Oenotheque by Wine Universe @ Millennia Walk

Brought my mother here for lunch today, and learnt that they had totally removed their a la carte menu and replaced it with set menus only... permanently. The set menu had a choice of one to three courses, but the Palate discount only applies for three courses. It costs $44++ per pax (before discount).

Eggs Slow Cooking

I haven't had such a good starter in ages. As shown from the picture, the white puffed up ring is actually parmesan cheese, probably mixed with some egg whites to give it that fluffy texture. In the middle, bacon. Under this layer was a beautifully and perfectly poached egg, and beneath the egg, a spread of beef oxtail. This was so... darn... good. I even asked the manager if they have this for dinner, and was told that they would change their set menu every week. I hope this would still be here during my next visit!

Mackerel

Another starter. Although this was not as good as the previous starter, it was still quite impressive. A fresh piece of mackerel surrounded by pieces of zucchini, carrots, and pear. I am not sure what the green sauce is though.

Cod Fish

This required a top-up of $5. According to my mother, good-quality cod fish is more firm and has a less oily texture. If this is true, then Oenotheque's cod fish is really good. I thought the cucumber didn't go well with the cod fish at first, but after a while I got used to it. The beetroot and apple also went quite well with the fish.

Kurobuta Pork

$12 more for this dish. It came with pomelo, corn, and aubergine. This was relatively disappointing, actually. I found the natural pork taste to be a bit lacking, and the sauce (I think it's port wine sauce?) to be too overpowering. I could only dab a bit of it, or else the pork taste would be drowned in the sauce.

Riz Au Lait

This is actually rice pudding with vanilla ice cream, berries, and mango. Quite an odd combination to me, but it didn't really make an impression on me.

Although their a la carte menu has been removed, their set meals still show a considerable level of quality. My guess is that they streamlined their menu to manage their resources better - the restaurant was obviously under-staffed. We spent two full hours there, and had to wait quite a long time for our food. Our desserts took the longest time - 20 minutes. And I had to ask for the bill three times in ten minutes before I got it.

Past visit:
10th April 2013