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FOOD & WINE
Taste: A Grand Revival
by Anton D. Javier
08 Feb 2021
08 Feb 2021
While not new to Singapore's ever-changing dining scene, these restaurants boast refreshed menus that prove they are worth revisiting
- RESTAURANT GAIG
- POLLEN
- BOTANICO
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Bomba de la Barceloneta -
Salmorejo soup with burrata cheese and jamón ice cream -
Tortilla de camarones
Restaurant Gaig is located along Stanley Street, a quiet strip in the middle of the CBD that is enjoying a food-fueled renaissance. The four-year-old Spanish restaurant is sandwiched between hotspots Laut and Miznon, while a fairly new cafe specializing in donuts is just around the corner. With such delicious vibrancy suddenly surrounding the area, it was only a matter of time before Restaurant Gaig reintroduced itself. That time has finally come.
Opened by Chef Charles Gaig, a celebrated Spanish chef whose name is synonymous with Catalan cuisine, Restaurant Gaig is on a mission to deliver a heightened culinary experience with an enhanced menu and refreshed dining space. In the kitchen is Executive Chef Carlos Martínez, whipping up heritage dishes and innovative fare.
For starters, the Salmorejo Soup with Burrata and Jamón Ice Cream - his take on gazpacho - will make you immediately sit up with its bright, zesty flavors. This will be followed by greedy slurping. Unexpected pairings are also triumphant here, particularly in the Duck Foie Gras Terrine with Anchovies and Hazelnut Sablé - a marriage of crisp and creamy textures with complimentary sweet and tangy flavors.
Serving as a counterpoint to the modern dishes are the heritage offerings, such as Gaig's Traditional Cannelloni. The 150-year-old recipe is comprised of cannelloni stuffed with roasted beef and pork, and slathered with a truffle cream sauce. Meanwhile, the Quail Ecabetx is inspired by a centuries-old recipe where game birds like pheasant and quail are marinated in white wine and sherry vinegar for a subtle sharpness. It is then braised with vegetables in a reduction of the marinade, resulting in a dish that's moreish and delightfully tangy.
Visit Restaurant Gaig at 16 Stanley Street, Tel: 6221 2134
For more information, click here
- RESTAURANT GAIG
- POLLEN
- BOTANICO
Pollen
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Seletion of snacks at Pollen -
Scarlet Prawn -
Duck neck and foie gras sausage
Freedom, experimentation, and imagination are the main pillars of Executive Chef Michael Wilson's new menu at Pollen, which results in the original concept of "modern interpretive cuisine", which has flavor and texture combinations at its core. Chef Wilson shares, "My cuisine is an expression of the influences encountered on my journey and I hope to share them with the world."
A meal at Pollen starts with four exciting snacks; small bites that are big on flavor and textures, comprised of quality ingredients that are transformed by ingenuity and technique. And then you have a seemingly simple Lettuce Gazpacho, which, in reality, is incredibly complex with 17 ingredients and served with spanner crab, green tomato granite, and Espelette pepper. The numerous ingredients make their flavors known slowly yet surely with every spoonful.
A clear highlight on the menu is Chef Wilson's signature Duck Neck and Foie Gras Sausage, which is a rich, luxurious creation served alongside tender duck breast, apple, and parsnip. The Scarlet Prawn was another favorite, where carabinero prawns are flattened, flavored with coriander and lime, and gently draped over acquerello rice and garnished with delicate herbs and flowers.
Visit Pollen at 18 Marina Gardens Dr, #01-09, Flower Dome, Tel: 6604 9988
For more information, click here
- RESTAURANT GAIG
- POLLEN
- BOTANICO
Botanico
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Corn Pani Puri -
Crab meat Risoni -
BGR
It's interesting how a brief stint at Michelin-starred Mugaritz made Botanico's Head Chef Sujatha Asokan want to cook Asian food even more. But then again, life has a funny way of turning out, which resulted in Chef Asokan's eventual return, followed by a new menu that is, in a way, an ode to her first love: Asian cuisine.
First, there are the bold, punchy flavors of the Wing Bean Salad, which is comprised of raw wing bean slices, cubes of chickpea tofu, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and slices of bird's eye chilli, tossed together with a silky lime aioli. Then there is the Corn Panipuri, a one-bite wonder that serves as an homage to her Indian heritage - puffed puri pastry is filled with spiced baby corn and a rich espuma of curried Japanese corn. Meanwhile, the Crab Rissoni boasts Japanese flavors where Japanese deep-sea red crab and blue swimmer crab are mixed with nori rissoni and finished off with comte mustard and a sprinkle of octopus bottarga.
Sweet endings come in familiar forms at Botanico. First is Chef Asokan's interpretation of Ondeh Ondeh, where pandan mochi cake and kaya ice cream is served on a bed of coconut foam and drizzled with gula melaka syrup and freshly grated coconut. Finally, the Black Glutinous Rice dessert (or BGR) brings together black glutinous rice mochi cake, coconut flesh, toasted rice ice cream, and black glutinous rice foam for an unexpected take on a familiar favorite.
Visit Botanico at 50 Cluny Park Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Tel: 9831 1106
For more information, click here
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