PUBLISHED July 26th, 2016 06:02 pm | UPDATED February 14th, 2020 03:28 pm
Netflix’s Chef’s Table (usually a table located in the kitchen of the restaurant who are served a tasting menu brought to them by the head chef) revolutionized food documentaries by delving into the lives and kitchens of the world’s best chefs – something that fascinates all foodies. And while you might find many a chef’s table in the restaurants of Singapore, only one chef has dared name his restaurant after the term.
Having sharpened his culinary instincts in Michelin-starred kitchens like Fat Duck and Alinea, Austrian Chef Stephan Zoisl landed in Singapore as Executve Head Chef with the (now defunct) Novus Restaurant and Bar. You might also have remembered him from My Private Chef, a culinary studio that used to occupy the same premises on Tras Street.
The menu at Chef’s Table is one of the most minimalist I’ve ever seen – a grid of 28 best ingredients of the season. Instead of choosing what they’d like to have, diners cross out ingredients they would like to avoid and let the creativity of the chefs’ run wild. Chef Stephan enters new dishes and recipes into the restaurant’s encyclopedia, so the same (amazing) dish can be recreated if the ingredients are available.
We had the six-course dinner ($128++, add $10 for an all-savoury menu), though smaller eaters can go for the four-course at $98++ and larger eaters for the eight-course at $150++. Unfortunately, while the starter of Short Seared Hamachi arrived over-cooked, the accompanying pickled cucumber, oyster leaf, avocado, and trout caviar lent lovely shades of texture to the dish. The buttermilk and yogurt mousse and dill oil brought all the components together in a seamless mouthful.
I’m usually not one to argue nomenclature, but Foie Gras Two Ways was disappointing as they were announced as pan seared and chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard). The vanilla infused apricots were a nice citrus touch, as were the truffle shavings and crème to luxe it up, but the consistency of the chawanmushi was more sticky than silky.
Chef Stephan, however, shows his strength in fish with the next two dishes, a perfectly cooked Seabass on a bed of al dente parsley risotto matched with lobster bisque sauce, trumpet zucchini, and artichoke chips and a velvety Cod Fish, which paired oh-so-well with the thick, flavourful heirloom tomato puree (they used a whopping 19 types of tomatos for this).
The last savoury dish was perhaps the most mainstream of combinations – Wagyu Beef Sirloin with celeriac creme, chanterelle mushroom, and Jerusalem artichoke. No complaints here – the quality of the beef was great and came perfectly cooked with a deliciously consistent celeriac crème.
Dessert was Chef’s Table’s rendition of Black Forest. Think chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, and cherry ice cream.
Chef’s Table is a gem on Tras Street – the open kitchen and intimate space allows for real interaction between chefs and diners, especially inquisitive ones like us. So if you’re like us, head down, have dinner, and fire away.
Chef’s Table by Chef Stephan is located at 61 Tras Street, Singapore 079000, p. 6224 4188. Open Tue-Sat 6pm-12am. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
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