Singapore - Capricci

It's never fair to overly judge a first visit.  Given the crowd, there must be a variety of reasons why the restaurant commands the clientele.  Tonight, I wasn't impressed however.  Hopefully, we just caught them on a bad night.

The ambience of the place is as it was when Oso occupied this space, just darker.  Lighting was very low at our table in fact (which explains the quality of the photos) so quite  few tables of love-birds surrounding us.  However, I'm sure they were lamenting the table of 20 women celebrating a birthday just across from us.  20 of any specimen is not going to be quiet affair.  I was also in the direct line of fire, having been shot by a professional photographer's flash about 100 times.  If these could make holes, I would have bled to death in about 15 minutes flat.  I digress however, since a restaurant can't really control the patronage.

We shortlisted off the host's recommendations, our only instruction to her being "If you would like us to come back, what would you suggest?"

Burrata Caprese Style with Cherry Tomato and Salad

I enjoy the milkiness of Burrata and its chewy texture, without being overly rich.  Served Caprese, it is outstanding as an appetiser, waking up the palate with a garden freshness, and with any acidity well balanced by the cheese.  That's the theory.  The execution here didn't match up.  A first bite and both of us knew something was not right with the dressing.  The oil and vinegar combination was a lot heavier than usual, but unlike the richness of aged Balsamic.  This was tart yet greasy, and tasted almost like it was a tad "off".  Worried, we decided to send it back.  Service was impeccable here since our friendly host gladly took it back and the chef served up a new version with a light drizzle of just fresher extra virgin olive oil.  Much closer to theory.

John Dee Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin Tartare with Truffle Oil, Shaved Parmesan and Arugula

Our other appetiser of the beef tartare was enjoyable.  Good produce, although I strained unsuccessfully to get a whiff nor hint of the truffle oil.  Still enjoyable since this was real Arugula, and not the tasteless variety commonly sold in supermarkets here, that's all heat and nothing else.  Any concern we had from the waiter who asked if we wanted our beef tartare rare, medium or well done, was laid to rest.  The awkwardness of pondering his question merely made for a laugh afterward.

Paccheri with Homemade Italian Sausage, Porcini Mushroom and Parmesan  Cream Sauce

There is a fine line between al dente and undercooked.  Unfortunately, this one stood on the side of the latter.  Sauce was passably tasty although really nothing you couldn't do at home.  The sausage by itself was decent though and scored extra marks for being just right on the sodium counter.

Sous-vide Cod Fish Fillet Drenched in a sauce of seafood, anchovies, and cream topped with crispy corn

This one sounded a lot better on the menu that it tasted.  It wasn't bad at all but it just didn't taste sous-vide.  It tasted like cod generally tastes, sitting in a quarter bowl of soup that apart from the description on the menu, you would not have had an easy time deciphering the seafood content nor the anchovies.  I love corn but somehow it was odd combination.  This is almost reminiscent of going home, rummaging through the fridge and putting whatever is in there into a one-dish meal.  Probably OK for the home, but to pay restaurant prices for this is questionable.

So perhaps we made the wrong shortlist off our friendly host's recommendations.  We didn't try the other yummy sounding spinach souffle, nor the braised lamb shank.  Oh well, if someone else invited me, I may do that.  I'm just unsure at this time whether I would pick up the phone and make a reservation again soon.  A pity since the service was really quite good - friendly, professional but without being intrusive.  A gem anywhere these days, really.

27 Tanjong Pagar Road
Tel: +65-62216761