Chalk Restaurant

For the full review/pics, do visit http://yumyumformytumtum.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/chalk-restaurant-old-school-rediscovering-1st-loves/

Located at Old School @ Mount Sophia (sharing the same compound as Timbre @ Old School), Chalk is no newcomer to the local dining scene. It has been in operation for the past 3 and a half years, serving up a mix of Italian and French cuisine, not to mention a kick a** dessert menu as well. Indoor and alfresco dining options are available, with both eluding the homely and casual vibes of a bistro rather than a restaurant.

In line with the restaurant name, chalkboards are used to display the daily specials and given their relative scarcity, I decided to go for the Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Puree ($31), which is not part of Chalk’s regular menu. I never really thought of Chalk as an authentic Italian eatery, so I was genuinely surprised to discover how great the risotto was. I detected the use of truffle oil which complemented the cheesiness well and helped lift the flavours of the dish. This was easily the best main we had for the night! Chalk should seriously consider adding this into the regular menu.

The Duck Confit with Sweet Potato Mash and Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing ($33) is probably one of the best-sellers on the menu. Personally however, I find the meat too dry and salty so its really fortunate that there’s the sweet potato mash to bring the sodium level down a notch. Then again, as long as you are not a fussy food snob, frying a duck thigh in duck fat will still yield a tasty treat.

The Grilled Ribeye with Roasted Garlic Potato, Garden Vegetables & Red Wine Jus ($39) was another surprise. The beef is juicy and tender with the right amounts of fats and a rich and savoury gravy.

The Catch of the Day happened to be Baked Snapper ($30). I usually stay away from snapper as the flesh is really too lean for my liking and it proved true in this case. Moreover, the dish was almost totally bland.

I liked the Duo of Pork – Roasted Pork Belly & Confit Tomato Stuffed with Minced Pork, with Lentils & Fine Beans ($33). The pork comes with a nice proportion of meat to fats, and is absent of any gaminess. Italian 烧肉 anyone?

Chalk does a mean Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream & Sesame Snap ($13) too. Unlike the conventional chocolate lava cakes, this Chocolate Fondant is encrusted with sesame snaps, which results in a crispier exterior.

Just like your first kiss, no other kiss is just as memorable. That’s probably the reason why I am so fond of Chalk’s Sticky Date Pudding with Brandy Butterscotch Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream ($13). Compared to the other Sticky Date Puddings I have tried elsewhere, the ones at Chalk have a higher concentration of date and is less sweet.

If you are dining with friends and don’t mind sharing, I would definitely recommend the Sampler Plate ($25), a chef’s selection of 4 desserts. For this occasion, we were given tasting portions of Creme Brulee, Sticky Date Pudding with Ginger Ice Cream, Blood Orange Sorbet and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berry Compote. While I am a huge fan of Chalk’s Sticky Date Pudding, I have to admit that their Creme Brulee and Panna Cotta are in a league of their own. The Creme Brulee doesn’t commit the same faults that plague most restaurants; the density is just right, viscous enough to support the caramelized seared layer but not overly so that it resembles a chawanmushi. As for the Panna Cotta, apparently it is incredibly easy to make, just a heated mixture of cream, sugar, vanilla, gelatin and water which is then left to cool so I tend to avoid ordering it at restaurants but Chalk does it so perfectly that it’s making me rethink my future dessert ordering strategies.

Reassessing Chalk objectively at the end of the day, the main draw would be their desserts and I guess maybe it’s time to rediscover my first love and her friends.

Located in the old Methodist Girls' school on top of Mt Emily, Chalk offers a wonderful al fresco view in the cool of the evening, perfect for bringing your special someone for a meal. Even if you prefer indoors, it allows you a nice view outside cos its walls that separates the outdoor dining is completely made of glass.

The waiters and waitresses are polite, knowledgeable about the food they serve and the heritage of the surroundings, which is a rarity in the local F&B. I must commend Chalk for training their staff well. They are able to explain why certain ingredients are used in certain dishes to complement the taste of the other food items in the dish. Before I go into the food, I must emphasise that the prices are net. Chalk does not charge service tax, so you could consider giving the waiting staff some tips.

For starters, cream of mushroom soup (soup of the day, $13.5), was made of brown mushroom finely grinded, thick and served piping hot. The Caesar salad (special, $17) was accompanied with bacon. Both were served with a hearty serving.

For main course, the  grilled ribeye steak served with garlic roasted potato, garden salad and red wine jus ($39). I thought the steak was a bit too chewy for my liking. Otherwise, the dish was alright. The duck confit was served with sweet potato mash, rocket salad with balsamic dressing ($33). The duck was not too dry, as some duck confits could get. I would recommend the duck over the steak.

Cranberry soufflé ($15) was worth the 20min wait. It was soft, fluffy and melt in the mouth texture, earning 2 thumbs up from my wife. The dinner was accompanied with a  bottle of house wine Yaldara Estate Cabernet Sauvignant 2010, which it’s goes well with the duck and steak. Opens with aroma of berries, full bodied with low acidity and a short finish.

I would recommend that you come to check out this place soon cos all tenants of the Old School will need to vacate by June 2012 to make way for LTA’s plan to demolish it for new condominiums.

I went there only once, yet I found this place very peaceful and pleasant.  As it is locates at the top of a hill, in the past, it's used to be an old school.  Heard that our government is going to have this area for other usage, so I wonder will this restaurant be affected by the decision.

Due to there was an event which i have attended for, they got Chalk to do the catering.  I had tried the pizza, which was very yummy.  So when I got there, as we were already too full, we ordered the dessert instead.  Too many choices for the dessert, we can't possible eat it all when we made our first time at there.

So it is a nice gesture from Chalk, we can order the sample of 4 different desserts at one plate.  I hopes to go back again for their one month once, BBQ food.

head to http://theendangeredsartorialist.wordpress.com for more

chalk is the very definition of hidden find, tucked up above mount sophia at old school, where timbre is also sited. its a chillax, artsy environment what with the semi-industrial, minimalistic designs (seemingly with the swedish design aesthetic) along with tasteful paintings and furniture. getting here can be quite a pain if you don't have a car, as it means climbing up quite a few sequences of steps from plaza singapura. but that gives it the secluded charm i suppose.

my first impression of chalk was hugely positive - nice ambience along with good wine and company, and the restaurant gave the sense of a cosy after-work chill out spot for wine and food lovers and artsy bohemian spirits alike. often quite packed and requiring reservations, the restaurant had the air of a crowded yet still sufficiently private feel of a popular dining club, if you know what i mean. food-wise, the first experience proved pretty good, what with a decent carbonara serving, nice desserts and at a price point that wasn't too expensive.

so it was with these high expectations that i headed back to chalk to celebrate my birthday (now you know how backlogged this post is.. lol). and with high expectations came a high crash i suppose. what stunned me initially was the prices of the food as i stared at the menu - simple pastas were going at high 20s to 30s (the range of fine dining establishments), appetizers going at 20s to 40s (for iberico ham) and with flatbreads (some variant of a pizza) fetching at least 30 bucks. its was seriously pricey and i was kinda shocked at the menu and really even wondering what to order. lets not even talk about the drinks menu.

i mean, let's be honest about prices. people head to restaurants with a certain expectation after looking at the ambience, the clientele and just the general hype, classify them as a certain type of restaurant (cheap/value, cafe-style/brunch, mid-range, pricey, fine-dining). to me, chalk fell nicely in between the cafe/mid-range zone, where i would have expected pastas at around low 20s and mains at high 20s - 30s.. hmm, i dunno, the shock really took away alot of the initial goodwill i had of the place. and of course, with such prices, you become just that much demanding of what you get served with.

let's talk service next. i would call it inattentive at best. there weren't that many tables being served at that time, like 3 - 4.. which was surprisingly empty actually (maybe it was a sign). service was slow and it was difficult to get the waiter's attention it seemed. furthermore, there was a distinct sense that some of the waiters (or perhaps owner?) of the place was fixated on serving this ang-moh family that were seated later than us and pointedly ignored us. and that's annoying.

and then let's talk food. surprisingly, the menu didn't seem to have the well-acclaimed carbonara anymore, and the selections seemed to have thinned out. let's see

Mains: (sorry if the dish name/price is inaccurate.. im trying to remember the ballpark figure)

-Seafood Aglio Olio, $32

to be honest, the dish didn't look too bad or taste too bad, but i seriously don't know how the restaurant would justify a pricepoint of 30-ish bucks. The ingredients don't look particularly spectacular or expensive and neither does the execution seem to require some major expensive equipment. so why?

-Coco De Matanza - Garlic Saffron Bread with Lean Pork Belly Meat, Fried Chorizo, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic and Smoked Idiabazal Cheese ($36?)

i've said my piece about the price so i'm not repeating. taken on its own, this dish is actually a decent variation of your common pizza, with the caramelized onions, fried chorizo and pork belly meat blending well to create a flat bread that was both sweet and savory and tasted good. it's a decent dish.

Desserts: Chocolate fondant, vanilla ice cream and sesame snap, Sticky date pudding with brandy butterscotch sauce and ginger ice cream, Vanilla pannacotta with berry compote

desserts was where chalk won back some points. the desserts felt inspired and the vanilla pannacotta is really something to die. for. light, but bursting with immense vanilla flavor and paired spectacularly with the berry compote, this dessert seriously left you wanting for me. haven't seen another pannacotta that is as good as this to be honest. try this if you are here.

hmm. all in all? a disappointment, more from an overpriced standpoint. dishes were well-executed and tasty but the price left a bitter taste in the mouth. service didn't help either. i liked their spanish flatbread, but found their others mains (didn't really include them, but it included dishes like half a spring chicken and barramundi fish) to be too simplistic and uninspired to fetch such a high price. desserts were good. its sad to say this, but i doubt i would revisit chalk unless i hear sufficient good hype again. the competition out there is just too stiff. 

Having had excellent food the day before at Alto Taberna, the new restaurant by the same team, we decided to try out Chalk, thinking it would be equally good. But we came with too high expectations.

We were received well and service was nothing to complain about on a Friday evening, full house inside, and we got a table outside. The ambience was light and not private at all, tables outside placed too close to the neighbouring tables.

I had the duck confit, and they allowed me to change the side dish from mashed potatoes to garlig potatoes. The duck was fatty, and the taste reminded me of foodcourt chicken, it did not hit the right spot with me. The garlig potatoes were good though. My husband had the pork with redwine sauce; pork was juicy, but both meat and sauce were quite tasteless, desperately needing salt and pepper...

Prices were not terrifying, and menu prices are not ++.

All in all we both left food on the plate, left the place within 45 minutes and do not see a reason to come back.

Grab a seat at the al fresco area, which overlooks the city. Might get a little warm but the view is stunning!

Food is decent, not that great but OK. I had the duck confit, which I found a little dry. Overall pretty good value for money, and best of all, no service charge!

If you want to impress your date and yet not break your wallet; bring her to CHALK.

Great food:

The pizzas are out of this world!

Pastas are tasty.

Soups are generous and delicious.

Salads are fresh, tasty and a great healthy option.

Foie Gras is a must!!!

Duck and Pork dishes are yummy - then again, I'm a meat lover!

Desserts are out of this world - my favourites the Souffle and Creme Brulee.

Weekday lunch or dinner are best then you get great attention from the staff as they are not over-stretched.

So I've eaten at Chalk before, and I liked the food (though I didn't review it previously). My colleagues wanted to give me a farewell dinner and I suggested going to Chalk, since I enjoyed myself the last time I was there. We trekked up the long long flight of stairs from Dhoby Ghaut to Old School, and arrived perspiring and breathless only to realize that Chalk wasn't open. We thought we had merely arrived too early (6.15pm) since the opening time for the restaurant was 6.30, and we decided to hang out for a bit.

What we didn't realize was that Chalk was closed on Mondays. When one of us went in to ask, Marcus Lau - the executive chef - informed us very apologetically that Monday was a rest day for the restaurant. What we definitely did not expect was Marcus opening a bottle of wine for us free-of-charge as a gesture of apology (though it really wasn't his fault at all that the restaurant was closed!). Even after we asked to pay for the wine several times, he insisted that we have it on the house. What I was even more impressed by was Marcus suggesting other similar nearby venues for us to dine at, such as Wild Rocket or District 10, and even going to the extent of offering us a lift to the place! Of course we felt really bad already about him giving us a bottle of wine, and we did not want to impose on his hospitality further.

Besides his extremely gracious manners, I was also very inspired by the way Marcus talked about Chalk while showing us around the place and as he discussed his future plans for Chalk. I'm definitely an even greater fan of Chalk now after this experience, and I can't wait to go back to try their food again. I've only reviewed the service this time around, since I didn't actually eat anything, but trust me the food is definitely worth going for as well. I am looking forward very much to the next time I go to Chalk!

First impressions through the door got me a lil psyched, chill out decor, un pretentious, totally my kinda of place to wrap up a Sunday weekend.

 

Menu arrived and well that was the point i realised we had gone passed the precipice of this maiden experience. I couldn't find a single dish that i would order for a starving dog. If you don't know me by now, I'm the eaisest diner to please, Meat, Beef, steak, minced, chopped, rib, bone, stewed......that's me. So the wife ordered the mushroom risotto and i asked the server - Stewed beef (20++) or steak (35++)?? He din bat an eyelid and said: Steak!! I was sceptical with the less 1/2 a sec response but went with it...and the wife gave a last min shout for a tuna carpaccio starter..oh ordered a glass of house red too.

 

Open yr eyes and imagine....

 

First up, I think my dog gets fresher bread then the dried up cardboard they served me.  

 

The tuna arrived pronto, this is gonna be tough to described, so bear with me. You know how you get the chinese white raw fish at hawker centres, that was pretty much it. Toilet bowl moment.

 

Now pay special attention to what i'm gonna tell you about the the mushroom risotto. Picture This: Mushroom risotto infused with Carrots, dates, Corn, Green Peas and maybe some Radish. Did Han's come to town or what??? Is there some recipe exchange going on??? We abandoned half the bowl in abt 2 mins.

 

The supposedly Ribeye, was at best a mexican entrecot steak.

 

Wine was not half bad but the size of the glass was be-fitting an egg head.

 

We scooted in 40 mins.

 

I hope i never find out who put this restaurant in my head!

 

 

 

I visited twice at Chalk. The food was real nice, especially the Duck confit (with the sweet potato sauce). And the service was very good, the most special part is they actually brought a "Board" menu right infront of your table to inform you of today's specials.

And the ambience was real good n cosy. I would suggest to go in the night for the best effect.