Iggy's (Singapore)

And so the long awaited holiday kicked off with an early morning departure: first stop, Singapore. This 2 night transit is purely so that Ella can indulge in all the south east asian food that she craves. Don't be mistaken, she's not deprived of it, thanks to the combined efforts of mum and myself...but she just adores her food.

For those who have flown into Sydney, you'd all know how embarrassing the airport is. It has nothing to give, yet it takes so much... your time (to get out of), your energy (baggage clearance is a test of one's patience) and your cash (a 5min ride home costs A$20) . And for those who don't know, Dexter love, love loves aeroplanes and was very excited to stumble across the an OBSERVATION DECK! But I guess I always knew it was there, but like so many things, you just ignore or miss it. So after collecting our boarding passes, I dragged a bleary eyed Ella up some stairs and down some ~ it says "LIFT", but I knew we had to get a headstart on burning some calories.

Just as we got to the observation area, a Singapore Airlines A380 superjumbo breaks through the clouds and oh-so-quietly floats itself towards the ground... in its full glory, flaps down, nose pointed slightly above the horizon. At this time, my brain and heart get into a micro-mini debate: "To snap or not to snap"... ARGGGHHHHH...it was a no brainer. In a matter of a couple of seconds or less, I had my camera bag on the ground, unzipped, camera freed with lens cap off and subject acquired! "CLICK". We hung around for abit more, dishing out scores on landings.... Ella and I felt like judges at a gymnastics meet...all the while I could hear my dad saying "there is no such thing as a good landing..."

Oddly enough, we end up departing for Singapore on an A380... bonus!

Anyway, this post was meant to be about Iggy's. So who the heck is Iggy's? I first heard about it through a fellow foodie, Senri. He professed that it was better than Tetsuya here in Sydney. Big call for all those who have tried Tets. I had to check it out. Oh, here's a secret: Ella and I are probably one of the few food loving people who have not sampled Tetsuya's degustation. Ella's tried many a time... but for some reason I have resisted going to Tet's. Back to Iggy's: The restaurant itself is located in the Regent Hotel, in Singapore. You can read about it from the Miele site. It lost its coveted #1 position to Joel Robuchon (HK).

So here it goes. I am no Matt Preston or AA Gill. So there will be no attempt to be clever with words, humourous or overly descriptive with flavours (partly because I have only had 20mins sleep in the 38hours that have gone by).

Presenting the GASTRONOMIC MENU for March 2010

bread + olive oil

amouche bouche: something to amuse your mouth

white asparagus with duck, truffle

hirame (japanese fish) with micro tomatoes

Oyster from Brittany

Lobster with a Grand Marnier reduction


you can tell I liked this alot... who doesn't like lobster?

Wagyu ~ slow cooked for 40hrs

Egg, slow cooked with white truffle powder

Dessert ~ came in 2 lots: the one below is a play on sweet and sour

this one, they named "SOIL" (banana, walnut, coffee, kalamansi)

And something to go with coffee & tea

A grumpy chef - something I observed. Our 'host' made an effort to change a dessert item on the menu. One of the chefs didn't like it and kinda told off the 'host' in a less than discreet manner. I mean, if I knew what was going on, other patrons did too. FAIL. It does remind me of my time in hospitality.


Patrons are sat around a working island. kinda like a sushi bar. There are also proper dining tables, but this allows the host to explain each dish as it comes out from the kitchen. Personally, am not a fan of this set up... but it's something different to the norm.

And so, that was Gastronomic Menu for March at Iggy's. Am sure you're also wondering what Ella and I thought of the food and the dining experience. For someone that inhales his food, I had to be very restrained with how I ate. I have to make every morsel and crumb count.

What we liked:
Creativity, balance of flavours, dedication to slow cooking, good wine list (tip: try the in house wine ~ you'd be surprised)

What could have been better:
Service: be genuine. Am not saying service was fake, it just lacked warmth. I felt a stronger sense of hospitality from a Japanese Rail train conductor. Explanation of dishes and ingredients: I don't just want to know what or where they come from, I want to understand the background to why they were picked. Maybe I am asking for too much? I also didn't like the seating arrangements.

All in all, I'd say it is a good experience... good play of intense flavours, nothing too overpowering. When the first course came out, I whipered to Ella "Newton Circus".... which is where you'd find all the local 'street/hawker' food... but by the time SOIL was served, I knew we had to park that for another day.

Stay tuned for "How ella goobled up half of singapore for less than A$10"... and Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in Yebisu Gardens in Tokyo and also a visit to Iron Chef Sakai's La Rochelle in Shibuya.

Here's a Singapore's latest shopping monster, erm, I mean mall. There's lots of good food in the food court. You can't miss this if you are in Singapore!