THE CHEF’S TABLE REVIEW

“Signatures are boring!” Chef Stephan Zoisl

And with that, our evening at Chef’s Table was anything but boring from start to end!

Chef Stephan is as smiley & affable as any picture of him you can find on the internet. Each time he drops in on us to explain our food, we end up chit chatting like long lost friends! Our lengthy conversation included foodie talk, glimpses of his Singapore family, Covid-19, his birth country, The Sound of Music, and local primary schools, among everything else! When asked how he’d describe his cuisine, Chef Stephan quipped “Singaporean” without missing a heartbeat!

Before you picture Char Kway Teow or the likes, know that there was nothing of that sort in any of the 6 courses we had. “Singaporean” merely drove at the diversity of the country’s culture, lifestyle, and taste buds. This cosmopolitan little island’s open-mindedness has allowed Chef Stephan to present his culinary to his wildest imagination.

And though there weren’t any tree bark or hyena steaks on the table that night, our 6-course European Omakase was nothing short of pleasurable.

*_{Salmon Tartare, avocado cream, fried shiso, olive oil caviar.}*

There were 2 different starters between the two us. I don’t normally care much for salmon; but the Salmon Tartare was very well prepared and certainly better than I’d expected. The soy ginger vinaigrette totally brought the combo together with its intense flavor…., heightening the common fish and avocado cream pairing. While the crunchy shiso leaf added a nice little crunch, a lil bit more olive oil caviar would have boosted the experience even more.

*_{Creamy Burrata with sea salt n balsamic vinegar, fried kale, flaxseed chip.}*

Absolutely fascinated with the beautiful glassy flaxseed chip in the Burrata salad starter. Every element was quite perfect, the burrata was nice and creamy and the tomatoes… well, they were fresh and juicy; all good, just no big WOW here.

*_{Scallop, pan seared; cream sauce, buckwheat, cauliflower.}*

Perfectly browned Scallop, with a briny sweetness and firm bite that shines through the creamy sauce. The cauliflower buckwheat grains add contrast in texture and bite, and balances the rich creaminess. A nice little mouthful, gone too soon!

*_{Halibut , fried n roasted onions, seasonal sour currants. Fish & onion Sauce}*

I love onions! And this has got onions done in every delicious way possible! Fried crispy, roasted charred, and cooked down in a sweet savory sauce. A healthy sized halibut fillet baked soft and flaky; seeping in the flavors of the sweet onion jus. I’m not a fan of sour fruits but here, the tart currants were kinda spot on! A little zesty burst amidst sweet caramelized oniony flavors!

*_{Pork collar, celeriac purée , egg confit, pork crackling}*

Possibly my favorite dish this evening was the pork collar steak. No fancy Iberico or kurobuta pig was sacrificed for this dish and yet the meat was full of flavor, supple, moist and delicious! And if you never knew, silky egg yolk and creamy celeriac purée are quite magical together! Of course, the highlight? Everyone’s weakness- crunchy pork crackling! Everything tastes better with these fellas!

*_{Maple leaf (US) Duck breast, duck thigh rillett; onion dip, eggplant miso dip, grilled japanese eggplant with garlic. Red wine duck jus.}*

The duck breast fillets were served in a rich red wine duck jus, giving lustrous moisture to the firm tender meat. I love the extra little dollops of onion and miso cream, adding a subtle sweetness to the sauce. On the side, duck thigh meat is cooked down, pulled into tiny shreds, and molded into a rillette ball. Cut through the crispy crust into soft juicy minced duck! An unconventional rillette I’m happy to conform to.

_{Chocolate mousse, mango compote, chocolate crumble bits, yogurt}*_{powder, sorbet.}*

To wrap up the meal, dessert was a chocolate mousse cake, served along crunchy chocolate crumbles, mango compote, yogurt powder and sorbet. Frankly, it wasn’t very special and even steered towards ‘safe’. Nonetheless, it was still very delicious. And everything came together very harmoniously. The subtly sweet yogurt and tart mangoes balance every mouthful of the silky, rich, chocolatey mousse. Nothing wrong with “safe”. I polished the plate clean!

The menu is an interesting list of different ingredients. Make known the number of courses you would like for your meal, followed by which item on the menu you’re allergic to or simply dislike, and the chef will work around your preferences. It seems you will never be served the same dish each time you dine at Chef’s Table. That should keep you interested in returning again.