Casual fine-dining espousing modern east-meets-west fusion fine dining in a gorgeous setting - this isn't quite what I would expect to find atop the Chinatown Yue Hwa Building. Shades of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon come to mind with the similar red-black hues and later on in the food presentation.
This place is like a fantasy cavern!
The full bar with dramatic lighting looks set to energise conversations along with suitable libations.
There's a whole room stretching out to the side, with full-length glass windows overlooking the shophouses downtown and the CBD. Stunning.
Chef-owner Samuel Quan previously led the team behind the Spanish-influenced restaurant Element on Tras Street located in Amara Hotel, where he was also named Apprentice Chef of the Year at the 2017 World Gourmet Summit. Chef Sam has also had stints in the kitchens of Les Amis and Joel Robuchon, as well as the three Michelin-starred Aponiente in Spain.
Ah, so I see the Robuchon connection.
Helping him to oversee the culinary team is Head Chef Lee Jing Peng who cut his teeth at the Tippling Club, Les Amis and Joël Robuchon. Under the award-winning chef Ryan Clift, he has been a part of multiple culinary events across multiple destinations such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Milan.
The service team also deserves mention. They are attentive without being intrusive, always ensuring that they are one step ahead in anticipating your needs.
Star bartender Pranisa 'Niza' Treechanasin will enthrall you backed by years of her experience serving customers at top hotels in Bangkok.
I was completely enamoured with the Copenhagen Co. sparkling tea.
That set the mood for the rest of the evening!
The breads
These were simply spectacular, and deserve to be a course on its own. They are made in-house, to exacting standards. Extra care is taken to ensure the breads are served at the right temperature.
Opening canapes (clockwise from top right):
- Tomato tartare, Charcoal cone, Mustard dressing
- Amaebi, Nori cracker, Avocado cream, Crispy Amaebi head
- Salmon, Green apple foam, Ikura, Fritter crumbs
- Crispy flatbread, Asian salsa, Mint emulsion
Hamachi
Hamachi gently seasoned with a kimchi sauce that thankfully did not overpower the delicateness of the raw fish. Pickled ginger flower and hanaho (flowering shisho buds) added aromatic lift, while fresh nashi pear imbued sweetness. This was all tied together with kohlrabi juice seasoned with lime. Add Kaluga Caviar on top for the final finish and you have an amazing starter sashimi dish.
The sommelier recommended this fruity white wine that's light and refreshing on the palate. It has hints of peach, apple and citrus, with an almost herby finish.
Pumpkin Laksa Soup
Pumpkin cooked with laksa rempah (spices) sounds like a rad combination, but it might be a little too strong a base for the delicate Seafood Tortellini with tiger prawn and scallop. I felt both were good but better separate. I found myself wanting a clear consomme for the tortellini instead. Oh, no, I'll be reducing this to a wantan soup! The tortellini is exquisite enough to be allowed centrestage attention though. And separately the pumpkin soup could go all out in laksa intensity if it didn't have the dumpling to consider.
Puffed rice perhaps could be the new Asian croutons.
Chicken
Chicken breast with spiced mousse redolent of lime leaves and lemongrass, accompanied by green curry foam. The meat has this juicy and soft bite like it's been sous vide cooked. It's not my favourite kind of way to treat meat, but some folks may like it as it retains moisture. I also think this needed more curry, less foam (why is foam still a thing?). But hey, that's just me - I like my curries to be like "banjir" (flood).
Asian slaw (pineapple, pickled cucumber and shallots) sits on the side like a modern achar.
Duo of Beef
The Braised Short Rib with hoisin glaze (background) was the unexpected showstealer! Everyone was expecting the Tajima wagyu cooked over charcoal grill to be the highlight but while it was indeed excellent for an Australian wagyu, it could not fight the tsunami of umami that the short rib proffered.
We were so impressed we asked about the braised ribs and found they had been cooked for some 40 hours. Talk about serious braising. We loved this so much, we even started braising beef at home after the dinner.
The Crispy potato Mille Feuille (hey, this is all the rage on TikTok) could have been more crispy (sorry, I keep hearing the crunch on TikTok).
Garden vegetables cooked with anchovies butter provided sweet root vegetable therapy. The Kampot pepper sauce for the steak also went well with the vegetables.
Palate cleanser
Getting us ready for dessert is a beautifully plated Roselle granita with fizzy grape. Carbonated peeled grape. Interesting!
Dessert - Orh Nee Mille Feuille
Taro mousse piped in between puff pastry, served with whipped coconut cream and coconut crumble. A quenelle of coconut ice cream with popping candy.
I'm a huge orh nee fan; I even belong to a Telegram foodie group of avowed orh nee fanatics. This is not enough orh nee for me. While this dessert had all my favourite ingredients, I felt it was a little too dry.
Final mignardise
Butterscotch Truffle
Black sesame Yuzu financier
Tropical tartlets with pink peppercorn crémeux
A tasting menu of 5 courses like this may go for S$198. There is also an a la carte menu.
It is heartening to see local talent striving to reach heights of fine-dining. I'm always wanting to give props for chefs giving their best. I think Eclipse is a great effort, despite hits and misses. It has some ways to go before becoming Michelin star quality but we all start somewhere.
70 Eu Tong Sen Street
#06-01 Yue Hwa Building
Singapore 059805
RESERVATIONS@RESTAURANTECLIPSE.SG
Open Tuesday - Sunday
Lunch: 12pm -2:30pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10:30pm
Closed on Mondays
Many thanks to Eclipse for the invitation
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