Dinner @ Cure
June 15, 2018 in European by thywhaleliciousfay
When Cure opened in mid-2015, it was trending a lot on instagram. Not surprising since new restaurants often receive a lot of attention. But after reading mixed reviews, I decided to wait it out. However, it accidentally went off my radar till I recently saw pictures of their peach dessert in (late) April; Shaped like a giant opalescent pearl, one would crack the sugar shell to reveal the peach compote, granite and sorbet within. I was super intrigued. Maybe even mesmerised? I immediately made reservation for two.
But unfortunately for me, the instagram picture of the dessert was a latergram. And because Cure updates their menu regularly (not the whole menu but some dishes), the peach dessert was no longer available by the time I dined in (early) May. Sob.
After working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Dublin, London and New York, chef-owner Andrew Walsh brought his wealth of experience to start Esquina in 2011 before opening Cure in 2015. The restaurant name being inspired by the Latin word ‘curare’ which meant ‘to take care of’.
My friend and I arrived at Cure on a weekday evening. And from the menu, we decided to go with the 5-courses ($120) comprised of:-
1) Bread, Complimentary (above)
2) Canapés, Complimentary (above) – Wasabi spring pea tart, smoked eel parfait and seaweed (nori) on chickpea panisse, ‘Linzer cookie’ but with a twist of chicken liver mousse and raspberry jam sandwiched between parmesan sable, and marinated trout roe on charcoal rice cracker.
3) Appetiser with options of:-
(A) Beetroot (above) – With horseradish, cashew.
(B) Scallop (above) – With kohlrabi, almond.
(C) Foie gras torchon (+ $15, supplement) (above) – With kampot pepper, milk bread. I really enjoyed this. And because the toasted bread was also good on its own, I ended up with insufficient bread to spread the rich and creamy foie gras on. A must try.
4) Main with options of:-
(A) Steamed snapper (above) – With fennel, garlic leaf.I am usually a ‘red meat’ person when it comes to choosing my main. But between fish, gnocchi and beef, fish was the obvious option. And thankfully it didn’t disappoint. The steamed snapper was good! It makes me really happy when the fish dishes are executed really well.
(B) Roasted aged squab (for two) (+ $15 per person, supplement) (above) – With white asparagus, black truffle. The pigeon was a little too bloody for our liking. When my friend and I enquired on its degree of done-ness when our plates were cleared, the staff replied “Well raw”. Hmm… I guess he meant ‘raw’, or even ‘blue raw’. The pigeon thigh, on the other hand was ‘well done’, and we loved it. We were also served a white asparagus tart with almond and cured yolk, but we didn’t really like it. I wasn’t sure how the tart complemented the pigeon too.
5) Dessert with options of:-
(A) Chocolate (above) – With spring herbs, praline.
(B) Earl grey tea (above) – With plum, thyme. I really liked this. A refreshing dessert of earl grey panna cotta, plum and malt ice cream.
6) Petit fours, Complimentary (above) – Chocolate macron and ice cream biscuit.
Although I was sad I missed out on the peach dessert, I enjoyed myself nonetheless. While there were hits and misses for the food, the few hits (foie gras torchon and earl grey tea dessert) that we had were good enough for me to recommend Cure. But of course, if one really wants to try the 2 ‘must try’ dishes, I say “head down soon” in case chef-owner Andrew plans to replace them next from the menu. Gasp.
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CURE SINGAPORE
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21 Keong Saik Road, Singapore
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Overall: 8
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Opening hours:-
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Food/Beverage: 8
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Wed – Fri : 12:00 – 14:00 (Lunch)
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Ambience: 8
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Mon – Sat : 18:00 – 22:00 (Dinner)
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Value: 8
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Service: 7
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* Closed on Sun
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