Prive Grill @ Keppel Bay (Restaurant Week)

Prive Grill @ Keppel Bay (Restaurant Week) 

This is a backdated review of Prive Grill's Restaurant Week meal in October. I'll let the set lunch menu below do some of the talking. 

 Toasted Bread with Olive Oil
The bread came in several shapes and was nicely toasted. Texture was crisp but not too hard. A respectable "appetizer", especially since it was complimentary.

 Toasted Salmon Belly Tartare (Starter 1)
This is a good starter, especially if you're fond of raw fish. The two bread sticks acted as a good "base" to complement the fish. Only qualm I had with this was that the portion size was too small ._. but it is expected since this is only a starter.


Rating: 7.5/10

 Beef Consomme (Starter 2)
This was basically beef stock/clear soup. Although I'm a fan of beef and herbal stuff I felt that this starter was too overpowering. However, it's ideal for someone who wants to slowly savour a starter while waiting for the main course.


Rating: 6.5/10

 300-day Grain Fed Rangers Valley Rump Cap (Main 1)
This was easily the highlight of the meal and it is by far one of the best steaks I've eaten in the past few years. Yes, it was that good, that tender flesh that melts in your mouth. I particularly liked the sauce that complemented the richness of the meat itself. Portion size was decent although I wish I had more.


Rating: 9/10

 Roasted Maine Scallops
Basically a dish with risotto, duck confit and of course the scallops. The scallops was lightly roasted and seasoned, which really brought out the freshness of the flesh. The actual size of the scallop were quite big. The duck confit happily melted in my mouth and was extremely savoury. But I understand that some may have find it as overpowering. Now with the risotto..., erm I guess it was a nice filler to balance out the dish? The risotto was a bit too mushy for my liking.

Rating: 8/10

  Warm Chocolate & Peanut Butter Fondant (Dessert 1)
The chocolate was basically a lava cake with peanut butter filling. As I'm not a fan of peanut butter, I would have preferred chocolate filling. However, the slightly too sweet peanut butter was complemented by the relatively more "bland" vanilla bean ice cream, marrying a wholesome union of hot and cold.


Rating: 8/10

Banoffee Pie (Dessert 2)
As the name implies, it's a pie with bananas and coffee flavoring, topped off with chocolate shavings. I didn't like the mushy bananas in this dessert and I felt that the first dessert was a better choice as this dessert was lacking in flavor and a real identity. Props to the presentation though.


Rating: 7/10

This was a pretty good Restaurant Week meal as I enjoyed all of the dishes and particularly the beef!
The ambiance of the restaurant was suitable for a weekend lunch. The proximity to the yachts and the Keppel Bay exuded a very holiday vibe which made me happier.  If you're interested in trying this place, I would suggest going for dinner instead for the better ambiance. I feel that the lights of the surroundings would liven up the place even more. Highly suitable for a date. However, I must caution anyone who doesn't have a car as this place would otherwise be highly inaccessible without one.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Bedrock Bar & Grill @ Somerset

Wow, a one year break of not writing. Guess I'm back?


Bedrock Bar & Grill (Somerset)

As part of my birthday meals, I went for Bedrock's 3 course lunch set (starter, main, and dessert), as seen below

With a party of 4, we went for 2 steaks and 2 seafood/poultry mains.

 Let's begin with the Starters:

 House Cured Salmon

Quite "pretty" for a starter. It's basically smoked salmon, which turned out pretty good. The portion size is about 3 fairly large slices, embellished with pickled radish and caperberries. The sharpness of the pickles helped to balance out the slightly over-salted salmon. Overall, a decent starter.


Rating: 7.5/10

 Char-grilled Baby Gem
Basically a garden salad, and I would consider it the most "normal" but satisfying of the three starters. I liked this dish because it didn't have the "generic" thick cream salad dressings. But of course, that's a personal preference.




Rating: 8/10

 Classic Lobster Bisque
Perhaps the dish that a lot of people may opt for because of the lobster tag in the name. But being bisque, it's more suitable for people who prefer a "soupier" starter. I found this dish slightly overwhelming especially with the sour cream mixed with the bisque. I would recommend it if you are fond of the lobster taste. Not so much for me though.



Rating: 7/10


Moving on to the Mains:

Woodfire-grilled Sirloin

 Perhaps this was what I was most hyped up about. As usual, I had my steak cooked medium rare. The portion size was decent, especially with a serving of mashed potato (not pictured). Taste was average, while the steak was moderately tender. The steak came with bernaise sauce. I felt that the sharpness of the vinegar complimented the somewhat "conservatively" seasoned grilled steak. However, others felt that the sauce ruined the purity of the steak. The mashed potato was average at best, particular because of the Worcestershire Sauce. Overall this steak was decent, but nothing to write home about.

Rating: 7.5/10

Confit Cornfed Chicken 

An overall good choice for non-beef eaters. The roasted chicken was rather tender and respectfully salted and was well-accompanied by a sausage and egg. I didn't particular find the chicken appealing to me because I prefer beef and I'm still having bad memories of an overdose of cafeteria roasted chicken when travelling in Spain. However, this chicken is definitely more tender than a cafeteria's standard.

Rating: 7.5/10 (if I didn't have bad memories of roasted chicken), otherwise 7/10 due to personal experiences.

 Baked Baramundi Fillet

Another good alternative for non-beef eaters. This dish's presentation is pretty good. Portion size is also good. I've no real criticisms of this dish. The fish was succulent and the salt seasoning was just right. But then again, I'm a fish lover who doesn't enjoy food that is overly seasoned.

Rating: 7.5/10

Wood-grilled Veal Chop
Texture-wise, veal is naturally more tender than normal steak. This was the same case, when compared with the steak mentioned earlier. I felt this veal chop was more appetising as well. However, the actual meat portion was smaller than the steak above but was well-complimented by the big tomatos and fries. However, I must point out that the veal was served to me rare when I asked for medium rare, and as a result the fries turned cold.

Rating: 8/10





Finally, the Desserts:

Toffee Pudding (with Gingernut Icecream), White Chocolate Eclair and Chocolate Tart (from left, clockwise)

The Toffee Pudding was quite well-done and the gingernut icecream complimented the taste and texture of the pudding. The Chocolate Eclair was frozen and was reminiscent of an ice cream cake. Pretty good when it melts in your mouth. The Chocolate Tart was more subtle (and less frozen), but was overall quite good.

Rating: 7.5 for all 3. Basically down to personal preference.

Overall, although Bedrock Bar & Grill didn't impress me with their service (the veal was supposed to be cooked medium rare but it turned out rare; and the waitress looked depressed half the time), the experience was still quite good. Don't get me wrong, the service is still considered average by Singapore standards. Food-wise is average as well, and the pricing is on the high side ($58++ for the steak and $38++ for the seafood and poultry). But I felt the meal overall met my expectations, partially because the 3 courses made the experience last longer. (it was my birthday meal so I wanted a longer meal). 

Overall rating: 7.5/10, 7/10 because the higher price should warrant better than average food.