Made a reservation for a weekday dinner through Restaurant Week for this place. Not sure if it was a right choice...
There was no trouble in parking as the CBD area has long been vacated at 8pm. There were two queues to the lift entrance, guarded by a few of their staff. We were asked if we had made reservations, and then the lift button was pressed for us. You would feel like a star already.
Level 63 leads to Altitude, Singapore's highest bar with a 360 degrees view of the city. It is also the highest multi-experience lifestyle joint in the world. The restaurant, Stellar, is at Level 62. Dining at the restaurants grants you free entry to the bar.
Dinner at $55++/pax for Singapore Restaurant Week looks like this:
Appetisers
Caramelised Foie Gras, Griottes, Bigarade Orange, Toasted Brioche, Yellow Frisee
or
Bonito Cured Ocean Trout, Sweet Pea Mousse, Wasabi Snow
~
Mains
Slow Braised Beef Short Rib, Bone Marrow Crust, Potato Soufflé
or
Spiced Cod Fillet, Ratatouille Nicoise, Garlic Bon Bon
~
Desserts
French Toast Ice Cream, Mixed Berry Compote, Caramel
or
PBJ (Peanut Butter Jelly) Strawberry Wafer, Jellied Peanut Butter, Biscuit Espuma
Well, of course we'd take one of each :)
Appetisers
Caramelised Foie Gras, Griottes, Bigarade Orange, Toasted Brioche, Yellow Frisee
or
Bonito Cured Ocean Trout, Sweet Pea Mousse, Wasabi Snow
~
Mains
Slow Braised Beef Short Rib, Bone Marrow Crust, Potato Soufflé
or
Spiced Cod Fillet, Ratatouille Nicoise, Garlic Bon Bon
~
Desserts
French Toast Ice Cream, Mixed Berry Compote, Caramel
or
PBJ (Peanut Butter Jelly) Strawberry Wafer, Jellied Peanut Butter, Biscuit Espuma
We were given with a table with a pretty good view, if not for a thick metal beam that stands in our view. We quickly chose our selections of dishes, and then the bread server came along with his huge bread basket. The bread was slightly cold, perhaps due to the fact that he has been walking around giving out breads for quite awhile.
The amuse-bouche was good, and in fact had our already high expectations raised even higher. Although it took quite awhile for our first dish to arrive and we were pretty hungry at 9pm.
Between the little pieces of Trout and the thick slab of Foie Gras, it's hands down for the Foie Gras, since they're both the same price. Although the Foie Gras was not de-veined, the texture is there. Salted to the right extent, and caramelised just nice. The whole combination is not uncommon, but it's good for the price. The whole combination of the Ocean Trout has a Japanese flavour to it, due to daintily-dotted Wasabi Snow. Though not spicy enough, it is quite fragrant.
The main took a little while to arrive. The problem here is that the restaurant seemed to be swamped with the sudden influx of diners with the Restaurant Week promotion. Even though everything is pretty banquet-style (i.e. all the same food for all the tables) as we see many other tables with more or less the same courses as us, the servers couldn't seem to handle it.
The Slow-Braised Beef Short Rib has, fortunately, been braised long enough, but just not marinated well enough. Beef and mash- the mash easily covers the "beefy" taste of the ribs. The Bone Marrow crust provided a good crunch to the dish. Overall, we preferred this over the fish.
The desserts are pretty normal too. The Biscuit Espuma was especially tough as it was frozen. I'd expected something more exceptional, even though our sets were at promo price...
Come here for the view, or just go for the bar for $30 with a free drink, or $35 for a premium pour. Pretty reasonable if you'd ask me. Or, you may go for a pre-drinks meal, as diners have free entry to the rooftop bar. Either way, it's a good place to celebrate a special occasion, or for a first date ;)
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Verdict:
Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Total Score: 3/5
[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]
Good for? Couples, Groups
Price Range: $30++ (for mains)
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About it:
Stellar at 1-Altitude
Address: 1 Raffles Place, Level 62, Singapore 048616
Menu: http://www.1-altitude.com/#!Stellar/Menu
Price Range: Starting from $30++ (Mains) Tasting Menu available.
Diners have free entry to the rooftop bar.
