Ember

C says:

8 years!! Our anniversary is upon us again, as is our annual pilgrimage to Ember. The set dinner menu ($85 for 4 courses) again looked pretty enticing, and this year I had the brainwave to ask if I could have my standard Chilean seabass as my main course instead of the options on set menu. They said it wouldn’t be a problem but that there may be a surcharge. When we got the bill it was a pleasant surprise to see that they didn’t add any extra in the end.



For starters I had the grilled bamboo clam with black bean sauce; A had the prosciutto with figs. A’s was good in a predictable way, though frankly I’ve been spoiled by Spanish jamon, so for me, prosciutto will always be an inferior cousin. My bamboo clams were awesome – there was a nice smoky flavour and the shellfish wasn’t overcooked. I don’t think the black bean sauce really contributed much to the dish though; it was good enough without it.



A had the lobster with a lobster beurre blanc dipping sauce, and I ordered the foie gras with maitake mushrooms, poached egg and truffle salt (c’mon, how me is that dish!). The beurre blanc in A’s dish packed some serious flavour, but overall mine was way better. It was everything that you would expect a dish with those ingredients to taste like. Delicious.



A’s main was a beef tenderloin with a red wine reduction sauce and a variety of mushrooms. And for myself, what would our anniversary dinner be without Ember’s signature Chilean seabass with bacon and mushroom ragout? This was as outstanding as ever. A’s steak was good in a predictable way. The meat was refined and tender, but because it wasn’t a grilled hunk of meat, it lacked the beefy flavour of a (good) steakhouse steak.



I just realised we had the exact same desserts as last year – the banana tart and the caramelised pear tart. This time, A kept the original ice cream as it was a lavender and ginger ice cream, not a straight up lavender. It’s a bit floral on its own, but actually does work with the banana tart.

We always say we need to come back to Ember more often, but almost a year has flown by without us realising it. Still, never too soon to make resolutions for the coming year.

A says:

Always reliable. Always good. Although this time, C’s choice of dishes were all better than mine. Hmmpf!

Restaurant Ember
50 Keong Saik Road
Tel: 6347-1928
Mon to Fri: Lunch 11.30 am – 2 pm; Dinner 6.30 pm – 10 pm
Sat: Dinner only
Closed Sunday