MAD @ The Grandstand

From their website:

MAD represents the Modern Asian Diner, inspired by the alter ego of Singapore's foremost musical mastermind - Dick Lee.

MAD is the quirky, multi-faceted and wickedly fresh dining concept which is the result of a collaboration helmed by TungLok Group and Dick Lee. Equipped with a wine cellar and tasting room, a bar, a charcoal-powered Josper Oven and comfortable booth seats, MAD serves Modern Asian cuisine, adventurous cocktails, artisan desserts and exclusive wines, which are all assuredly of the highest quality.

Being on the Palate program, I have always wanted to pay MAD a visit, but the offer was only valid for set meals on weekends - something which I wasn't that keen on. So reservist was a good chance for me, since I could leave early (I get to book out everyday) on weekdays. And the 50% discount would then be applicable for a la carte orders.

The place definitely looked quirky, which was a welcome change actually. Orders were made via an iPad, which a waiter brought to us and locked to our table, for obvious reasons. And as usual, we ordered too much for just two pax.

Josper-Grilled Cuttlefish & Teriyaki Portabello Mushroom Toast, $12

In case you were wondering, Josper is a machine that combines a grill and an oven into one. More information can be found at their website here. Anyway, this was the first dish that came and it definitely made an impression. The cuttlefish was very tender and fresh, and had a slight smoky taste that reminded me of charcoal. Which could be the case, since Josper ovens work 100% with charcoal, according to their website. When eaten along with the mushroom and toast, this dish becomes a memorable one.

Paprika Fried Fish Skin, $12

I love eating fish skin, but this was quite normal. It seems quite easy to do too, as the paprika powder was obviously sprinkled only after the fish skin was fried.

Century Egg Fried Spinach Tofu, $12

I thought that this dish had too many powerful flavours coming together - century egg and spinach tofu. If they had just used normal tofu, it would have been better.

Foie Gras Rice with Wagyu Beef, $29

This was pretty good. Then again, if you combine wagyu beef and foie gras together, how can a dish not be good? But the foie gras could be a bit less cooked.

Wagyu Beef Mushroom Hor Fun, $26

Without the caption, you would probably not know what this dish is. You could probably make out the mushrooms and the egg, but that's probably it. The sauce and the hor fun didn't seem to go well together, and the hor fun (lurking below the swamp-like sauce) was quite clumpy underneath. 

There are still a lot of items on their menu which I would want to try, but I am not sure if they are included in the set meals during weekends. Will consider dropping by on a weekend to take a look.