Absinthe is another place we’ve been meaning to try for ages, and with the prospect of a 4-day long weekend looming, I was in the mood to celebrate. Again, we came here hoping to take advantage of the UOB Chef’s Creation menu, but were open to their regular menu if the UOB one didn’t entice.
Unlike the very impressive UOB menu at Otto, at Absinthe it seemed almost an afterthought. They didn't even have a printed menu. When I asked what the UOB menu offered, the waiter said it changed every day, and today it was foie gras and duck breast. It sounded rather boring, so we went with their $98 degustation menu instead.
Starter was a salad of Hokkaido scallop carpaccio with bottarga (mullet roe). The scallop was very fresh and sweet, but it tended to be overpowered somewhat by the strongly-flavoured bottarga. Instead of having every mouthful with the bottarga, I preferred interspersing it with bites of just the scallop, so that I could appreciate the flavour of the scallop properly.
The next course was quite forgettable. Before it arrived we forgot what the menu said, and after dinner it took me a while to remember it in order to write this post. It was a clear vegetable soup with cheese ravioli. The ravioli were quite small and dainty, but didn’t pack much of a cheesy punch.
Next was the foie gras course – seared foie gras served on a blini with morello cherries. The waiter told A that even if he doesn’t like foie gras, this dish will convert him and I think to some extent it did. This was an example of a simple, unfussy dish that was executed perfectly. Best foie gras that A’s had, so he says.
Main course was a choice between seared tenderloin, and pan roasted sea bass. A wasn’t inclined to share his meat, so we both ordered the beef. My one issue with the dish, and actually with the cooking here in general, is that they’re quite heavy handed with the salt. Don’t get me wrong, I think salt is a necessary element in cooking to bring out flavours, but when I consciously notice that a dish is salty, I think that’s a bit overseasoned.
They have an extremely enticing cheese trolley, filled with all sorts of stinky and oozy cheeses. Unfortunately, we were too full but we’re fully intending to come back, have just a starter and main, and overload on the cheese.
Of course, we couldn’t go to Absinthe and not have their absinthe, just for the heck of it. The waiter recommended a cocktail of absinthe, sugar and water, so we shared one as an after dinner aperitif. Never again… it was almost torture trying to finish it; tasted like cough medicine. Give me sissy drinks like sangria or mojitos any day.
The service was excellent, but food wise, it was good but nothing really seemed to blow me away. We’ll be back though, if nothing else then to partake in that awesome cheese trolley.
A says:
The service was excellent when we got there but it became hard to catch the waiter’s eye once the restaurant filled up. The food did reach our table at a surprisingly good pace so I think the kitchen did a good job.
Like C says, the food was awesome although a tad on the salty side. It did make me like the foie gras and I’m looking forward to coming back, especially to try the cheeses.
Absinthe
48 Bukit Pasoh Road
Tel: 6222-9068
Lunch : 12pm - 2:30pm (Mon - Fri)
Dinner : 6:30pm - 10:30pm (Mon – Sat)
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