PUBLISHED January 23rd, 2013 02:01 am | UPDATED April 1st, 2016 11:53 pm
The slew of art galleries opening up at Gillman Village might have attracted the creative types as well as families looking for a new weekend haunt but there’s more than just art to feed the soul here.
Housed in a restored colonial bungalow, European dining establishment Masons charms with its surrounding lush greenery, a well-designed indoor dining and bar area and sophisticated black-and-white tiled veranda ideal for casual all-day dining. You can imagine how such a venue would be the choice pick for many when it comes down to a space that accommodates larger-scale private events and ceremonies, given the spacious alfresco area and pleasing verdant foliage.
The gorgeous setting is definitely inspirational but given that tight competition in the realm of dining is a fact of life in Singapore, we sure wanted the food to match up – and we were nicely surprised.
Trained in classical French cuisine, Executive Chef Ratha’s cooking is light and refined with a touch of his signature twist. The starter of Ravioli of Ricotta and Macadamia Nuts on Baby Spinach and Garlic Cream ($18) will delight cheese lovers and the portion is huge enough to fill you up, so a bit of discernment might be in order for this more-ish treat. However, if you’re a straight convert to this dish, feel free to have them as a main course at $28 the next time round.
The mains here were stellar indeed, with dishes such as the Duck Confit on Apple Roesti ($34) which presented to us a perfect textural contrast between the crispy skin counterpointed by the tender and delicious meat, as well as the Crispy Pork Cheeks on Roasted Pears with Asian Greens and Mandarin Orange Glaze ($34) which left us well satisfied.
The Spiced and Seared Chicken Breast on melange of fresh fruits and Kalamansi-Chilli Emulsion ($28) was a star example of how the chef made a dish truly his own with the accompanying Asian-style seasoning which uplifted the dish and gave it a slightly tangy overtone.
We were awesomely pleased to see our favourite classic Crepe Suzette ($16) on the menu. The version here keeps to the original version with caramelised sugar and butter with a nice citrusy touch of Grand Marnier added to it, complete with vanilla bean ice cream.
The house specialty of Souffle with Homemade Gelato ($16) rose beautifully – be sure to ask what flavours are available and order this along with your savouries so they will come nicely in time when you need that sweeter ending.
We’ve heard that there are plans to expand into a weekend brunch menu sometime near Easter, which is great news for urban Nomads looking for that bit of nature and breathe of fresh air, so do keep your ear on the ground for that!