attractive omakase price ranges, considering the high quality of food, the extra work put into aging of the fishes and of course, lots of uni and various cuts of toro in the Takemitsu course I opted for. Definitely going back to enjoy lots of uni, toro and the speciality of aged fishes.

Thoughts: Aged sushi are delicious!

103 Beach Road #01-02

Nearest MRT: Bugis