Quenino - Delightful Southeast Asian Cuisine

I'm back at Quenino again, after an amazing dinner and an awesome lunch at here. I'm all excited to try the new menu. This is one of the restaurants that I will visit again because of the unique and awesome experience of savouring dishes with robust flavours with Southeast Asian flair. And this time, the experience is just as wonderful with the distinctive, delicious dishes, stylish ambience with Southeast Asian influences and great, attentive service.

Seasonal Amuse Bouche for an exciting start

Green mango and shrimp has a balanced mix of sweetness and sourness to yield a refreshing taste that opens up the palates. A very good beginning!

Deep fried octopus topped with coriander and sesame showcases the mild milky briny sweetness of octopus tempered with earthy flavours, which makes it tastes better and more complex.

Pickled tomato is tangy and refreshing with hint of sweetness.

Yellowtail with Kingfish, Pickled Mustard Green, Green Chilli, Gooseberry, Jicama is like the best salad I ever have. Sprinkled with spiced snow, it is full of flavours and different textures. The spiciness, sweetness and tanginess are all robust in flavour to create a strong impression and in right measure for a good balance of flavours. With these flavours, the fish tastes extra sweet. The aroma of Szechuan pepper and green chilli also elevate the taste, Southeast Asian style.

Scallop surrounded by Dragon Chive Custard and Tamarid Chilli Oil, topped with grated Yacón and Caviar, has this exotic super sweetness tempered with spiciness and creaminess. The texture is amazing due to the contrast between smooth custard and crispy chips. This is so good.

The next dish, taste wise and visually, incites the "wow" from me. River Prawn is so huge, plump, juicy and bouncy. The Southeast Asian flavours are done perfectly. The umami sweetness and tangy exotic taste of Taramind work so well together. This dish is full of flavours elevated by the floral sweetness of Mango. Brussel Spouts add good crunchy texture.

Strawberry sorbet with shaoxing wine features sweet strawberry with hint of tangy taste and a dose of savoury goodness. This is one awesomely good palate cleanser.

14 Days Dry Aged Duck with Cumin, Sambal Ijo, Angelica Herb and Cous Cous is so delicious. The thigh meat of duck is mixed with spices, minced and stuffed into breast meat for a variation in taste and texture. This is so meaty and tender with a hint of sweetness. The herbal taste and the rice-like Cous Cous reminds me of duck rice. This is the best duck rice, like a local delight with complex, hearty, refined, elevated, balanced taste.

"Fried Rice" Mui Fan paired with XO sauce that is made from scallops and green chilli. This dish is packed with different flavours. There are various options to enjoy the porridge-like rice with, like Chinese Olive, Cucamelon, Ham Floss. Some of the pairing ingredients have this lovely exotic Southeast Asian pungency. It is so satisfying to savour.

Quenino's Cereal Bowl 70% Johor Chocolate, Horlicks, Kulim, Pugged Grain, Sunflower Seed, Sesame, Garlic has a surprisingly exotic taste and a touch of savoury taste makes it so good.

Petite Fours made with Ginger flower features four different cute cakes or candies, which are distinct and different in taste, peppered with spicy pungency of ginger flower.

The Financier cake, Peach gum and Bon Bon are all so good.

Thoughts: Delightful Southeast Asian Cuisine with such Distinctive, Varied Taste

9 Cuscaden Road, Level 4

Quenino by Victor Liong - Beauty of Rich Southeast Asian Flavours

I’m back again at Quenino by Victor Liong! I have been wanting to come back as I love the myriad of Asian flavours featured in meticulously prepared dishes that were presented in European dining style. In fact, I went to all the restaurants in Artyzen due to how impressed I was with the food, luxurious Southeast Asian ambience and excellent service at Quenino.

As the meal progresses, the unique and beautiful taste of the dishes actually acutely reminds me why I love dining: To experience gastronomic surprises and be spellbound. I can feel the lots of care and love put in the food here because of the sheer number of exotic ingredients added to yield a medley of hamonised distinctive balanced tastes.

The service is as top-notch and outstanding as ever.

This restaurant is definitely of Michelin standard. A must-try for foodies and anyone who wants to experience the best of Southeast Asian cuisine.

Amuse Bouche looks so pretty and tastes so refreshing and unique with pickled root vegetables.

Pumpkin Egg Tart Sambal Belado features the beautiful creamy umami taste of Southeast Asia that is just so magical. The tart base adds a good texture and base to complement the creaminess. I’m spellbound at first bite.

Ama-Ebi Cracker with Malayan Pasembur, Macadamia and Calamansi is the lovely marriage of the sea and earth. Lots of mild flavours, from zest, savoury kick to sweetness, contained within for a complex, well balanced taste. Excellent texture too where crispness juxtaposes so well with the springy texture of the raw prawn.

Baby Cucumber with Caramelised Lemongrass Chilli, Kaffir Lime and Finger Lime is vegetarian but can rival any meat dish. So earthy, so intense and so refreshing.

Raw Spencer Gulf Kingfish with White Fungi, White Radish, Burnt Garlic, White Soy Cream is unbelievably good. My first thought at first mouthful is "How can it be this good?" It is so, so good that I swoon silently in delight. And I marvel at the uniqueness of the taste. The fish tastes creamy, tangy and fresh at at the same time. And there is a spark of pure sweetness hidden within that surprises and tantalises the palates.

I do wonder if House-Made Flatbread, Full-Blood Wagyu, Green Chilli will be too gamey in taste due to the description of “Full-Blood”. The dish turns out to be so well-balanced in taste. Meaty flavour of waguy is balanced by the spiciness plus pungency of green chilli, tangy flavours and super fluffy flat bread. Another outstanding dish.

Indonesian mango with chilli oil is unique and refreshing, full of floral creaminess. Mosr unique and best palate cleanser.

Threadfin with Kokum Pearl Meat (meat of a kind of pearl producing clam), Garlic Shoots, Shrimp Floss Samphire Garam Masala is so full of goodies. Indonesian mangosteen is uniquely added to balance the creaminess with its mild zest so as to highlight the sweetness of the fish. The crunchiness of the vegetables makes it even better.

Dry Aged Lacquered Duck has a crispy honey glazed skin that juxtaposes so well with the succulent flesh. Experience duck with four different flavours by wrapping with different ingredients in the thin fermented Rice Pancakes. The gamey taste of duck is cut through and rendered sweeter by the pungency Coriander Seed and other herbs, plus the zest and spiciness of Sambal Ijo. Superb combinations.

This is the most unique and best duck dish I ever have. Another must-try here.

Taro Ice Cream Sweet Potato and Roselle has lots of textures, creamy and earthy flavours. Fermented Rice Wine introduces an exciting kick to the taste and hold together the different flavours. Most outstanding Ice Cream I ever have.

Petits Fours astound me too with the unique creations such as Glutinous rice Cake with Coconut Cream, Tamarind Caramel and Dark Chocolate with a special Ganache.

Excellent recommendation of sparkling 100% Pinot Noir. I totally love it.

Wine from China for the adventurous me. It's actually good!

Got a tasting of the rare Ice Wine. It is fruity and sweet, and more intense in taste.

Thoughts: Southeast Asian Gastronomy at its Best

9 Cuscaden Road Level 4

Quenino by Victor Liong - Beautiful, Exotic Asian Flavours

Update: Back here again and falling in love all over again!

There is now a hot new hotel in Orchard called Artyzen. I got curious about it because of the restaurant within : Quenino by Victor Liong. Promising a fusion of European cuisine and Asian flavours such as those from Southeast Asia, Japan, India, I got all excited about it and immediately made a reservation at my earliest available slot. This turns out to be such a fruitful and exciting journey as I totally love the food here, the ambience is unique and top notch, the hotel is so beautiful with the lush greenery lining the perimeter and I got access to the awesome rooftop garden overlooking the landscape of Singapore.

The food here features the lovely robust flavours of Asia doled out in measured amounts, like in European cuisine, to tantalize the palates without overwhelming. Another thing I love about this restaurant is that there is a whooping of fourteen menu items in the Discovery Menu. So I get to try many dishes without overstuffing myself, now that is pure gastronomic enjoyment. This restaurant is a must-try for foodies and bon vivants.

Modern, stylish black frames and shelves with wine glasses, soft yellow column lights juxtapose so well with Southeast Asian florid tiles, potteries, rattan chairs, potted plants to create a indigenous atmosphere with touches of lux. I feel like I’m transported to an upmarket posh resort on an island.

The service here is impeccable and wonderful. I’m really pampered by Derrick, Marissa, Retta and team.

Amuse Bouche is created based on the Nonya dish, Achar. So this has the simulating flavours of Achar featured, in light bits with a rich sweet base that refreshes, surprises and pleases the palates. And there is a lingering flora aroma at the back of the mouth after finishing this dainty little piece. An excellent start.

Marinated Scallop with calamasi and kesum is the most refreshing scallop I ever have. The tang of calamasi and kesum lift up and accentuate the briny sweetness of the scallop. And the crunchy root vegetable contrasts so well with the texture of the smooth flesh scallop. One of my favourites.

Hand-picked mud crab with white pepper taro cream, ginger flower and oscietra caviar is a lovely combination of the essences of sea and earth. So luxurious, rich and complex. Another one of my favourites.

Ora King Salmon with first drawn soy sauce, orange and salted black beans showcases a good balances of sweetness, zest, earthy flavours and savoury taste.

Uni Pain Perdu with sambal belado is one unique uni dish, where the intense sweet creamy umami of uni is nicely paired with the spiciness and pungency of sambal belodo for dimension in taste. The cake-like texture of the base is a good juxtapose with the creamy uni.

Charred Spanish Mackerel with seaweed tapenade has the taste of ocean presented in a way that I have never experienced before. Somehow, the lovely char, the sweet flesh of Mackerel, the briny yet earthy flavours of the seaweed tapenade together create a pleasant new taste, which develops a rich sweetness at the back of the tongue as I chew on the fish. An awesome surprise.

Ama-Ebi Prawn toast with lemongrass, tumeric and salted green chilli is like a tasty, savoury Nonya cake packed with flavours across the spectrum. I love the experience of savouring this with the aroma of burnt leaves hidden beneath the top plate.

Baby Cucumber with lime leaf crisp chilli, finger lime and cashew cream is Chef Liong's reinterpretation of the beloved satay, in vegetarian form. This is the most refreshing and delicious "satay" I ever have. It has the richness and char of satay, elevated with the clean taste and crisp crunchy texture of the baby cucumber. I don't expect myself to say this about a vegetarian dish, but it is one of my favourites.

Raw Spencer Gulf Kingfish with white fungi, white radish and burnt garlic with soy cream is so amazing in taste. Complex in taste with hints of earthy aroma, clean taste, pungency, each component can still shine through the myriad of flavours.

Home-made Flatbread with chorizo XO, prawns, lentil butter, which is modelled after Indian nann, is a real delight to enjoy. I try the flatbread by itself and love the sweet taste and aroma of fresh wheat. I love it it even more when slathered with the specialty spread filled with Asian flavours.

Coral Trout with wing beans, local clam terasi and fish bone broth is light, nuanced umami personified. The coral trout has that perfect crispy skin that crackles as my knife cut through it. And the flesh is succulent and firm, going very well with the foamy consistency of the sauce.

The best part of Wagyu Ribeye are the corners of the ribeye because they have the most amount of charred surface relative to rare part. The charred surface has this wonderful aroma and texture that makes the meat tastes oh-so-good. There are four ways to enjoy this tender, silky meat: on its own, with new world peppercorn sprinkled on the side of the plate, with old world peppercorn sauce and reduction sauce. All options are very good. My favourite way is with old world peppercorn.

A5 Wagyu dumpling with beef broth, bone mallow and mint is packed with meaty sweetness!

Palate Cleanser of Sour Plum is very refreshing and I love the crunchy bits of fruit added in for the variation in texture.

Sweet Corn Ice-Cream with caramelized milk, pandan jam and frozen coconut finds its way into my heart with the distinctive creamy, aromatic Southeast Asian flavours for desserts, which I absolutely love. This dessert is made more exciting by the sweet corn with its savoury vegetal sweetness. The peanut powder added to introduce a hint of Chinese influence to shake things up. And it totally scores also texture wise.

Interesting Petit Fours featuring Southeast Asian flavours. Yes, two of them are savoury and sweet!

Nice champagne that goes well with first part of the dinner.

Light red wine with hints of fruitiness that tastes sweet when paired with the food.

Same view from the full window at evening and night

Thoughts: Wonderful Gastronomic Journey exploring the Exotic Tastes of Asia

9 Cuscaden Road (Level 4)

Nearest MRT: Orchard or Orchard Boulevard

After dinner at Quenino, the FnB director invites me to see the Rooftop Garden (accessible to guests and by reservation only). The panoramic view of Singapore's landscape is breath-taking. Yes, I want to lounge at here to enjoy some good food and the splendid view here. Reservations needed for non-hotel guests.