C’est mon opinion, et je la partage…on SPATHE

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

Food photos are of REAL food with NO photoshop

who delves deeply into the French language or la langue francaise or le francaise…

MARVELLOUSLY melodious and romantic is the French language and I particularly like this phrase:

C’est mon opinion, et je la partage. It means: That’s my opinon and I’m sharing it. I would like to share with you my experience last night at a Public House at No. 8 Mohamed Sultan Road. The sleazy clubs and bars are slowly disappearing to be replaced by…appetizing Pubs, Restaurants and Cafes…

SPATHE Pub did not look like much from the outside as I did my recon. Inside it was a very different story. Warm, happy, boisterous with wooden slated benches for communal dining. Yes, Spathe is a Gastro-Pub…and the Chef is Swiss-German with Italian parents. How unique is that! The food is not Michelin Star or pretentious Molecular Cuisine BUT plain, good, wholesome comfort food in the southern Swiss-German style Portions are big and very satisying. The big Salmon Steak still juicy in the middle made me happy…the Slow Cooked for 12 hours Pork Belly was knife-tender and flavoursome..accompanied by Poached Egg. I put the wobbly egg in my mouth…rolled it against my palate…the liquid yolk burst releasing all its flavours to pleasure my eager taste-buds! Oh! La! La! Yummie! Cream of Smoked Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Croutons was fabulous. My boisterous pals and companions agreed wholeheartedly with me. If there was a winter season in sunny Singapore, all you would need for a hearty, comforting dinner or supper would be this super soup. The Goat Cheese Croutons were crisp to the bite like a very good potato crisp…and then my mighty molars bit into yielding, slightly gooeeey aromatic Goat Cheese. Some do not care for Goat Cheese but I adore Goat Cheese. Well, one man’s meat is another’s poison. There are no rights or wrongs in gastronomy. Eat what you like because that is the best food for you…Who cares if people with bad taste say Durians are smelly and horrible. As long as YOU like them, that is what counts! Choose Tiger Prawn Salad with mayo and Avocado for a healthy weight watcher’s option.

The eclectic decor is coool…A gigantic red bird, probably a Robin Redbreast, adorns the far wall by the kitchen. Big Blackboards neatly written in coloured chalk announce the Specials and implore you to drink wine. I tried 2 wines both from Portugal. Luke, the cheerful “Geordie” Bartender from Newcastle upon Tyne poured the wines for me. They were not the kind of wines “label drinkers” like. They were the kind of wines, a true wine connoisseur appreciates and “label drinkers” disdain. You see, they are from Portugal and not Bordeaux, and they are not super expensive like Chateau Petrus 1998 which costs US$3458 per bottle …I liked the red Portuga Vinho Regional Lisboa 2011 which was well-balanced and not over-oaked. It matched well with the Slow-Cooked succulent Pork Belly!

I was pleased to be able to practise my German with tall and dynamic Swiss Chef/Owner Claudio Sandri from Basel. Claudio also speaks Italian and kindly showed me his compact kitchen. He had worked in London for many years and this experience inspired him to open Spathe. The PAP (pretty and polite) servers are mainly from the Philippines…Jaddel the Manager is very kind and helpful. Another Pinay told me, “I’m from Mindanao but I’m not with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front).” I was relieved, Ha! Ha!

SWEET Suprises include Sticky Toffee Pudding…so traditionally British…and so sweet and good. Pear Charlotte is very nice too. I took the ivory coloured Lady Finger biscuit from the Charlotte and dipped it into my foamy Cappuccino…Bon appetit! Life is like good ice cream. Enjoy it before it melts…

Come here for a drink or a comfort meal with friends and family…you won’t regret it. As Arnold Schwarznenegger said as The Terminator, “I’ll be back…”

🙂

SPATHE Public House

(Spathe means a bract or pair of bracts, often large and colored, subtending or enclosing a spadix or flower cluster.)

8 Mohamed Sultan Road

Singapore 238958

Tel: +65 6735 1035

Sunday Brunch goes all the way till 5PM!

About thetravellinggourmet

As a renowned Travel, Food & Wine Writer he has travelled the world in a keen & indomitable pursuit of exotic delicacies & fine wines. His articles have been published in over 20 prestigious publications, both local & international. Dr. Lim has toured and trained in Wine Evaluation & Oenology in most of the world's top wine producing areas from France to Australia. The Travelling Gourmet says, "Gastronomy has no frontier. These are the gastronomic voyages of The Travelling Gourmet. My unending mission. To explore strange new cuisines, to seek out new wines and new culinary experiences, to boldly go where no gourmet has gone before...." Have pen, will travel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage & retrieval system, without permission from Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet and/or MSN. Material may be works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents may be true but may also be products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance whatsoever to actual person or persons, either dead or living, events, or locales may be entirely and purely coincidental and unintentional. No part of this website may be used to villify others or for criminal purposes. Interests: Travel, Food, Wines, Cooking, Wine Appreciation, Parachuting, Languages, Music, Reading, Swimming, Hunting, Ballet, Fencing, Archery, Anthropology and more... The Travelling Gourmet is a copyrighted trademark. All rights and photos reserved. No part may be reproduced without permission.

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