A few months ago when my Dad passed through Singapore on his way to several months of wallowing in the balmy climes of Southern France, we took him out for a meal to our favourite restaurant, Blu at the Shangri La Hotel. We were a little disturbed to learn that the chef who had so long titillated our tastebuds has moved to The Line restaurant, also part of Shangri La.
New Chef Kevin Cherkas popped out for a chat and proved to be a very enthusiastic and friendly guy, bursting with enthusiasm and eager to share his vision of how the cuisine would evolve under his leadership. He was at that time awaiting $1 million of new dinnerware to arrive which apparently was essential to appropriately present his food. Yes, that's one MILLION dollars worth of plates. Gulp.
This Saturday we headed back, curious as to what we would find now that he's had a chance to settle into Blu, re-shape the menu and put his new plates through the dishwasher a few times. We weren't disappointed.
Perhaps we had given the impression we were under-cover food critics on our first visit after asking so many questions but in any case as we waited for the entrees to arrive Kevin himself appeared at the table and apologised for not being able to deliver the dish hubby and I had ordered, cheekily called 'The Egg Came 1st". Apparently the sous chef had overcooked the eggs. Kevin assured us that if it hadn't been us waiting for them he would have sent them out anyway, but in deference to us he had thrown them across the kitchen then come out to offer us an alternative. He had some delicious fresh Scottish scallops - would we perhaps like those instead? Would we ever! I LOVE scallops and haven't had the pleasure of eating any Scottish Loch scallops (known as Queen scallops) since a wonderful meal we enjoyed in Glasgow a few years ago at The Ubiquitous Chip restaurant. Kevin chose to present them sliced through the middle, dusted with herbed crumbs and then quickly deepfried until just cooked. Interestingly he paired them with a beetroot sauce and by way of apology, liberally dotted the edge of the plates with caviar. Apology accepted.
On to the mains, and here hubby and I diverged as he plumped for the roast lamb while I chose Irish Stew which promised to be fabulous despite it's humble origins. It had apparently been cooked 'forever'. Again Kevin was there to explain the dishes and I loved the large rib bone poked into the stew, his "Flinestone touch". It was as rich and tender as I had hoped, and in fact could have been eaten with a spoon, so soft was the meat. Hubby did his best to make me jealous by raving about the fabulous lamb but as I said, it's a good excuse to go back soon.
Our dining guests loved their lobster thermidor and baked Sea Bass, which were accompanied by light-as-air foams, a quirky touch to otherwise classic dishes.
Dessert was 'Lemon vs Lemon' which was deliciously tart; not being a dessert person I love anything a bit sour and this hit the spot.
To sum it up Blu remains our favourite restaurant and we are now avowed Kevin fans. If you're looking for an exceptional meal at a great location, Blu is where you'll find it. And yes, the plates are lovely.
New Chef Kevin Cherkas popped out for a chat and proved to be a very enthusiastic and friendly guy, bursting with enthusiasm and eager to share his vision of how the cuisine would evolve under his leadership. He was at that time awaiting $1 million of new dinnerware to arrive which apparently was essential to appropriately present his food. Yes, that's one MILLION dollars worth of plates. Gulp.
This Saturday we headed back, curious as to what we would find now that he's had a chance to settle into Blu, re-shape the menu and put his new plates through the dishwasher a few times. We weren't disappointed.
Perhaps we had given the impression we were under-cover food critics on our first visit after asking so many questions but in any case as we waited for the entrees to arrive Kevin himself appeared at the table and apologised for not being able to deliver the dish hubby and I had ordered, cheekily called 'The Egg Came 1st". Apparently the sous chef had overcooked the eggs. Kevin assured us that if it hadn't been us waiting for them he would have sent them out anyway, but in deference to us he had thrown them across the kitchen then come out to offer us an alternative. He had some delicious fresh Scottish scallops - would we perhaps like those instead? Would we ever! I LOVE scallops and haven't had the pleasure of eating any Scottish Loch scallops (known as Queen scallops) since a wonderful meal we enjoyed in Glasgow a few years ago at The Ubiquitous Chip restaurant. Kevin chose to present them sliced through the middle, dusted with herbed crumbs and then quickly deepfried until just cooked. Interestingly he paired them with a beetroot sauce and by way of apology, liberally dotted the edge of the plates with caviar. Apology accepted.
On to the mains, and here hubby and I diverged as he plumped for the roast lamb while I chose Irish Stew which promised to be fabulous despite it's humble origins. It had apparently been cooked 'forever'. Again Kevin was there to explain the dishes and I loved the large rib bone poked into the stew, his "Flinestone touch". It was as rich and tender as I had hoped, and in fact could have been eaten with a spoon, so soft was the meat. Hubby did his best to make me jealous by raving about the fabulous lamb but as I said, it's a good excuse to go back soon.
Our dining guests loved their lobster thermidor and baked Sea Bass, which were accompanied by light-as-air foams, a quirky touch to otherwise classic dishes.
Dessert was 'Lemon vs Lemon' which was deliciously tart; not being a dessert person I love anything a bit sour and this hit the spot.
To sum it up Blu remains our favourite restaurant and we are now avowed Kevin fans. If you're looking for an exceptional meal at a great location, Blu is where you'll find it. And yes, the plates are lovely.
1 comment:
what about the beans?
you didnt say anything about the beans. where are the beans?
I am waiting on beans!!!!
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