Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM
who travels to a cliff but not to dive in to the sea…
All rights reserved
The intrepid and debonair Travelling Gourmet goes to Sentosa Island to taste the…
MANY epicurean delights of Michelin Star Chef Jared Gallagher in the Cliff restaurant of the Singapore Resort and Spa Sentosa. The Singapore Resort and Spa used to be the Beaufort Hotel but is now owned by the Royal Brothers, and managed by Accor. It is a favourite with the Russian Mafia who come here in November and December to escape the frezzing Russian Winter and pay all their bills in cash…US dollars.
I arrived very early to spy on energetic and modest Chef Jared cooking up his dishes in the glass enclosed show kitchen. He brought out the dishes and painstakingly explained the ingredients to the service staff, and then let the waiters, waitresses and manager taste the food.
I sat down to look at the sunset and the ships in the bay…then his special menu for me started with a small and very cute…
Caviar and Beignet Canape topped with 24 Karat gold foil…paired with fizzy Moet and Chandon Non Vintage chamapagne. A Beignet is like a Choux pastry. The creme fraiche filling made with butter and nutmeg inside the Beignet was most tasty.
The caviar went well with the champagne, as it always does! “Pot of Earth” appeared next. A glass pot was filled with a mousse of sweet corn and mozzarella with just a soupcon of chilli…topped with blanched baby shrimp. The champagne reminded me of when I went to do the Champagne Vendange (harvest) at the Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot vineyards and stayed at the luxurious Chateau de Saran.
A yummie meaty morsel in every bite was the main course of Rack of Lamb done ‘medium’ with a Chicory Crust with Carrot, Fava and Truffle. With this I had Casa Lapostolle 2012 Merlot red wine with pleasing flavours of sour plum and red berries. A friend remarked that it looked like a diabolical dragon with a flaming tongue. The upright carrot reminded me of the twin “Chopsticks” War Memorial near Raffles City.
A sweet treat was dessert of Passion Fruit Souffle. I cut open the top with my spoon and scooped the Vanilla sauce in. I expected the souffle to drop but to my suprise it maintained its fluffiness! It was surrounded tiny Lychee cups filled with passion fruit with Milk Chocolate honeyed Basil and “Soil”. The “Soil” does not look appetising but is really quite nice to eat. A typical Molecular Gastronomy touch, the “Soil” is actually made with liquid chocolate and tapioca maltodextrin. I completed my dinner with a strong Doppio Espresso… 🙂
The Cliff restaurant is all al fresco. You are cooled by numerous ceiling fans whirring non-stop like the rotor blades of Apache AH-64 helicopters. One side faces the big pool. The other faces Tanjong Beach and the sea, where you are soothed by the sparkling lights of the many ships in the bay. My Victorinox Swiss altimeter told me I was 106 meters above sea level. The picturesque dimly lit ambience has a romantic rustic feel to it.
If you want to try Chef Jared Gallagher’s contemporary French cuisine come here quickly because he is only in Singapore from 4 June to 8 June 2014. After that, you have to go to his restaurant Chez TJ in the town of Mountain View, California some 63 km from San Francisco.
The Cliff
2 Bukit Manis Road
Sentosa
Singapore 09989
Tel: 6275 0331
Chez TJ – One Michelin Star
938 Villa street
Mountain View
California 94041
USA
Tel: 650.964.7466
The Travelling Gourmet 