The Tastings Room @ Marina Square

Being one of the nearest places on the Palate program from my office, my next choice was The Tastings Room, at Marina Square. I had actually screened through their menu before my visit, so once we arrived, I already knew what to order.

Pan seared foie gras, $19.90

Finally, a piece of foie gras that wasn't overcooked! It was served with orange cranberry chutney, and placed on top of a piece of ginger-scented toast. The pairing of fruits with foie gras is quite common, as the fruit helps to neutralise the oiliness of the foie gras somewhat. But the chutney here was not sweet enough. The foie gras, though nicely cooked, wasn't as delicious as the ones I have tried elsewhere. Still, I was quite satisfied with this dish as a whole.

White truffles salted house fries, $10.90

Once the fries came, the scent of truffle was overpowering. Which wasn't surprising, considering that the fries were tossed with white truffle salt and summer truffle oil, and served with truffle mayonnaise. Can you get even more truffled that this?

The fries were too hot when they came, so they didn't taste good on my first bite. The insides were too soft, so we waited for it to cool down a bit before eating. And they tasted all right after that. 

Truffle mushroom puree soup, $8.90

Puree of button and shitake mushroom, with a touch of truffle oil and truffle foam. One sip and we knew that we have finally found a good mushroom soup. It was deliciously rich and well infused with the taste of mushrooms, much better than the one we had at Arbite. Although we enjoyed a 50% off, I think this soup is well worth the money even without the discount.

Squid ink with fresh calamari risotto, $24.90

Unappetising. Swamp liquid. Black mask. These were the first few words that flashed through my mind when this dish was served. Who could eat stuff that was so glossy black? The risotto was actually still bubbling slightly when it arrived, and my next image was a witch's cauldron filled with some disgusting liquid. I actually hesitated before trying the dish as I felt a little apprehensive.

This risotto was extremely creamy. It was prepared by infusing risotto with squid ink (unlike ready-made squid ink pasta), cooking it to a creamy finish, served with fresh calamari, and finished with parmesan cheese. Naturally, this dish was very filling, and after a few bites, I already felt quite full (partially because of the starter, soup, and fries we had before this!). The taste was quite unique, but as I mentioned, I found it too creamy and rich. Definitely not recommended for most people as even I, who can generally take very creamy stuff, still found it too much.

Truffle cream linguine with wild mushrooms, $22.90

The linguine was done just nice, and it was tossed in a truffle infused sauce with mushrooms. The taste of mushrooms was evident in the sauce, so every mouth of pasta felt as if it came with some cream of mushroom soup. That was how rich the sauce tasted of mushrooms. Along with the mushroom puree soup, this is a must-try for mushroom lovers!

So far, The Tastings Room is the best restaurant that I have found on the Palate program. Will definitely pay a few more visits here, including on weekends for brunch.