A meal to remember at Kite

C says:

Our meal at Kite on Sunday evening was a very bittersweet experience. We originally just meant for it to be our regular monthly (or thereabouts) visit, but then we found out that they're taking a break, and their last day of service is 27th January. We decided to pull out all the stops, and went for the 18-course omakase. Chef Dannel and the team really outdid themselves - we were wowed by some new dishes, and even old favourites were better than they've ever been before. So for posterity, indulge us as we document each dish in our last meal at Kite.

Chicken rice crackers - tapioca crisps with a chicken rice chilli and kicap manis dip

Chicken skin with bourbon glaze - definitely going to miss these

Arancini - risotto balls with dehydrated chorizo

Shaved frozen pineapple with candied kumquats and a hint of pepper and white chilli

Home-made lardo - cured Mangalica pork fat brushed with a whisky glaze throughout the curing process, torched and served with a dollop of pesto. A mouthful of pure flavour that just kept on giving.

Cured and aburi-ed saba. Beyond amazing.

More insane flavours - aburi swordfish with clams, chestnuts and coconut. So many different textures and flavours, yet none were competing for attention.

Red snapper kinilaw - a Filipino ceviche dish, with Okinawa seagrapes

42 degree ocean trout with apples, seaweed and furikake. Absolutely perfectly cooked, and all the ingredients so harmoniously balanced.

Mentaiko somen with unagi, scallop and tobiko. We've had this dish many times, and this was the best it's ever been.

Quail with carrot puree. This is retired dish, so we're really touched that Chef remembered how much we loved it, and included it in the omakase.

Seared foie gras with shaved peaches. Another new and absolutely amazing dish. Foie was perfectly seared and paired brilliantly with the fresh peach.

Iberico pork belly with bak kwa glaze. Unapologetically fat, flavourful and fabulous.

Mangalica pork collar with you tiao veloute and bak kut teh broth. One of the most creative dishes in Kite's repertoire, because of how they've reinvented, yet stayed true to, the humble bak kut teh.

Wagyu rump with bulgogi salsa and burnt corn. Again, had this a couple of times before, and it was at its best this time.

Welsh lamb with tamarind mango chutney and sliced potatoes.

Pre-dessert palate cleanser of sugarcane sorbet and yuzu zest

Forest floor - white chocolate custard, chocolate and nut soils, and passion fruit curd

A new dessert - yogurt with passionfruit, honey and pop rocks. An amazing dessert with so many different nuances with each mouthful.

Meringue with blackened lime powder

So there you have it. Kite's greatest hits, and then some. We're really sad to bid farewell to one of our favourite restaurants, but we're grateful for all the amazing things we've had the pleasure of tasting. All the best to the team - thanks for the memories.

A says:

One of our favourite restaurants in Singapore. And some of the best overall meals we've had anywhere. Their takes on local dishes and flavours are supremely creative and well-executed. And all the dishes deliver the pow of flavour I love, without being overwhelming. Perfectly balanced.

It's sad they never found their niche. Last day is 27 Jan so try to go if you can. If not, I'm looking forward to whatever Chef Dannel Krishnan does next.

Oh, and shout out to the service staff. Always so great to us. Thanks!

Farewell to Ember

C says:

Sorry for the radio silence. We were away, and have been super busy since we got back, so we're still working on chronicalling our holiday eats.

It'll take us another week or two to start posting our holiday stuff, but in the meantime we thought we'd write about our bittersweet meal at the original Ember last night, so that anyone who wants to do the same has one more month before Sebastian and Sabrina serve their last meal there on 30 April.

We each ordered the set, and added the angel hair pasta with konbu and abalone. That was served first, and (what would be a recurring refrain throughout the night) was familiarly perfect.

My chicken and duck liver parfait was rich and creamy and came with a slice of light and buttery toasted brioche. They sold out of the scallop carpaccio so A had the fried soft shell crab with wasabi aioli.

Second course: fried langoustine with lobster bisque for A, and the deep fried tofu with foie gras-mirin sauce for me - another must-have. The sauce packs so much flavour, and the tofu is fried perfectly.

As tribute to our last meal, we ordered both their signature mains - the Chilean seabass, and the 12-hour pork belly. The seabass was, as it always is, perfect. The pork belly was better than I remembered, with tender meat and ridiculously crispy crackling.

We shared the apple tart tatin with vanilla ice cream for dessert, which was again delicious.

We were lamenting to Sabrina, who recognises us as somewhat regulars, that after celebrating our anniversary here for the past 7 - 8 years, now we have to find somewhere new to go.

To our surprise, before our tart tatin arrived, we were served a coconut panna cotta with a candle on the side. The waiter said it was compliments of Sabrina, who told us it was to thank us for supporting them from the very beginning, and an early anniversary celebration.

It was such a sweet gesture, and coupled with every dish being executed perfectly, made last night's meal truly bittersweet. I'm glad to have been a part of their 12 year history, and I'm sure we'll be there when their new concept opens its doors (though not for another year or so), but now we have to create new anniversary memories elsewhere.

I'm feeling rather forlorn now, so excuse me while I go mope.

A says:

Sigh. This last dinner we had there was especially good. I'd advise everyone to go while you still can. I'll now be looking forward to the new place, hopefully by next year.

Farewell to Renaldo’s (burgers)

C says:

Ok that’s it, this is getting out of hand. We’re creating a specific category entitled “The A&C Curse”, because it sure doesn't look like the curse is lifting any time soon. For the less-informed, the A&C curse has afflicted many joints that we are particularly fond of, but may not be the most oft-patronised – cult favourites, in a sense. In the past, these have included Tamade, TeaSpa, Papi, and King George at Adam Road.

Renaldo’s at Crown Centre has now joined the club – the one place where we could always depend on for a good, no-frills, extremely satisfying burger. I’m deeply traumatized.

We drove by recently and I noticed that the store had been boarded up. I had a sinking feeling, but still harboured some hope that they were closed for renovations. So I tried calling their number, in the hopes that they may have a pre-recorded message along the lines of their being closed for upgrades from X to X, and will re-open on X to serve you better. Well, there was a pre-recorded message, but it said “This is a Singtel announcement. The number you have dialed is not in use.”

STILL undeterred, I called their Eastwood branch (which only sells strudel, no hot food), clinging to a desperate hope that they may have relocated their food operations somewhere else. Alas, tis not to be. It’s completely gone, no more hot food, and they have no plans to start selling their hot food at their other branch(es).

Unless… the lady I spoke to was merely an employee, and isn’t aware of any long term plans? I am forever hopeful, even as we bid farewell to Renaldo’s burgers. *sniff*

A says:

I’d list Tamade, King George and Renaldo’s in the list. Not so much Teaspa or Papi.
Our other favourites (La Petite Cuisine, Buko Nero, Valentino's, Tampopo and Ember) seem to be doing well so I guess they’re exempt from the curse. So far…

King George at Adam Road: Update

C says:

AAARRRRGGGHHH!!! The latest place to fall victim to the A&C curse is none other than King George Delights at Adam Road Food Centre. After a rather long (about 2 months) hiatus from the gym due to A’s workload and illness, we’re getting back into our gym groove and went to Adam Road for a post-gym dinner tonight.

King George is GONE! When I asked the Seafood BBQ man whether they were renovating, he said they closed down due to lack of business.

SOB. Their fish soup ROCKED! And it was the only place to get a healthy post-run dinner too. Where on earth can we go now?!

If anyone out there knows where King George might have relocated to, please please let us know.

A says:

I preferred the fried rice.

Farewell to PaPi

C says:

Aaarrrrggghhh!!!!!!!! Once again, the Curse of A&C lives on! To those of you who are unfamiliar with it, this curse plagues restaurants that A and I are fond of and frequent quite regularly. Simply put – they close down. It has so far afflicted Tamade, which used to be at Robertson Quay, and TeaSpa, which steadily closed down each and every one of their outlets (all of which we used to frequent).

Our latest victim is PaPi. I’m extremely upset, because I thought that we’d found the perfect place to get takeout pizza on our way to my folks’ place for dinner. In fact, I found out because I was there tonight collecting 2 pizzas, and when I casually asked them how business was, I was told that this is their last week, and from next Monday (16 July) PaPi is no more.

I thought they were another victim of poor clientele, but apparently they initially had no plans to close down; they were going to close for renovations when they received an offer for their premises that they couldn’t refuse. So they decided to sell it and make a profit, and concentrate their efforts on their main restaurant (Oso) as well as Oso Privato, their private dining concept.

Well for what it’s worth, even though it’s now a moot point, I ordered the Regina (cooked ham, mozzarella and tomato sauce) and Pomo (sliced tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, onion rings, garlic and chilli) for take-out, and while nowhere near the Salmone, the Pomo wasn’t too bad. The chilli added a nice kick, and I liked the pungency of the garlic too. The Regina was a bit bland, and the ham was too finely chopped so it ended up turning soggy quite fast.



Oh well, PaPi was good while it lasted. Guess we have to get our takeout pizza from Peperoni in future.

A says:

Indeed, a sad day for pizza kind.