OChre @ Orchard Central

Orchard Central has been one of my favourite venues in Orchard Road, simply because fewer people go there. Today, my gf and I decided to have dinner at OChre, an Italian restaurant at OC. It is under the AMEX Platinum's Palate program, so we could enjoy a 50% discount.

I found the place a bit too warm and stuffy, and the spotlights above our table didn't help. I actually had to remove my cuff links and roll up my sleeves as it was getting a bit unbearable.

Some bread was served after we have ordered our food

Char-grilled octopus salad, $22

This was the starter we ordered. I didn't like it. The octopus wasn't springy enough, and the avocado was a bit too hard. Avocado, being an oily fruit, is supposed to be softer, but I suspect that theirs was still a bit too raw. My gf felt that they were a bit too generous with their vinegar too.

Herb crusted Kurobuta pork belly, $36

The portion was a bit small for this, but as I wasn't feeling too hungry, I felt that it was just nice. I don't really like polenta cake, so I didn't finish it. The pork was not bad, and surprisingly it wasn't that fatty; I had expected at least 20% of the pork belly to be fat, but there was only one rather thin layer of it. Not good for those who love their pork belly to be really fat, but for me, I thought it was perfect. The amount of fat was insignificant enough that I didn't mind eating all of it. The meat was a little tougher than I thought, but at least it still tasted good.

Arborio risotto, $32

This came with prawns, escargots, and a poached egg topped with a bit of cheese. The risotto was harder than usual, but it was prepared quite well and tasted very strongly of prawns. The escargots and prawns were also quite good, but the poached egg was too cooked. Overall, this dish was still rather well done and I wouldn't mind ordering it again next time.

Total bill came up to $48.15 after discount, which was really worth it! But without the discount, I wouldn't have visited as the food, although good, wasn't fantastic enough to justify the price.