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The new outdoor Canopy Bar also provides a unique setting for one to lounge and enjoy a mug of beer, or glass of wine with friends and loved ones.
HFB was served first the Trio of Hot Prawns Cocktail ($16.00 for usual serving), Smoked Pepper Duck ($16.00 for usual serving) and Eggs Benedict ($12.00 for usual serving).
The only thing that HFB could remember on the prawns was the accompanied Avocado and Mango, nothing memorable to say the least. At least the eggs was decent with a runny yolk, but he did find the Hollandaise sauce slightly salty. The skin of the smoked duck was nicely seared and retained that nibble of fats, giving it a juicy bite.
Next up, we were served a series of mains to share. The Grilled Pork Rack ($25.00) wow HFB with its serving size. One would get a perfect thick piece of meat for a good bite. However, what would make it more awesome if Kurobuta Pork was used instead – the juicy layer of fats would definitely enhance and ensured a more luscious finish. Alas, it was not to be and HFB did find their meat a tad dry for his liking.
HFB do not usually order fish for his mains (only on this instance), and the Red Snapper Fillet ($26.00) didn’t do anything that would change that. It was another decent dish that didn’t register an impression. Enough said.
“Twirl it round a fork and slurp it up” – at least that’s what their menu suggest one to do it when you order their Crabmeat Aglio Olio ($19.00). However, HFB would advise against it – this dish was clearly thumbs down for him. Close to saying it wasn’t fresh; the crabmeat didn’t have that clean, bright taste of the sea. Pasta wasn’t as al dente as he loved it to be.
Canopy also served vegetarian menu from the Green Room Café next door, where one can also have a healthy obsession for quality ingredients with playful exuberance on their table. They strived to change the way one view vegetarian cuisine forever, and HFB applauded that they did. Their Curry “Lamb” Pie ($14.00) made of mushroom and carrot filling served with Vine Tomato Sauce really did tasted like lamb – so much so that one of the participants commented that it was something she never quite tasted before even though she was a vegetarian for 12 years! The curry was flavoursome and nicely spiced. Bravo!
The WOW dish of the day was their Gnocchi, made of Pumpkin, Spinach served with Parmesan Cheese and Semi Dried Tomato. HFB never really liked gnocchi as the starch fills him up quickly. Usually made from ordinary wheat flour, potato, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients, their version however dominantly used pumpkin, that gives it a more sweet tasting flavour and a less starchy finished. Paired it with the semi dried tomato, and the sweet and savoury combination works harmoniously. This dish was addictive!
The brunch was wrapped up with desserts of Homemade Sticky Date Pudding and Old Fashion Apple Crumble ($10.00 each).
While the former tasted delightful with the butterscotch sauce and a pretty warm and moist texture, the latter paled in comparison with its slightly dry finishing and lacklustre taste.
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Helmed by owner Chef Travis Masiero, who is an American, his cuisine is said to pay homage to his humble American roots, influenced by the smell of Mediterranean, North Africa and continental Europe.
Stepped past the entrance and one would be greeted by the casual yet sophisticated ambience in the heart of Orchard Road (Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park to be exact).
While Spruce is opened 7 days a week from morning till night, HFB was there for dinner. We were ushered to the private dining area which sits approximately 10 to 12 pax – nicely suited for business lunches or dinner.
While waiting for the others, we ordered the Hand Cut Chips with Sage ($5.00) to fill our growling tummies.
Thick and crisply fried, it was straightforward comfort food. Simply addictive! We also had another side of Creamy Macaroni and Cheese ($7.00), which HFB thought while aesthetically boring, it was decent enough.
Interestingly enough, their menu has a section titled “To share or not” – which offers simple solid dishes to go around. Order was made for 3 of them including – Three Dips with Assorted Toast and Crisp ($16.00), Warm Spruce Olives with Fennel, Thyme and Orange Rind ($12.00) along with Ahi Tuna Tartar with Toasted Ciabatta and Avocado ($21.00).
HFB is not a fan of olive, thus wasn’t able to comment on it, but the dips and the tuna tartar is a must order if you have a table big enough to share! The dips were packed with awesome flavours and goes really well with the toast and the tuna tartar was really good – very fresh and goes well on its own or with the bread, but best when one tried it with the avocado. HFB did and it was divine!
For the main, HFB opted for the Prawn Pasta with Zucchini and Parmigiano Cheese ($22.00), and all excitement looking forward to sample the dish was gone the moment it was served up. It was probably his fault that he didn’t enquire beforehand, but he certainly wasn’t expecting a bowl of orecchetti pasta served up in a bowl looking like a serving of breakfast cereal with a table spoon. Secondly, He was half anticipating a couple of huge-ass king prawns looking all juicy and ready to be chomped, but alas it wasn’t meant to be – the prawns although plentiful, were halved and thus lacked bite. Gone in a flash (how long does one need to down a bowl of cereal honestly) – HFB wasn’t feeling quite satisfy with his main to be honest (he prefers to “interact” with his food more) and ended up waiting for the rest to finish their mains before we moved on to dessert. What a pity!
Warm Ginger Date Pudding with Chocolate Toffee Sauce ($12.00) was the dessert for the night. With a tint of ginger that doesn’t put many off, the combination with the ice cream was good. And by right coupled it with the sauce should send it up higher by a few notches, but regrettably the toffee sauce was too sweet for consumption.
The sweetness simply overwhelmed the whole dish, and when feedback, Chef Travis mentioned that desserts are meant to be sweet and that’s how they eat it America – anybody care to shed some light into this?
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The restaurant was close in 1964, but re-opened once again on 27 January 2007, as the choice venue for exquisite Chinese food set amidst an ambience of understated elegance. It is now located at the level 2 of The Cathay, with a capacity of 200.
HFB was greeted with a saucer of Deep-fried Silver Cod as a complimentary snack. Crispy with a hint of spiciness, it was a really addictive to nibble on.
Dinner proper was started with the introduction of Cathay Twin Combination – Baked Sea Perch done Japanese-style with Egg White, and Smoked Duck Roll ($14.80 ). While the former was well-executed – nicely baked and full-bodied with flavour, the latter paled in comparison – it was lacklustre and uninspiring.
The highlight of the evening surely belonged to the acclaimed Double-boiled Shark’s Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Pith plus Shark's Fin in Spaghetti Squash ($28.00 ). Painstakingly boiled for 8 hours to a milky white, the hearty soup came with big chunks of shark fins along with natural goodness of nutrients that are critical for bone and joint health (think glucosamine-like compounds). And if you thought that was all, feel free to shred the side of the hollowed spaghetti squash, which gave one strands of the fruit that resembled the Italian pasta. This soup alone is filling enough for a meal – so a portion to share might be ideal for two.
Next up, the Baked King Prawn with Minced Meat done “Portuguese Style” ($12.80 ) – and true to its cooking technique, the dish was characterised by its rich, filling and full-flavoured taste. However, HFB felt that the prawn was over-baked, thus the texture of its flesh was slightly dry.
The scallop was of substantial size from the Braised Stuff Fresh Scallop with Prawn Paste in Crabmeat Sauce ($10.80 ), and came coupled with a nice silky crab meat sauce. His only gripe was the prawn paste that tasted quite funky – which sparklette quite adequately described it as “those pseudo prawn/lobster balls you find at steamboat restaurants.” HFB agreed.
The staple for the evening was XO Fried Rice ($8.00 ) that came with generous servings of Scallops, Prawns, French Beans, Bean Sprouts and a dash of Ebiko, or Prawn Roe. The rice was thoroughly fried resulting in each grain being nicely coated with the XO sauce. HFB would prefer a stronger “Wok Hei” flavour, but otherwise still a respectable dish.
An exquisite dessert, the Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Yam Ice Cream came in a Young Coconut shell ($6.00 ). Nicely chilled with thick puree, HFB also thought the pumpkin and yam combined well.
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With a dimly-lit, intimate interior with lush velvety furnishings the place looked suitably remarkable and alluring.
Helmed by the flair of Executive Chef Jeffrie Siew (formerly from the now defunct Corduroy & Finch), one thing that the establishment struck me was the service of the wait staffs. It was pretty obvious that they were well-trained – conscientious yet unimposing in a good way.
HFB found the complimentary bread elaborate, yes indeed, as it was an intricate roll of Foccacia stuffed with slivers of Zucchini, and topped with Parmesan Cheese and Wild Herbs. It helps that it was also served warm. Bravo!
Our shared appetisers consisted of one Salad of Seared Peppered Indonesian Yellow Fin Tuna Loin a la “nicoise” ($19.00), which HFB thought was nicely done – “clean” to the palate, with a hint of tanginess from the pepper.
The other being the Beef Carpaccio, Marinated Vegetables, Cucumber Spaghetti and Mini Greens ($18.00), nicely adored with spots of balsamic vinaigrette reduction at the side. The meat was really fresh and nicely sliced – but can’t they serve it in bigger slices? Anyhow, it also helped that HFB’s favourite rocket salad came with it.
HFB also had to himself, a serving of B Signature Cordon Bleu Crabmeat Soup with Tarragon ($14.00). Topped with a Sour Cream Foam, this was the highlight of the evening – probably one of the best soups that HFB had ever tasted! The fully flavoured bisque came with abundance of prized crabmeat that made the soup really appetising. In a blink of an eye, HFB generous bowl of soup was emptied. A quick check also revealed that everyone who ordered the soup mopped up theirs too! This is definitely a MUST TRY.
His main was that of Soy Glazed Fillet Atlantic Black Cod, Sauté Potatoes and Chardonnay Sauce, coupled with a Lasagne of Carrots, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Zucchini and Asparagus ($28.00). A little oxymoronic if HFB may sound, but the initial taste of the fish was fresh and smooth, yet rich and buttery on the aftertaste – everything good rolled into one at the same time. As of most cod fish dishes that leaned towards heavy on the palate, in this instance, the soy glazing helped to lighten it – thus making the dish pleasurable even towards the end. HFB hardly ordered a fish dish for main, but he was glad he did that night.
Since there were 7 of us at the dinner table, it wasn’t surprising that all 7 desserts found in the menu were fired away! French Cheeses with Grapes, Figs Compote & Biscuits ($18.00), would be an ideal dish to go with your wine, but unfortunately, HFB didn’t managed to sample any of it that evening.
Pineapple Raviolis, Pineapple Confit and Pineapple Sorbet ($12.00) – the fried pineapple ravioli was something interesting, however, HFB was misled that it was filled with Mango – turned out my portion was “stained” with the accompanied mango sauce, which he thought overwhelmed the dessert a little.
Another out of the ordinary dessert – B Signature Chocolate Chilli Tart & Butterscotch Almond Ice Cream ($12.00), came with a spicy smack at the end of it, which unfortunately HFB didn’t appreciate it.
A savoury plus sweet dessert, the Goat’s Cheese Brûlée, Fig Paste & Rosemary Ice Cream ($12.00) was another interesting concept. Nicely caramelised at the top with a tint of creamy goat’s cheese flavouring, it did just enough to separate itself from the boring norm.
Warm Sticky Dates Toffee Pudding & Toffee Ice Cream ($12.00) was a lovely marrying of hot and cold along with nicely executed texture of the pudding. It also helps that the euphoric sugar rush gave one great comfort!
Hot Liquid Chocolate Coulant with Passion Fruit Sorbet & Mango Sauce ($12.00) came with a lovely molten chocolate lava interior. Although it wasn’t bad, it was regrettably forgettable.
And for the fickle-minded, the restaurant even offered a B Brassiere Dessert Sampler ($15.00) where you can savour each and every dessert mentioned above.
Overall, taking into consideration all aspects – price, service, food and ambience, HFB strongly felt that B restaurant is seriously undervalued. Highly recommended for couples who are looking for a good place to dine at decent prices with great ambience and service – this place is probably the “Find of The Year” for HFB!
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However, come dinner time, out comes the high chairs and the shop is turned over for “by reservation only” Omakase dinner ($50 per pax) – where dinners leave the selection of the evening’s menu to the chef and expect him to be innovative and surprising in them – which usually also includes the day’s best offerings.
First up, Japanese Sea Snails that was served chill. HFB absolutely digs shell food and this dish was excellent in many ways. The cold temperature succeeded in drawing out the natural sweetness and the firm chewy texture of the flesh. He could probably finished dozens easily.
The Hokkaido King Crab Leg with Home-made Miso was yet another simple but outstanding dish. The crab eluded a natural “sea flavour” that was appetising and the miso sauce was robust with flavour. The only drawback was that the sauce tended to overwhelm the natural taste of the crab.
Sashimi Moriwase consisted of Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Mekajiki (Swordfish), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and Hotate (Scallop). Fresh and came with good thickness – there was really nothing bad to pinpoint on. Worthy mention goes to the Hamachi Belly that was all natural Omega 3 goodness!
By now, HFB wasn’t surprised that the Karubi Beef Tataki with Bonito Flakes and Spring Onions was well executed. The marbling was great and the meat was succulent. The bonito flakes also provided a nice salty touch to the dish.
Served chilled as a palate cleanser, the Egg Plant with Light Soya Sauce came with a hint of Grated Ginger. Unless one is a fan of egg plant, it probably would be too squashy for you. Otherwise, HFB thought it did a good job in clearing the palates.
HFB loved soup and the Steamed Hotate Soup with Tofu didn’t disappoint. However, if one expected the scallop to taste as good, you will be disappointed since its essences were all captured nicely in the clear soup.
A sushi bar ain’t worthy to be addressed as one if there weren’t sushi offerings during the Omakase. Trio of Maguro, Hirame (Flat Fish) and Anago (Boiled Salt-water Eel) were presented and they were nothing short of excellence in terms of freshness. The boiled eel was remarkably exquisite and was only prevailed by that of HFB Tsukiji’s Sushi Dai experience.
Matcha Ice-cream with Green Tea Cake Roll and Red Bean Paste was the last order of the evening. The red bean paste was enjoyable, although one can probably grab the cake and ice-cream off the shelves of some reputable Japanese supermarket.
They say good things come in small packages and the evening's pleasant surprise was the offering of 3 complimentary thick cubes of Otoro, or Tuna Belly that was what's left for the day. WOOT!
Overall, it was an unexpectedly enjoyable dinner. HFB was really filled by the end of the meal, and the personalise touch of Chef Roy explaining each and every dish sums up the lovely evening. Next up, braving the Shenton Way lunch crowd for the REAL standing sushi experience!
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