Restaurant Andre: All the Pretty Courses

I was in Singapore a couple of weekends ago for the Louis Vuitton's new store opening at the Marina Bay Sands and, for the first time in 3 visits, was able to eat the best that Singapore could offer - The third time is truly a charm!

One of my group suggested we eat at Andre, and upon reading the reviews for it (One saying, "Worth jumping on a plane for") my interested was immediately piqued.

On our way there we almost missed it, its exterior was so subtle. Good thing the marker was a hospital next to it.

It looks like a date place for sure! All around our group of 5 were quiet couples. Thank goodness we got a reservation, Vanessa had to namedrop she was with Philippine press and from LV to boot. Voila! The magic words.

the wallpaper makes you feel like you are in a forest

Antler-style chandeliers

The style of Andre is to provide eight courses with a theme, hence called an octophilosophy of Unique, Pure, Texture, Memory, Salt, South, Artisan and Terroir, served in any order. Sounds pretentious, right? But what a delicious pretentiousness it turned out to be!

We were joking that we would have to find a McDonald's after the meal. We gorged on the fresh bread they brought to us.

First they brought us a series of snacks on the table. A smartly dressed server had to explain each dish for us, making it all the more special.

This dish, the most interesting, was made to look like a vegetable garden, made of Spanish tapas such as roast potatoes with a tomato sauce and fish wrapped in bacon and deep-fried to look like carrots. Ingenious! The best part? The "dirt" made of chocolate and toasted garlic...

An edible garden

These onion tartlets were light and tasty, hollowed on the inside...

onion tarts made to look like little starfish

 All Filipinos like their lechon skin. This is a variation of dehydrated chicken skin. Sarap!

chicken skin made real crispy. Lechon anyone?

Popcorn of vanilla, macadamia and caramel

Amberfish wrapped in a barquillo-like pastry, wrapped in parchment and fastened with the littlest clothespin ever!

Our first course was Pure. Sea scallop sashimi in a puple cauliflower consomme

As the name implies, no spices or seasoning was added to this dish. The purple rose petal-like garnishing is pickled onion, so sweet it didn't even taste like onion.

The next course served was Salt. This was Black Label oyster in seaweed jelly on the left and foam of green  apple on the left; both meant to represent the sea. If I didn't take down notes, I would have forgotten what this was!

The next course is Artisan:  heritage aubergine with caviar, black sesame salt and smoked aubergine with root crop vegetable on creme Anglaise. The word of the day: kamote!

The next one is South; this time meaning South of France, specifically in Montpellier, where fresh seafood is abundant. It combines freshness and acidity with the tomato sorbet, white peach, risotto with purple sea urchin (I love uni!) mackerel, abelone and Spanish prawn. So delicious and dreamy, easily one of my favorite dishes of the meal.

So 4 down, 4 to go. The next dish is Texture, and quite interesting. Our server made us take a guess on what it was based on a riddle. It was risotto with squid in a cauliflower puree and he asked us to guess which was which.Can you guess?

The squid was the white stuff, made to look like risotto, and the black stuff was the risotto, dyed with a vegetable and dehydrated into a cracker. Kropek anyone?

The next dish is Unique. This was artichoke with barracuda in a red wine sauce. It was my first time to see barracuda on my plate instead of in the ocean! Did you know that barracuda can be meaner than sharks?

The seventh dish is Memory, with tastes meant to linger in your mind for a long time after the meal is done. Try and guess what's in it.

It smelled of a soy sauce base, something Chinese-y. But our server told us it was black truffle over foie gras. Amaaazing! Could I have another please?

The last course, the terrior, is something from the land. This land was divided between France and Japan, culinary best friends for years.

This was a 36-hour slow-roasted short rib served with potato gnocchi, petit poir, pea and tarragon puree, mustard and a version of floss. So damn good you'd sell your child for it.

So there you go - 8 pretentious courses for 5 non-pretentious Filipinos. But wait, there was more. Can I tell you, that by this time, we were sitting on our bums for 2 and a half hours already?

They gave us a cheese course (a small one, we asked!)

The pre-dessert snacks

And then finally, after we had been sitting in food coma for at least 10 minutes and ruing the day we ate all the bread and made fun of the restaurant, the chocolate dessert arrives

Together with some fresh figs and madeleines

And OMG, marshmallows with more popcorn. They were killing us slowly. Or perhaps planning to turn us into human foie gras eventually? That would be a first!

The rest of the desserts we gobbled up instead of savoring. Imagine having to go through this with a first date you didn't like! Thankfully, we all enjoyed each other's company. "The most beautiful meal I've ever had!" exclaimed Meryl, who suggested eating here.

We got to have a photo with Andre himself, who claims that when he goes home and has his dinner, he just whips up something simple from whatever ingredients he finds in his ref. We love your food Chef Andre!

This is how we looked after leaving the restaurant....an incredible meal! Thank you LV!

P.S. My apology for the quality of the photos. They told us "No flash!" haaayy....as if we were paparazzi....

Restaurant Andre

41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089855

Opening Hours
Lunch: Tuesday – Friday / $128++
Dinner: Tuesday – Sunday / $288++
Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays

Reservations
+65 6534 8880

http://restaurantandre.com
reserve@restaurantandre.co

Umu: Konichiwa!

Whenever it rains, like today, I always think of Umu.

Why?

Because when I eat there with my friend Danelle, who is the PR of Dusit Thani Manila, we eat in the back room where they have a beautiful view of the garden  - and throughout our kuwento we see the weather change from sunny, to cloudy, to downright pouring. The back room of Umu is always hushed and private, perfect for the stories we share; away from any prying ears!

Being with Danelle makes any day bright, despite the weather outside!

At Umu, they have one of those huge books which they call their menu - very extensive, it has both traditional and new dishes, including a good selection of sake. I sometimes don't know what to order and just ask Danelle to get whatever is new.

Refreshing veggie and kani wrap with sesame seeds and salad

For traditional fare like sushi and sashimi, I love that they serve the fish at the perfect temperature - which is super cold! Each dish's presentation is simple yet beautiful. 

This gindara teriyaki looks so perfect, it looks as if it could be that plastic food you see in Japanese restaurant window displays. But I assure you, it is real, and utterly buttery delicious!

Wagyu steak: so sinfully good with each bite, now i'm just teasing you for the hell of it. 

Wagyu beef with bonito flakes, fried garlic and red peppercorns

 Umu has been having different food festivals. The teppanyaki festival included soup, seafood, meat, rice and dessert. Can you say stuffed? Total value for money.

Prawn and veggie teppan

love my dipping sauces!

fish teppan

This ice cream may look like pure vanilla but it is sake ice cream! The sake is very subtle in flavor but leaves a slight kick as the cream melts in your mouth! Banzai! Umu makes their own ice cream such as this - try the other flavors, all equally perfect in cleansing the palate after a big meal.

The disasters that hit Japan have affected us all - more directly for those specialty restaurants in Manila that have closed down because it could no longer get regular deliveries.

I'm happy that restaurants such as Umu are here to continue to serve us quality food with the freshest ingredients and still be able to provide the space that diners require when talking about highly delicate subjects :)

Till the next kuwentuhan Danelle!


Umu
Dusit Thani Manila
Arnaiz Avenue corner EDSA, Makati City
Tel +632.238.8888
www.dusit.com

Draft Pick

I will tell you a secret: I don't know how to drink beer.

When I was in high school, we used to play a game called Quarters where each player would have a small glass of beer in front of them and there would be one in the middle. Everyone has a (technically quarter) one-peso coin and when it is their turn, they try to throw the coin into someone else's glass. Whomever owns the glass, has to down the beer.

Sounds easy, right?

The tricky part is if someone throws the coin into the middle glass, everyone has to down their own glass, and the last one to down their glass also has to drink the one in the middle.

Guess who would always drink the one in the middle?

"Open your throat!" my friends would say. It's like trying to use your diaphragm while singing or perhaps doing Kegel exercises for women...some people just can't do it!

I must admit I have gotten better since then, not at opening my throat, but being a beer drinker. In fact, when I am at the beach or after a particularly hot day or with office mates at a going away party, I do look for beer over a vodka tonic or mojito!

And since Draft Gastro Pub opened at the Fort a few months ago, beer drinkers everywhere have been saying "Cheers!" or "Salute!" or "Kanpai!" or "Salud!"or "Prost!" or even "Oogy Wawa!"

Stella between two Hoes

The place where everybody knows your name, Draft's pull is that it serves draft beer such as Stella Artois, Becks and Hoegaarden aside from imported bottled beer. Can't imagine what I'm talking about? Think if Distillery and Izakaya got married and had a baby, it would be Draft.

Whenever I go to Draft it is always noisy and fun, much in true London pub fashion. We found ourselves squishing in a booth and people kept popping in and out to join us - I felt like that scene in the cafeteria in Twilight, minus Edward Cullen.

Girls night out, woohoo!

Your friendly neighborhood joint

A was leaving for the States that week for her Ironman races, so what better way for her to fill up but on beer and pub food made by chef Carlo Miguel?

J and I decided to share this dish of steamed mussels in white wine broth with a side of French fries.

The mussels were tender and large, but I wish the broth had a bit of cream added to it, it would've given it a wonderful consistency. I would have also like more crusty bread to dip into it.

J said she wouldn't have minded that either- she just doesn't like tomato and cream mixed together. We have our very definitely views on food, she and I always like to split up dishes, literally and figuratively!

R ordered these spinach triangles. Check out the beautiful promotizers showing off the wares.
Um, um good!

F ordered fish and chips for her main course

R ordered these back back ribs for her main. The ribs had good flavor but the coleslaw left something to be desired. It was soggy and drenched in oily mayo. Maybe KFC can consign theirs?

A ordered a fish sandwich for her meal

Looking at this sandwich, it seems to not have liked the coleslaw as well - it puked it out! When it arrived, nobody wanted to try it. That's the worst thing about sharing food- if yours looks unappetizing, you have to finish the whole damn thing yourself!

In true man fashion, C and N's friend ordered steak frites

With gravy! That looks like a lot of food!

Next time I come here (and am more hungry I might add) I will go for the sausages. They looked delish!

Now, I do admit the beer is fantastic here.
And so is the vibe.
But what will make me come back here time and time again is...
wait for it....

The sticky date and toffee pudding with artisanal ice cream.
It makes you wanna say oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh My God...

It just sits there waiting to be pounced on, all innocent-like. It is simply indecent.

We shared it, and after eating it, I immediately wanted one of my own. I felt like my pregnant friend at the Taste of London Festival, where nooo, you just don't want to share....

But I was too full of beer. And I just had a measly half pint!

Here is the bread and butter pudding that is like Chloe Kardashian who needs a fake-bake to her popular, older sister Kim...

Whether you want to come for the food, for the fries or for your friends, Draft is the new place to be.

Draft
The Fort Strip
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
tel +63906.248.1214