Ambush

I was intrigued by the catchy name of this casual European restaurant located on the 4th floor of newly-opened Jem, one of Singapore's largest suburban malls. After checking out its menu, my dining companions and I decided to eat there. Weekday lunch sets include a complimentary soup of the day and drink each. À la carte menu reminiscent of old-style newspaper offers a variety of fares such as Belgium moules and palourde (French for mussels and clams respectively), French entrées like Confit Duck Leg, Italian pastas, Spanish paella and Swiss-German wurst. The latter also includes German chicken schnitzels and pork knuckles as well as Swiss rosti among its choice of accompanying starch – other options are mashed potato, fries or pasta. Among us, we had three lunch sets and an à la carte dish. Except Ambush's Paella, the rest were pastas where we could choose fusilli, linguini, penne or spaghetti so our food was served quick enough.

1st to arrive was cream of corn, which did not taste out-of-a-can or made-from-packet-soup-mix, though some might find it too creamy. Chopped capsicums and tomatoes added spice and tartness to the otherwise sweet Ambush's Paella, a tomato-based sticky rice of plump grains that did not stick to each other. It came with shelled marine delicacies such as succulent prawns, fresh clams and mussels as well as bacon and sausages. Vongole, White Wine Beurre Blanc was good with al-dente spaghetti and sautéed fresh white clams. And the only difference between Baby Scallop, Fish Roe Cream Sauce and Baby Scallop and Flying Fish Roe – Squid Ink Sauce was well…the sauce. Nothing to rave about or fault on the latter which did not look in the least bit appetising as specks of bright orange stood out against black linguine and sautéed Japanese baby hotates that were fresh, juicy and tender (not too chewy). Liked how the roes added crunch to the overall texture.

Update: The branch at Jem will be relocated while the one at Jurong Point has closed.