Gordon Grill Goodwood Park Hotel 22 Scotts Road Tel: 6730-1744
SOMETIMES, when you're head chef of a restaurant well-known for hosting big-named chefs armed with an arsenal of Michelin stars you run the risk of having your restaurant known as a venue for visiting chefs, and not just for the food you cook for most of the year.
On the other hand, hosting a bunch of Michelin-starred chefs is not unlike flying in your own personal tutors and that is how Gordon Grill executive chef Gan Swee Lai feels about hosting the likes of Michel Roux and Jason Atherton. Being exposed to such stars of the culinary world have been a training scheme par excellence; add this to his already strong foundation and you have a chef whose confidence and own cooking personality come through in his own menu.
Chef Gan has been playing in the kitchen lately, adding new dishes to his ala carte menu that reflect a new level of sophistication. In fact, you might even want to 'steal' some of his creations from his child degustation menu which was originally created to give kids a headstart on gourmet food but will appeal just as much to adults.
Take the intense clear chicken consomme with tiny vegetable balls - served plain or with an organic egg confit and ham in the broth. Or the grilled jumbo quail - the adult version is paired with a piece of pan fried foie gras and micro green salad with a raspberry and walnut dressing. While enjoyable with acidity in the dressing helping to counter the richness of the quail and foie gras, it seemed to be lacking something that derailed the complete enjoyment. There was rich meat and acidity but it needed another sweet fruity component to round off the flavours.
Meanwhile, a cold angel hair pasta tossed with truffle oil and crabmeat was an easy charmer, while starters like wagyu beef carpaccio combined with marinated artichoke and potato in a grainy mustard dressing ($28) is likely to be a crowd favourite. The slight 'porkiness' of thin slices of pork belly cooked for 24 hours in duck fat and served with pickled cabbage and cucumber detracted from the enjoyment somewhat. A baked oyster in seaweed butter and tiny cubes of salmon, and seared Hokkaido scallop with Spanish ham and asparagus bits are easy winners.
An elegant piece de resistance which is perfect for health conscious diners who still want intense flavour has to be the perfectly steamed very fresh garouper fillet sitting on chewy risotto made with rice and fava beans, the richness a perfect foil to the strong-flavoured tomato and olive vinaigrette.
End off your designer meal with a dessert platter featuring one of the best warm chocolate fondant cakes in town, a fun-to-eat arctic roll (ice cream filled spring roll) stolen from the kids' menu and a pistachio creme brulee.
Add the fact that the Gordon Grill also offers value set lunch and dinner menus at $68++ and $128++ for two people respectively, and you've got new reason to discover this ever-reliable stalwart of the local restaurant scene.
