2 of my colleagues and myself chose to have the 2-course set meal. Another colleague chose a separate soup & mains order. My bosses meanwhile, chose random stuff from the menu, to try.
I tried to peer into the kitchen and didn't seem to see Chef Piotr around. Hmm…
We were told earlier, when making our orders; that the Fillet Steak (with polenta cake & hazelnut velouté) and Lobster Bisque was unavailable. Well, given that those were his specialities...
Bread basket
We were pretty much starving right then so it was such a relief when the bread basket was served. I was careful not to consume too much, though. Need the space for the mains!
There were 2 type of breads. One seemed a lot like tomato & sea salt. The other was plain baguette. Although the tomato bread was intensely savoury, the plain baguette somehow trumped it over in terms of compatibility with the given herb-butter.
Herb-butter
Each of us had a dollop each of this very savoury herb-butter to go with the breads.
French onion soup w/ cheesy toast (background)
Creamy mushroom soup (foreground)
2 of my colleagues opt for the creamy mushroom soup as their starter in the set meal. It came with a couple slices of baguette. One enjoyed her bowl while another remarked that it seemed underwhelming.
My male colleague who ordered his favourite French onion soup had no complaints. The cheese toasts used were the tomato & sea salt bread similar to the one in the bread basket, earlier.
Endive salad with blue cheese dressing, walnuts and shaved pear
I got really excited to see 'blue cheese dressing' on the menu and immediately chose this as my starter. Never mind that I should avoid raw cheese. A bit of that in a salad dressing shouldn't harm.
The greens come in the form of curly endive and some arugula (rocket). With roughly chopped walnuts, thinly sliced red radish and pear. All tossed with nice, stinky (like old socks!) blue cheese dressing. YUM!
Fried calamari
Ordered our favourite appetizer to share, while waiting for the mains.
The dressing used with the side salad (as seen above) deserve a mention. I loved it so much that I wiped out every salad leaf on the table. My amused boss informed me that they used aged balsamic vinegar, that's why the taste is more sweet that the usual tart balsamic vinegar. Ahh... Am sooo getting a bottle for myself (not that cheap, though).
Crab salad with caramelised leeks, truffled honey, figs chutney, hint of avocado puree
Their signature dish. My boss ordered this.
Err... looks a bit different from the picture in their website. Maybe the seasonal fresh figs weren't available then.
Homemade mini burgers with caramelised onions, sliced tomatoes
Or sliders for short. My bosses shared these 2 cute burgers.
Sirloin steak
My male colleague's order. He asked for 'medium-rare' but the sliced steak pieces appeared pretty 'rare' instead so the plate had to be sent back to the kitchen for added coking time.
The mains come with chips and side salad (which I happily helped him finish).
Pan-fried Salmon with Vegetable of the Day
2 of my colleagues ordered this as their mains in the set meal. I guess, when a restaurant use 'vegetable of the day' as their side dish to their mains, we're really at their mercy. The veggies that day may not be that to our liking. Or maybe the way they're cooked.
One of my colleagues dislike cabbages and the way it's cooked doesn't really complement the vegetable much. Add to the fact the it appeared overcooked. Even the beautiful slab of salmon can't salvage the shoddy plating. My colleagues remarked that it also taste like it's under-seasoned.
Add to the fact that the salmon came off as a bit 'fishy'.
I guess what could go wrong with the dish, did end up wrong.
Lamb shoulder with Caponata
I saw 'lamb' and I knew I had to have that. Only when my colleagues ask me later, what a 'caponata' was, do I hurriedly google it up.
It's actually: "… is a Sicilian aubergine (eggplant) dish consisting of a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, with capers in a sweet and sour sauce" (source:Wikipedia)
I still have NO idea what to expect so I somewhat align the dish to be similar to the French ratatouille.
When the dish arrive, I was pretty dismayed to see that, save for that green sauce (presumably avocado puree); the whole dish came in a single shade of amber. After seeing the sad state of my colleagues' vegetable of the day, I wonder if my caponata was overcooked, too.
After I had a bite, I dare say that I love it. Overcooked or not, the taste is right up my alley. I simply assume that the veggies come off as stewed instead. Besides, I LOVE eggplants.
The lamb was a lil' bit gamey but not till it affects my appetite. Maybe because it's the lamb shoulder and not the usual shank or ribs. The meat was tender. The whole ensemble had this sweet-sour taste, not unlike that of a nicely-cooked stew.
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We end up being pretty full. Luckily we opt for the 2-course set meal, instead of the 3-courses. The desserts offered had been pretty enticing, though. Eton Mess (my fave!) or Apple tart w/ Vanilla Gelato.
So are we happy with our experience here? I had no qualms. Not sure if my 2 colleagues can agree, though.
Ivy Restaurant
Siloso Beach Resort
Singapore 099538
Tel: 6271 7008
Website: http://ivysingapore.com/
Opening Hours:
Tue: 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Wed - Sun: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
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