db Bistro Moderne

Except Ku Dé Ta and Sky on 57 at the rooftop, most celebrity chef and fine dining restaurants congregate along two stretches in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. One is on the 2nd floor (includes Guy Savoy, Hide Yamamoto and Waku Ghin) whereas the other is at B1. Beside MasterCard Theatres – Grand Theatre is Cut, Chef Wolfgang Puck's modern take on the American steakhouse. And across are Chef Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza as well as db Bistro Moderne, Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud's reinterpretation of the Parisian classic with New York style. Offering traditional French cooking with contemporary American flavours like signature burger collection inspired by the modern American palate. My dining companions and I started with a pitcher of Endless Summer Punch. It had a nice aroma of apples, tasted more like fresh orange juice than apple juice and was mostly sweet, with a tinge of tartness and a distinct note of raw cucumber slices but not ginger beer.

A basket of complimentary breads were served with butter and though I requested for olive oil as a dip, it came with vinaigrette too. Insides were soft and fluffy while the crust was crispy and not hard. And my order of Escargots Persillade came with the same baguette. There was a nice aroma of garlic, butter and parsley without any overwhelming the rest. Fresh and tender Burgundy snails were done just right – not too chewy, but a tad bland on their own. The garlic butter and parsley almond crust were much needed, and its remnants perfect for soaking up the breads. I liked the juicy, sweet and tart tomatoes in both this and Saffron Tagliolini that I choose to have as an appetiser instead of main course. Pasta reminiscent of local yellow noodles were cloying despite the use of lemon, herbs and spice (chilli, Italian parsley and saffron). Would have preferred for a more substantial portion of fresh spanner crab and thought this spicy and tangy dish lacked lustre.

Dining companion who had Brittany Cod "En Papillote" – served with artichoke barigoule, carrot, cherry tomatoes, parsley, lemon jus, was not impressed. Neither was the one who ate Seared Diver Scallops (as main course and also available as appetiser). Scallops looked nicely seared and succulent with crisp-thin smoked bacon as well as delightful sunny-side up quail eggs. These sat amidst English pea mousse with whole peas and lemon chicken jus, topped with raw greens. Interesting desserts introduced by new Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek included Durian "Royale" Soufflé with Mangosteen Sorbet. Though all of us eat both the King and Queen of Fruits, they found this too adventurous. So we settled for Chocolate Soufflé with Sicilian Pistachio Ice-cream full of pistachio flavour and chopped nuts. Airy-light soufflé became too mushy for my liking when the hot, sweet and rich chocolate sauce was poured in. Fresh raspberries atop the ice-cream were sweet and tart at the same time.