Coriander Leaf

There were noticeably fewer participating restaurants in Singapore Restaurant Week from 24 to 31 Mar. Decided on Coriander Leaf, a Pan-Asian restaurant on the 2nd floor of Chijmes. Could neither rave about its first course of pomelo and green mango in chilli-lime dressing topped with coriander leaf, nor fault the dessert of Alphonso mango sorbet with fresh fruit salsa and meringue. Thai mango salad was followed by second course of tiger prawn tempura, and sweet potato noodles with honsimeji mushrooms and edamame. Do not expect the tempura to be thin and crispy like how it was done in a good Japanese restaurant, or the sweet potato noodles to be springy and chewy like how the Koreans do it. But the sweet prawn and flavourful japchae made up for what this dish lacked, and I liked both the mushroom and edamame. Main course of tender Tandoori chicken, served with cucumber relish and mint chutney, was well-marinated and went well with the butter naan.

Fat Cow

Chose to dine at Fat Cow, located on the 1st floor of Camden Medical Centre, during the recently-ended Singapore Restaurant Week (from 28 Oct to 4 Nov) as I have heard and read many positive reviews about this Japanese restaurant that specialises in Wagyu. Visited on a weekday for lunch and started with an appetiser. Could neither rave about the salad and miso soup nor fault the flavourful and silky smooth chawanmushi. There were two main courses – Fat Cow Donburi and Fat Foa-Gura Don. The former comprises slices of tender charcoal grilled wagyu beef, recommended to be done medium rare, which went well with the perfectly-cooked onsen egg and shredded leeks over rice. Loved the glazed melt-in-the-mouth foie gras in the latter and am not complaining about the not-too-tough wagyu cubes over rice. While both were delicious, they lacked the wow factor. Its dessert of honeycomb ice-cream also failed to impress.

Kaiserhaus

Singapore Restaurant Week is back this year, from 19 to 26 Mar, with set lunches and dinners at $28++ and $38++ ($40++ and $58++ for restaurants awarded with DiningCity Star) respectively. No different from previous editions, I decided to try a participating restaurant I have never been to before. This time, my choice was Kaiserhaus on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the refurbished Capitol Theatre. According to its website, the restaurant-café-bar offers authentic culinary delights from the former Habsburg Empire extending over Austria, Hungary, Northern Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and parts of Poland, Serbia, Romania and the Ukraine, at the end of the 19th century. With a supposedly exquisite dining menu fit for an Emperor, items on the menu include handmade pastries and cakes by renowned Austrian pâtisserie Zauner founded in 1832, craft beer and unique boutique wines from Central Europe.

Violet Herbs

Singapore Restaurant Week was from 24 Oct to 1 Nov and my choice this time round was Violet Herbs, a new age semi-formal fine-dining restaurant offering European cuisine with Asian influences. Helmed by Chef Edward Hoe with about two decades of culinary experience, the restaurant has its own herb garden growing up to 20 different kinds of herbs. As the name suggests, herbs are used extensively in its dishes and splashes of violet – chairs and sofa seats stood out against wooden tables, floor and frames (of pictures on one wall and mirrors on another), could be seen on the first floor of the two storey shophouse on Tras Street. Visited last weekend and we had for appetiser, Parma Scallops and Mushroom Cappuccino with truffle foam and chives. The former was succulent and served with burnt figs on bland sweet potato purée, trout roe caviar and melon gel while the latter was strangely bitter.

Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt (OCF)

Olivia Cassivelaun Fancourt, also known as OCF, is a French restaurant named after Sir Stamford Raffles' first wife. It is located on the 2nd floor of the Old Parliament House, which is The Arts House today. Started in 2013, it has been on my radar since. And with Singapore Restaurant Week from 14 to 22 March this year, I found a good reason to visit. The lunch menu includes an entrée of marinated asparagus, poached organic egg and smoked eel from Kaviari or Jerusalem artichoke velouté with Parmesan foam and truffles. While I could not fault the asparagus, the egg and eel was too salty for my liking. This was followed by main course of Iberian pork collar, glazed Jerusalem artichoke, vegetable purée and roasting Jus. Pork collar was surprisingly fatter than we expected, but otherwise good. I loved the artichoke reminiscent of potato but not the pumpkin purée. Dessert of whipped ganache with espresso ice cream was presented with hot moka poured over it.

Note: The restaurant has closed.

Wolf

If you do not already know, Singapore Restaurant Week is back from 25 Oct to 2 Nov. Having tried French Taratata Bistrot last year and Japanese Hashi earlier this year, I decided to find another participating restaurant to fall in love with. This time, my choice was Wolf which offers nose-to-tail dining centred on the pig that includes offal such as ear, head and heart. There are also other offerings to suit all tastes and preferences like the more conventional beef, poultry, fish and vegetables. Located along Gemmill Lane, the 1-year-old restaurant is within walking distance from four MRT stations – Telok Ayer, Chinatown, Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar. For Singapore Restaurant Week, it offers 280g Nagano Pork Chop and 350g Mangalica Pork Chop as an option for main course during lunch and dinner respectively. The latter contains more melt-in-the-mouth fats than the former, a lean breed of Canadian bred pig. And I was there for lunch earlier in the week.

Hashi

Singapore Restaurant Week, from 15 to 23 March, is back. Had a lovely experience with Taratata Bistrot last year and decided to find another participating restaurant I have never tried before. Not too far from the French bistro along Keong Saik Road is Hashi, which I saw after dinner at MooJaa the other day. It is part of the TRE Group that includes Gaia Ristorante & Bar, Oso Ristorante and Restaurant Absinthe among others. And located on the 1st floor of a three-storey shophouse, owned by the group, at Bukit Pasoh Road where Barreto used to be. Literally translated in Japanese as "chopsticks", the restaurant is helmed by Chef Tadashi Takahashi who started at Kaiseki Komuro under the tutelage of renowned Kaiseki masterchef Mitsihiro Komuro before moving on to Umu in London and Nobu in Melbourne. Visited on a weekday for lunch and realised that the towering structure of wood at the entrance actually continued into the sake bar.

Taratata Bistrot

Singapore Restaurant Week, from 18 to 24 March, is the 6th edition since March 2010. With set lunches and dinners at $25++ and $35++ ($40++ and S$55++ for restaurants awarded with DiningCity Star) respectively, I decided to eat at a participating restaurant that I have never tried before. A few were fully-booked by the time I checked while some had surprise menus. On the other end of the extreme were restaurants providing extensive options in their set menus so I felt spoilt for choice. In the end, I settled on a French bistro along Keong Saik Road. A world of Parisian style chic nestled among old shophouses in Chinatown, Taratata Bistrot used to open its glass doors for an open-concept dining experience but has since closed them due to both the heat and the noise. Still the same authentic French cuisine including home-style French classics and traditional country style dishes by Chefs-owners Bertrand Raguin and Philippe Nouzillat.