Buko Nero

C says:

It’s been almost 4 months since our last visit – how time flies! We managed to secure a reservation for tonight but only at 8.45 pm, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I ate so much all day (thanks for the yummy lunch, Y and W!), that if dinner had been earlier I would’ve been way too full to enjoy it. At least by 9 pm, and after a pre-emptive Spinning class (which probably didn’t even burn off the soup…), I was once again raring to go.

The menu for the night was:

Amuse bouche: Crostini with seared steak topped with half a grape
Starter: Zucchini “tonnato”
Additional starter: Veal carpaccio with parmesan, pear and truffle vinaigrette
Soup: Watercress and crab meat
Sherbet: Strawberry and lime
A’s main: Beef tenderloin wrapped with eggplant, topped with green peppercorns in red wine sauce
C’s main: Home-made tagliatelle with porcini mushroom and cod
Dessert: Chocolate cake with caramel coulis

Joy, the crostini was like the awesome one that we had on one of our first few visits, and our reactions were the same – oohing and ahhing noises as we munched into it, trying to savour all the flavours. The grape was a surprisingly good pairing with the steak.

The zucchini tonnato was 3 ribbons of zucchini, sliced ridiculously thin, served with a thin tuna-flavoured sauce. If that sounds strange, just imagine the flavour of tuna mayonnaise, but in a cream sauce consistency. Since it’s a special occasion (*ahem*), we decided to order the starter special of the day as well – the veal carpaccio. Again, the veal was sliced really thinly, and topped with slices of pear, shaved parmesan, and a creamy mayo-like dressing. While the dish tasted more interesting if you ate all the ingredients together, we actually preferred it without the pear, but that’s because we like-a the meat.

The soup wasn’t bad, but wasn’t one of Chef Oscar’s yummier soups. The sherbet was great though, even for a non-sherbet person like myself – nice and fruity and not too sour.

The mains this time were stellar. The tagliatelle was very good – perfectly cooked, very tasty sauce and plenty of flaky cod fish pieces. But what blew both of us away was the beef this time. It was incredible – again done to a perfect medium rare, and ridiculously sweet and tender. I swear you could have cut it with a fork, and it wasn’t bland and tasteless like some fillets tend to be. The beef was wrapped with a thin sliver of eggplant, and served with mashed potatoes and a lovely red wine sauce. Wow.

A simple warm chocolate cake was a perfect end to a fabulous meal. In a way, I think the 4 month absence helped us appreciate the food more. During the period where we were eating there quite frequently (almost once a month), we started getting a bit spoilt and jaded, so the absence has definitely reminded us why we like Buko Nero so much.

A says:

The beef dishes RAWKED. Best steak I’ve had in a while. And for once, the sherbet wasn’t some weird flavour. All in all, one of the best meals we’ve had there.

Buko Nero
126 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088534
Tel: 6324-6225
Dinner: 6.30pm to 9.30pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
Lunch: Noon to 2pm (Friday and Saturday)
Closed Sunday and Monday