PUBLISHED June 28th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 31st, 2017 11:47 pm
When operating in Singapore’s fickle restaurant scene, you’ll have to count your lucky stars if you make it to the one-year mark; trudge along another year and you deserve a pat on the back. If you make it to the Big Three, you must be doing something right – and a celebration is in order. This is exactly what Pollen, one of our favourite destination dining venues, is doing.
From 29 June to 31 July 2015, the gorgeous 120-seater ensconced in the floral wonderland of Gardens by the Bay will be showcasing signature dishes of the new season with a special anniversary tasting menu. City Nomads snagged an exclusive sneak peek, and we can’t tell you how thrilled we are to be sharing this with you!
Five courses engineered with a touch of botanical fervour, savoured in the faint perfume of chlorophyll, petals and cheese rind. Brilliant.
Heritage Tomatoes with Burrata & Raw Hokkaido Scallops
If death by burrata is a disease plaguing local Italian restaurants, then Pollen may have found a cure in its own iteration as the first course of the tasting menu. First, heirloom tomatoes of varying ripeness are charred to greater heights of sweetness; Then, black olive, basil and tomato enter with colourful personas – in puree, oil and jelly. Each accompaniment marries the creamy cheese delightfully, yielding little discoveries in flavour and textures along the way.
Next, raw scallops – spiked with togarashi powder and dashi jelly – makes for a pleasant spicy-umami nod to North Asia. However, twirls of avocado puree inflected with wasabi heat assert their presence too overtly. We return to the comfort of the silky-sweet mollusks, while skirting the milky green drops.
Roasted Hake with Truffle Gnocchi and Broccoli
From here on, it’s just up and up. New Zealand hake is roasted till a crispy tan forms, yet still delicate inside without mushing the fish flakes. The starch is a truffle-coated gnocchi, a decadent sponge of brown butter reminiscent of rice cakes, while two sauces of fish stock emulsion and broccoli puree got us dipping away with the zeal of a kid with fries and ketchup.
The oven also imparts its smokiness to the penultimate course – a duo of roasted lamb rump and shoulder, which are subsequently lulled to submission in the sous vide machine and confit liquid respectively. Both are outstanding. What’s supposed to be pink is an awesome pink. What needs to be soft is just fork-tender. And those morsels of white onion puree? Much more purposeful than those milky green drops.
What’s nice about desserts, besides the rain of petit fours after, is that you have the choice of adjourning to the dessert bar that is the focal point of Pollen’s space and watch young pastry mavens construct your dessert right in front of your eyes.
Roasted Lamb Rump & Creme Catalan
Raspberry meringue from the dehydrator, pistachio puree from the fridge, fresh strawberries from under the knife and vanilla crumbs from the blender are pulled together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle – the finishing touch is a simple crème catalan that anchors a riot of colours and a parade of fruit and nuts in all forms. If you’re lucky, you may request for additional scoops of basil tarragon sorbet, which looks like herbal goo, but tastes out-of-this-world comforting.
They say two’s company and three’s a crowd. Here’s wishing Pollen an inappropriately rumbustious fourth year to come.
The Culinary Constellation 3rd anniversary tasting menu costs $160++ per person, or $300++ per person with wine pairings.