Despite being ill on Monday night (still ill by the way), I didn't want to break my dinner date with two colleagues and an ex-colleague at Novus as it's so difficult to fix a date to meet up. You know us modern beings, trying to get a bunch of people to meet up is tantamount to organising an expedition to Mt Everest.
But anyway, we headed to the new restaurant serving modern European cuisine for some posh nosh. The interiors were very pleasantly done up with a contemporary European flair featuring neutral white and cream tones. According to the Uniquely Singapore website, the interiors are from designers Paul Smith and Jasper Morrison (whoever they are!). But it all blends in very nicely with the newly refurbished and very lovely National Museum.
Anyway, we splurged and went for the tasting menu which went for $108+++ per person. Chef Dan Masters and executive sous chef Philipp Meisel surprised us with a complementary starter made up of one prawn fritter seated on top a bed of guacamole. Nice gesture.
They were very good with replacing our bread platter. We hadn't even finished all the bread and they were already giving us a fresh platter!
While eating our bread, a flying ant flew onto the table and was moving around the table, coming dangerously close to the bread platter. I quickly alerted the lady in charge (a pretty blond lady who speaks with a European accent) and she promptly told one of the waiters to come over. Then this waiter comes over and puts his hand seemingly to just push the insect to another part of the table and then asks in Chinese, "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill it?"
Like DUH!!!! I mean, I don't freaking care whether you kill it or not! Just get the thing away! What a stupid question!
Anyway, the other starters were:
1) Slices of smoked salmon served with beetroot sorbet. That was the first time I've ever eaten beetroot sorbet and I really liked it. It was nice and refreshing and went well with the smoked salmon.
2) A big piece of scallop placed on chestnut puree together with a slice of pork belly. The sauce that came with it was both sweet and savoury at the same time. For me, this was the best dish of the night. The scallop was fresh and big, the chestnut puree heavenly and that slice of pork belly cooked to perfection.
3) A slice of seared cod fish nestled on a bed of spinach and mash potato. Fish is always difficult to get right, so kudos to the chef that the cod wasn't overcooked, but rather was really nice and moist.
Before the main course came along, we were given a scoop of lemongrass sorbet each to cleanse the palate. I really liked this!
The main course was a cut of lamb served with a rectangular piece of potato gratin. The lamb wasn't overcooked, so that was good. My colleagues felt, however, that the cut contained too much fat. Personally I was OK with it 'cos I think it's because of the fat that allows it to remain moist and not become overcooked.
Dessert was some kind of apple tart (it had some fancy French name) accompanied by cinnamon ice cream. It was pretty good but rather heavy and a tad too sweet for me. Maybe the apples were soaked in too much sugar. Would have been better if it were a little more sour.
At the end of it, a complementary plate of chocolates with a macaroon and blueberry madeleine were served to us - a nice touch to end the evening.
Overall, a good but pricey dining experience. Guys, it's a good place to bring your date for a nice, quiet evening if you're willing to splurge. That's all the fine dining I'm going to do in a really really long while!
Novus Restaurant & Bar #01-02
Tel: 6336 8770
Service: Very good
Price: At least $60/pax