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2012-10-26
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When dinner was being organised for a get together with Mr. C and Miss. K, Cepage was not the original destination. It was only after my reluctance to go along with Miss K's suggestion of Spoon that Mr. C offered Cepage as an option.So the night before the public holiday saw us seated on the second floor of Cepage's dining room. Situated on Star Street, it is a one Michelin star establishment with its emphasis on a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine. As I entered the restaurant I was greeted
So the night before the public holiday saw us seated on the second floor of Cepage's dining room. Situated on Star Street, it is a one Michelin star establishment with its emphasis on a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine. As I entered the restaurant I was greeted by the smiling hostess who then directed me towards the elevator opposite the hostess desk. It was a little odd stepping into the elevator with two staff members who stood facing each other, but at least it was a very short ride up. Once arrived, another waitress led me from the short hall into the main dining room. What struck me was how small the area was, with only five tables generously spaced apart from each other with I think two private rooms around the corner. The ceilings were high which was helpful in opening up the space in an elongated fashion and there was a mix of contemporary and what they term as 'old world' touches shown by the sleek tan wood panels on the walls contrasting with the elegant chandeliers dangling high above.
The menu for that night was actually unknown as many of the dishes were organised by the chef, but I can say that he made some fantastic choices.
We were served an assortment of bread to start with a selection of baguettes, anchovy rolls, cheese foccacia, brioche and sour dough. I picked the anchovy roll and baguette, but regretted it as the anchovy smell was extremely fishy, however the crunchiness of the exterior and soft insides showed the quality of the bread.
Our first appetiser was a signature dish. A neat bundle of angel hair pasta well tossed in truffle oil and decorated prettily with caviar, a light sprinkling of truffles and a sprig of basil flowers. We were instructed to pluck the purple basil flowers off the sprig and eat it together with the pasta. This. was. amazing. The angel hair was cooked to a perfect al dente and the truffle oil filled the senses with its wonderfully earthy aroma. The caviar added a touch of saltiness to the dish and the fresh flavour from the flowers helped awaken the palate. This was one of the best dishes of the night~
A plate of scallop maki was served alongside the pasta dish, featuring six delicate rolls of raw scallops wrapped in seaweed and crowned with caviar and a touch of gold foil. The scallops were velvety soft and I would suggest to eat these quite quickly as the seaweed became damp and slightly chewy as they absorbed the moisture from the scallops.I enjoyed this as did Mr. C which was no surprise since he loves scallops, while Miss K thought it was a bit too salty.
The next dish arrived with a very strong smoky aroma which gave me the impression that it was pork related. When the waiter described it as smoked anago, I was quite surprised as the flesh was pink hued, but this was quickly overcome by my anticipation to try it because anago is one of my favourite types of fish~ Three slices of anago were draped over a bed of tomato confit and slices of pan-fried potatoes with the funny addition of a shaving of parmesean cheese. I adored this dish! The anago was unctuous in texture and its fattiness just made it melt in the mouth.. To refresh the palate a small cup of shiitake consomme was served to relieve the oiliness. I think I was the only one who really enjoyed the anago, as both Mr. C and Miss K ate around it, leaving most of the anago untouched.
Their signature black miso cod was presented simply, wrapped in a hoba leaf with an accompanying side of sweet miso. The flesh was firm, but nicely moist and flaked off easily from the prod of a fork. The cod was apparently marinated using three different types of miso, and the sweetness of the marinade complimented the almost buttery flavour of the cod. This dish was liked by all three of us.
The beef tartare prepared here is a little unsual compared to others I have tried. They termed it 'tataki' style where the top of the tartare was bruleed and it was served over a layer of ratatouille. This dish was definitely strongly flavoured and we all agreed that the ratatouille over-powered the taste of the beef. Miss K did not like the taste of the peppers used in the ratatouille, while I found the varying temperatures from the slight warmness of the bruleed top of the beef tartare to the sudden coolness of the ratatouille to be quite strange.
While we were waiting for our next course, my attention was captured by several waiters preparing to provide a gueridon service for the next table involving a gorgeously roasted chicken. Watching them in action, efficiently carving up the chicken was quite interesting and showed no small amount of skill.
No sooner then they had finished, another roasted chicken was wheeled out, this time stopping at our table! So essentially we got the visual action twice and honestly speaking there is something just so tantalising about a simple plate of roast chicken served with a side of fresh lettuce hearts and potatoes. You could tell it was cooked perfectly, the meat was succulent from the juices retained during the roasting process, the thighs were tender and even the white breast meat normally so tough was easy to chew. The highlight would probably be the skin, I normally do not eat chicken skin, but it looked so alluring that I could not resist trying. And I am glad I did, with the excess fats roasted away leaving behind a crispy skin that gave way to an irresistible crackle. Very very good.
All too soon it was time for desserts~ Petite fours came first, a combination of yuzu marshmallow, pear and red wine jelly and a duo of oatmeal cookies. Miss K and I thought the marshmallow was way too sweet, it was also gritty in texture while Mr. C thought it was not bad, but we suspect that he was too busy looking at his phone to actually notice what he was tasting haha... the pear and red wine jelly was quite nice with a slightly chewy texture and I thoroughly agreed with Miss K that it tasted like those dried fruits 'gar yin ji' you eat after drinking a very bitter herbal tea. I liked the oatmeal cookies most, light and buttery with a delicate snap when you bit into it.
Alongside our petite fours, a tray of very cute mini eclairs were also served~ They were surprisingly not very sweet and out of the three flavours coffee, dark chocolate and sea-salt caramel, I preferred the dark chocolate most as it had the boldest flavour compared to the other two.
And then we were served the chocolate souffle. This was paired with a gorgeously coloured cherry sorbet which was so striking against the sombre brown of the souffle. To be honest I am generally not partial to souffles because they tend to have an eggy flavour and I like my desserts to be of more substance rather than just a puff of air. This was definitely an exception though. Sinfully rich and dark it was absolutely seductive.. the fluffy top gave way to a semi-set moussey texture and it was so chocolatey that I can guarantee that it would satisfy the cocoa craving of any chocolate fanatic out there. It was an absolute pleasure to eat.. no wonder people consider chocolate as an aphrodisiac hahaha...The cherry sorbet was delightfully sharp and tangy with no fake cherry flavour and it helped to refresh the palate for those that desire a break from all the chocolate. I could not help murmuring how good the souffle was with every spoonful and I must have driven Mr. C and Miss K insane hahaha... I know Mr. C enjoyed his since he likes chocolate as well, but not so much for poor Miss K even though she made a huge effort and finished it I would recommend this~
We finished with coffees, cappuccinos for Mr. C and Miss K, while I had my usual skim, decaf latte. I ordered mine extra hot, but when the coffees came, the waiter taking our order must have mixed it up resulting in the cappuccinos being of the higher temperature while mine was normal. Just a small mishap. The coffees were from Nespresso which explained the lack of latte art and weak foam on the cappuccinos, but the flavour of the coffee was quite good.Aside from the beef tartare, I loved my dining experience at Cepage. The service was attentive, the manager was friendly, not at all intrusive and made small talk at appropriate times. This is definitely somewhere I plan on returning to~
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