Recently opened in 2022, this new Italian restaurant has taken over the space that used to be Ash & Elm restaurant in the InterContinental Hotel. They didn’t seem to have done anything to the layout since my last Ash & Elm visit except maybe add or change out some decor items here and there. I thought to give this new restaurant a try since I was celebrating my belated birthday with my best friend, plus I had a 20% dining discount from the IHG loyalty programme that made it all the more enticing!
- Our order:
- Selection of artisanal cheese ($24++)
- Acquerello lobster risotto ($46++)
- Pan-fried atlantic cod with homemade fresh tomato sauce ($46++)
- Fragola ($18++)
- Spent: SGD$118.29
When my husband and I last dined here, we came a little later in the evening so the restaurant felt rather dark by then. This time, I arrived much earlier and got to see how brightly and nicely lit the restaurant is in the day. As the evening progressed, they would then dim the lights slightly for a warmer, more romantic ambience.
As my husband happened to be in the vicinity for work, he popped by out of the blue to accompany me until my best friend came. Feeling peckish, he decided to order the artisanal cheese platter comprising camembert, brie and Selles-sur-Cher. I can’t really appreciate strong cheeses so the following description of it came from him and my best friend, who tried some of it as well. They talked about how pungent all the cheeses were and that there was no way they could finish it. My best friend remarked that there’d usually be a mix of milder and stronger cheeses on a platter but this was pretty much maximum strength all the way.
Once my husband bade us goodbye, we proceeded to place our orders for a lobster risotto and a pan-fried atlantic cod to share. When these mains were brought to the table, we were seriously taken aback by the portion sizes. Given the prices on the menu, we certainly did not anticipate such small servings.
Taste-wise, we concluded that the lobster risotto outperformed the cod. It was very flavourful, having been cooked in hearty stock (although my best friend was hoping for a thicker consistency). The risotto had a pleasant and not overly firm texture, and the lobster was cooked to perfection.
As for the cod, it was also tender and well-cooked. However, the ingredients in the puttanesca sauce, like tomatoes and olives, were sort of blended in instead of being left in bigger chunks, resulting in a largely monotonous consistency. I personally felt that the sauce and the cod itself could do with a tad more seasoning as the entire dish tasted a bit flat.
On to dessert! We shared a fragola, which consisted of strawberry yoghurt mousse, yuzu chocolate cream, strawberry coulis and dulce crumble. I enjoyed this very much ❤ It had just the right balance of sweetness and tartness such that every bite was simply delightful.
After we were done with our meal, a staff brought us a complimentary orange cake for the occasion. While arguably moist, the cake had the texture of being just taken out of the freezer as the icing was stiff and almost solidified. Objective appraisal of the cake aside, we were still appreciative of the gesture!
Our experience of the service here was a mixed bag. Staff in blazers were more personable and ready to interact with guests compared to the others. Also, while we were perusing the menu to decide on our order, one of the staff suggested that we do so quickly as the mains could take a while to be prepared. We didn’t quite understand the full weight of this statement but unfortunately, the table beside us did. They were visibly upset that their starters took forever to arrive, and having to wait another eternity for their mains to be served enraged them even more. I felt sorry for them but also wondered how the kitchen was struggling to this extent even with so few tables occupied. I dared not imagine what the waiting time would be like if they had a full house.
Another issue was when I asked a staff whether I could utilize my IHG dining discount on our bill, to which she initially responded that it didn’t apply to this restaurant. I was pretty sure this was not the case so I did a search and showed her the restaurant’s name on the list of applicable dining establishments. Even then, she didn’t seem entirely convinced but said she would still apply the discount regardless. Eventually when we received the bill, we were pleasantly surprised to find a 25% discount applied instead!
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. Generally, we found the flavours of the mains and desserts to be rather mild and tame, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. The relatively better dishes of the night for us were the lobster risotto and the fragola dessert. Oddly enough, the cheese platter didn’t follow the same muted theme and was too heavy and pungent all the way through. In addition, given the premium prices and the small number of items on the menu, we were expecting a lot more quality and quantity in the flavours and portions. Service standards were inconsistent as well, with some staff clearly more equipped than others. Do be prepared to potentially wait a long time for your food if the kitchen gets busy. All in all, we might possibly give this place another visit but only if we get wind of these major aspects being tackled and resolved.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 