Private Affairs
25 Boon Tat Street
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Food 6/10
Ambience 5/10
Audience 7/10
Service 7/10
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And so Restaurant Week commenced, with my first stop being Private Affairs.
After a long tiring day at work, I was really looking forward to some food therapy with nice company...so here we go.

Upon confirming my reservation, I was directed to the elevator with my friend and we went up to where we're supposed to be seated. Kinda like Dim Sum in Hong Kong huh :P
*Ding* the door opens but frankly, there wasn't a wow factor. It was pretty empty since we took an early dinner, and we got a seat near the staff counter.

Anyway, to the deal. Here goes my menu:

Scallop and Oyster Tartar, Yuzu Scent, French Caviar and Apple Sorbet 

Cod Fish with Spiced Crust, Seafood Broth and Pesto

 

 

French Cheese Platter

I'm gonna be a meanie here, but hey, it's my blog so I'll speak my mind.
The appetizer was disappointing.
I tried the scallops and oysters without the sorbet initially to have an idea of the ingredients, and this gave me mixed feelings, especially after mixing with the sorbet/caviar.
The scallops were good, but I didn't quite enjoy the oysters - the unmistakable raw stench was not well handled. I do enjoy my raw oysters (usually with about 3-4 drops of lemon juice, depending on the size) so it would be a crime to accuse me of hating them. Quite the contrary actually. Ironically, this dish also showed that the ingredients are in fact, pretty good. Adding the apple sorbet to it did help salvage the situation, and a little caviar popped by to spruce things up and save the day. *shrug*
They were nice enough to offer a complimentary glass of red wine,  but would have been better if they'd been clearer about its purpose. Like, a drink should go with a dish for most cases. I think service would really be complete if a customer is guided along an experience, unless of course, he/she has his/her own ideas.

Next up, the main - Cod Fish. Sliced off a portion of the fish without any seasoning save a little broth (that was inevitable...). The fish retaliated against my teeth but when the defenses were crushed, a sweet juiciness overflowed my tongue and the tone was set for an anticipated enjoyment. The crust was a little salty, but overall, fish + broth + crust was a little mini semi-pro orchestra trying to piece together a stunning performance but it fell short of top class pedigree cos some flavors're competing rather than being harmoniously amplifying.
I'll try to describe it: the crust was too salty and the cod's texture was uneven. There were hints of overcooking at 2 edges so while it felt decent initially, the shortcomings are quickly exposed. If you're to consider it from a soccer perspective, this was an Atletico Madrid. One stand-out (Falcao) to capture your attention but the eventual slump set in as the season dragged on.

I ended off with a French Cheese Platter, which was the most delightful of all 3 courses (imo). Why? You ask. "QL, why they arrange until so messy and ugly?", said my clerk.
The way I see it, they're trying to create a picture - heights expressed by stacking the apricots and cheeses, a valley arranged using the crackers, and some short huts with the walnuts. Was I imagining things? Art is subjective and abstract. Just let me be and don't bother evaluating it :P
The cheeses tended to be a little on the sweet side, and I really enjoyed my walnuts by taking 2-3 chews of the raw cheeses before popping a walnut in my mouth to stimulate the awareness of the cheeses' hidden tastes. Yum yum. The most outstanding part of this dish though, lies in...
*drumroll* the temperature of the plate. You read that right. The plate was chilled to complement the cheese and that's what kept the cheese at the right state and right temperature to savor as a dessert. Due to this thoughtfulness, I think they deserve a 7 even though most of the service was average.

On the whole, Private Affairs didn't turn out to be as Private as its name suggests. The tables were too close to one another and conversations may clash as a result. Food wise...the potential was obvious through the ingredients, but it was what we termed "softcore porn" (for the lack of a better term). The food arouses your interest, but can't sustain it nor further develop it to beyond an interest. In terms of portions, it's supposed to be fine dining so I didn't expect anything near an American-sized serving, and they were really small as expected.

I don't foresee myself returning for another meal since there are other places around that offer better value for money (portion and taste) in the same range.

Gordon Grill

Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road Singapore 228221
http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/gordon-grill-,dining_viewItem_9-en.html

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Food        8.5/10
Ambience 8/10
Audience  7/10
Service    10/10
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*All pictures were taken with an iPhone 4S*

At my brother and sister's recommendation (and treat ^^), I made my maiden trip to Gordon Grill. To be fair, I didn't do any research and being the cynic I am, I didn't buy a single cent of my brother's enthusiasm in his recommendation. Hopefully that helped me maintain an objective outlook (^o^)/

One of the first scenes that greeted us was the professional waiter, Krishna. Yes, professional. For one thing, he actually recognized my sis which added a fuzzy warm touch to the splendid decor reminiscent of a classy dining hall. This was followed by the defining Gordon Grill factor

Beef, Beef, Beef! (And Krishna)

Beef. Unfortunately, I'm not a beef eater as I have the most unpleasant allergy in the world. But hey, as one who takes to the kitchen, boy, can you tell when the meat is good.

Gordon Grill serves a few kinds of beef, notably the Angus cut and the Snake River cut.
*Some background information for friends who are unfamiliar with the Snake River Farm, they produce excellent top grade wagyu without the drugs you would feed at other farms. Their cows are also fed Idaho potatoes. For more information, you can check out their website www.snakeriverfarm.com

My heart skipped a beat as Krishna's knife sank effortlessly into the beef, producing an absolute piece of art that weighed precisely 230g on the scale (as we requested!). Yeah, romantic fantasies aside, it was probably a one-off fluke but this gives away his experience at Gordon Grill.

We ordered 4 mains - 2x Wagyu (Medium Rare), a fish (we ditched the Barramundi but I can't recall the name of the fish they suggested...my bad) and Iberico Pork Chop, Potato and Leek Gratin, Caesar Salad, French Onion Soup, Creamed Spinach, Crepe Suzette, Espresso and a scoop of strawberry ice cream, along with a Chilean Merlot (2010).
That's right. They cater for the non-beef eaters too, and as a general rule-of-thumb, red meat and red wine for the conventional mariage.

Chilled Angel Hair Pasta

On the house were the chilled Angel Hair Pasta and an assortment of freshly baked bread (3 kinds). The former was delightfully petite just enough to whet our appetites and prepare us for the feast ahead.
The butter that came along with the bread was a tad too cold for my liking, but the bread made up for it with its crunchy outer and soft and smooth inner textures. Quite surprisingly, we finished all the bread while dad enjoyed his Caesar salad.

French Onion Soup

As for myself, I had the pleasure of slurping up the devilish creation otherwise known as the French Onion Soup. Great continuation from the pasta (slight tinge of saltiness) as it warmed my tired tummy and the mysterious blend of enhanced saltiness and rich aromas from its ingredients seemed to have stoked my appetite further. Good way to have started with the appetizers.
And of cos, the wine to add the icing to the cake.
I think this works around the world: a simple toast with your loved ones always seem to raise the quality of the time and food. Especially if the food's already great (^^)

I will not be directly reviewing the beef nor fish since I did not try either of them. Instead, let me try to measure it from the reactions of the fellow diners.
Their eyes widened, and bite after bite followed, interrupted only by mutters of "Good! Good!" and a good-natured toast from time to time. As testament to the high quality of the beef, it was still tender-moist and the meat juices would have equalled the Niagara.

Iberico Pork Chop

UmmMMMMMmmmMmmM!!!!
Was my instant reaction. The rich aroma emanated from the delicious dish in front of me, and instantly turned into 2 fingers dragging my nose to it. While it was not as knife-friendly as the beef, I must say it was probably one of the best pork chops I've had in the past 3 years. You'll usually taste the unmaskable musk (hur-hur) of a pig unless it is drenched (or sometimes, EVEN IF it was drenched) in gravy/sauce. Not this one. Were it not that we had excellent fellow guests around (save a table, I'll come to that later), I would have grabbed this meat-art with my hands and chomped away. The sides (Potato-Leek gratin and creamed spinach) were rich, packing the mains with the right sort of punch to raise the game to its climax.
And there was the wine. The Chilean Merlot lent its strong earthly flavor to cradle the meat, further boosting the succulent juices which leaves you with only one image in the mind - Nature's goodness. Needless to say, we finished every bit of our meal...and it's time for dessert.

Crepe Suzette

I'm not quite a dessert person, so I left it to sis to pick one to share, while mum had the strawberry ice cream and dad, the espresso. Crepe Suzette was prepared flambe style, as you would expect. Not quite the fellow guests at the other table, who were so fascinated that they walked over to snap pictures of the waitress preparing the dish. That explained the 3.5 stars at the top of this post, a great injustice to the lovely elderly couple celebrating their anniversary (possibly 50 years? in coincidence with Gordon Grill's own anniversary, albeit the latter's is in July); and the other groups of merrymen who politely had an enjoyable evening without invading others' spaces. I digress. Back to the dish, it was more presentation (Flambe...like what else would you expect?). Since I do not have a sweet tooth, this was not exceptionally satisfying for me, but it would be interesting if you're a guy on a nice date and your date has never tried a flambe. Impress her. Food is after all, taste; smell; and visual entertainment (*o*)

Overall, Gordon Grill provided us with an excellent night of good food and ambience. The non-intrusive staff were a pleasure to have recommending just about enough food. One can taste the quality of their ingredients, and while location may be tricky should it be a raining, it is definitely worth a trip. For durian lovers, I would recommend that you drop by Goodwood Park Hotel's pastry shop nearby for their famous durian-related pastries.
Downside: It can be a tad pricey - we spent >$120 per pax; so reserve it for special occasions if you're a not-exactly-rich foodie like myself.

Oh and I have good news to share! As I've mentioned above, Gordon Grill's celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and you can enjoy a 3-course/4-course lunch at $50++/$60++ throughout the week until July!
For more details...check out http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/promotions/gordon-grill-50th-anniversary-celebration-,diningOffers_viewItem_116-en.html

Please try and share your experiences too (^o^)
I'll be writing more since it's Restaurant Week from tomorrow...