A few days after we got back from Bangkok, I went to Singapore for 48 hours for doctor's appointments and managed to squeeze in a birthday lunch for a friend at one of Singapore's best fine dining restaurant - Iggy's. I had read about Iggy's from magazines and blogs and I had heard about Iggy's from friends and fellow tweeters who had been and had great meals so I was looking forward to finally experiencing Iggy's. As soon as J told me she was able to book a table for a mid-week lunch, I had a look at their website to see what their current daily set lunch menu started counting the days to that Wednesday.
After a long morning spent at the doctor's, I rushed back to the hotel, changed for lunch and walked the short tow blocks up Orchard road to the Hilton hotel where Iggy's is now located. I got there earlier than our 12:30 booking and was led to a nice corner table to wait for J to arrive. The restaurant interiors are in muted beige with wall to wall carpet and the kitchen off to one side, separated from the dining area with frosted glass doors. Although it is quite cozy, the lack of natural light and any windows make the place feel like a very chic hotel banquet room. Tables are set simply with a beautiful white bowl decorated with a splash of gold on one side, simple flatware and a water tumbler.
The four-course set lunch menu was S$85++ (around US$69++) and changes every month. For March, it was the following: ________________________
OYSTER
Sea essence, mascarpone, shiso
or
or
SALADE LANDAISE
La ratte potato, duck confit,
Alba black truffle
-
TONNARELLI
Squid ink, baby tomato, fumet
or
LASAGNA
Kintoki carrot, vacherin mont d’or,
kaburamushi
-
KINMEDAI
Spring vegetables
or
QUAIL
Farro, sweet peas, mushroom
-
SOURSOP
Cherry, baby tomato, mascarpone
or
BANANA
Passion fruit, walnut, nutmeg, toffee
or
CHOCOLATE
Pomegranate, pistachio, blackberry
_____________________________
After deciding that we would both order different items so we could try each other's food, we settled in with two glasses of white wine and lots of catching up. First up for both of us was the oyster, served raw over a tiny dollop of creamy Mascarpone and topped with shiso (a typical Japanese green leaf) and sea essence gelee - cold, salty and sweet all at the same time.
Pasta came next. J had the lasagna which came beautifully assembled. Lukewarm paper-thin slices of sweet carrot, grated Kaburamushi (turnip) and creamy but tart Vacherin Mont d'or. My Tonnarelli was a heartier portion of squid ink spaghetti-like pasta tossed in tomato essence and topped with squashed cherry tomatoes and squid cooked two ways: tempura and char-grilled. The texture of the salty-sweet squid and the crunchy tempura squid with the hot squid-ink pasta was heaven. It was the best dish on the menu that day.
For main courses, we both chose the grilled Kinmedai (sea bream) with steamed baby vegetables - a perfect ladies lunch entree for it's lightness and simplicity. Nothing but the flavor of the fish and the sweetness of the baby vegetables on the plate.
Last but not least came the desserts: the small platter of chocolate for J and the banana for me. J's assortment of chocolate concoctions flavored with pomegranate and blackberry and served with a little scoop of pistachio ice cream. My banana dessert was like a deconstructed sticky toffee pudding - candied walnuts, chunk of toffee banana cake and a large scoop of passion fruit sorbet. We finished with espressos and sated with our wonderful meal, left the hushed elegance of Iggy's for the hustle and bustle of Orchard road for some retail therapy.
Iggy's lunch menu is not cheap but definitely good value considering the quality of the ingredients on the plate and the deceptive simplicity of its' classic French cuisine with Asian flavor twists. I'm already slotting it in for dinner on my next Singapore visit.
_________________
Level 3
The Hilton Hotel
581 Orchard Road
Singapore
Telephone: +65 6732 2234
*Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations essential.
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