Double Bay Restaurant

The name suggests this would be a great night out.  What a disappointment!

The menu is very simple in reality with a heavy focus on seafood, in fact almost total focus on seafood which makes it difficult if one of the party is not able to eat seafood.

Reservations were handled efficiently and the window seat was a prime spot to watch the crowds go by.

Entree was fairly quick and the onion rings excellent, along with the calamari, very fresh.

Sadly it's all downhill from here.  Mains arrive.  Well one arrives first, the well done steak.  After a complaint to follow up the second meal which was a very complicated "fish and chips" that arrived after about another 3-4 minutes.  Sadly by this time, the other meal was cold so off to the kitchen for a re-heating of the steak.  What is it with Singapore food establishments and their lack of food service skills?  Serve the people at the table at the same time for crying out loud!!

From there, it was a shame as it spoiled the mood and ambiance of the night.  Whilst the food was "okay" when it arrived, the service to get it there was appalling and sadly, very typical of Singapore restaurants.

If you are into seafood, particular all the fried variety, fisherman's baskets etc, this is your menu.  The snapper was good but the batter was unfortunately very fatty and hadn't been left to drain sufficiently.

And when dinner at an establishment with such an upmarket name as Double Bay includes cheap paper napkins, you have to wonder if it is indeed overrated!

One time for this diner, and sadly won't be back or recommending to friends.

Having read several positive reviews on the excellent Chilean seabass by Double Bay, I decided to try it for myself. I made a reservation through phone and I was afraid the restaurant would be quite packed during dinner time. Pies, fish and chips: with its wall of windows facing the street, Double Bay Restaurant serve Aussie food and has a warm breeze and friendly staff to complement the informality of its speciality dishes. Named after the glamorous Sydney suburb, the restaurant attracts a cosmopolitan post-work crowd in search of tasty casual fare. Seafood lovers are in for a treat and would do well to start with the tasty tuna carpaccio served with a bushel of alfalfa sprouts. Their signature dish is the Fish and chips. Choose from a range of fish and have it done the way you like! The range of fish includes chilean sea bass, marble goby (no longer available), barred cod, barranmundi. Other mains, sandwiches, pies and desserts are also available. I had the Pan Roasted Chilean Seabass ($26.90) with Hokkaido seaweed crust which was highly recommended by other bloggers. Pan Roasted Chilean Seabass ($26.90) I requested for the potato mousseline to be removed as I dislike anything with potatoes. Well, they kindly replaced it with more greens and mushrooms which I love it! The chilean seabass was pan-roasted to perfection ! Chilean sea bass belongs to the cod family and unlike the chinese sea bass which has a muddy flavour (yucks!). It taste like cod, FLAKY, RICH, MOIST , melts in my mouth in every bite ….just awesome! It has the natural sweetness and taste superb even without the shellfish emulsion sauce. I just enjoy every morsel with the cracked black pepper. Oops! I just loveee this to the max….! The shellfish emulsion is served with the fish but I think it doesn’t serve any purpose as the fish is naturally sweet. Anyway, the sauce is something interesting. The vegetables which was served together with the fish is also worth praising. The vegetables( roasted tomatoes, zucchini, french beans and shimeji mushrooms) were lightly sauteed with garlic. They were so fragrant, crunchy and full of flavour . I simply could not find another word to comment. After the meal, the manager came and have a little chat with me, asking me for any rooms of improvements. I have no complaints but only full of compliments . Most of us would feel that the fish fillet in fish and chips are dry and tasteless but they did it in such a way that the fish fillet retains all its nutrients and flavour. The secret? Thin batter and seasoning. They even offered to let me have a try of their famous fish and chips when I visit them the next time round. I would definately love to come back again to try the other mains as well as the fish and chips!

Located at the heart of Raffles City, this restaurant creates a comfortable dining environment in the bustling city. Friends and I were greeted warmly upon stepping into the restaurant. Glass decor creates a modern contemporary atmosphere, a place where I know I’ll love it. I immerse in the soothing music that filled the place, something I never expected to find in the heart of Raffles City.

I admit I never been a cheese lover. When Spinach and Warm Goat Cheese ($12.90) was served, I carefully placed a tiny wee bit into my mouth. Goat cheese smell does not irk me at all, not as pungent as I thought it would be. Creamy warm goat cheese is surprisingly tasty. It makes a wonderful combination with sweet vanilla poached pear by the side. An unexpected enjoyment.

Charcoal Grilled Squid ($11.90) was not especially intriguing compared to the goat cheese. Dipped into the roasted peanut and chilli vinaigrette, it reminds me of satay peanut sauce. In fact, it is the sauce that excites me, not the squid.

I fall in love with Chilean Seabass once, and I was totally enchanted by its beauty the second round. Nested on top of potato mousseline and vine tomato coulis, thePan Roasted Chilean Seabass ($26.90) with Hokkaido seaweed crust was pleasantly moist, rich and firm. Lightly seasoned fish retained its freshness and I was able to enjoy the natural sweetness completely. I particularly love the potato mousseline which I thought it was the sauce accompanying the fish. So smooth and creamy, heavenly.

I had a shocked when I saw the Crispy Australian Barramudi ($21.90). Price and size are worlds apart compared to the Chilean Seabass. Friend replaced leek with clams and I’m sure he was clams overloaded. The Barramudi was soft but less flaky than seabass. While friend thought it was not bad, I felt it paled in comparison to the seabass.

Barred Cod ($24.90) was cooked Sous Vide in shellfish emulsion, roasted fennel and wilted mushroom. It locks in the moisture and flavour of the fish. Soft pinkish flesh is flaky and rich. All the three dishes are remarkable. But given a choice, Chilean Seabass will still be my favourite for its rich and firm texture.

I’m spoiled for choices when it comes to desserts but friends and I decided to get the Signature Apple Pie ($11.90) eventually. While the crumbly, buttery crust is good, I find it slightly thick to my liking. A scoop of vanilla ice-cream is still a comfort to the warm dessert.

Nice ambience, impeccable service. Crews made the effort to serve one course at a time, changed all cutleries after each course and drinks refilled promptly. Price is slightly higher from what I used to have but given the quality of food, I’m sure I’ll be back in no time.
Visit my blog for more reviews. 

I've eaten here at least 4 times now, all for work. I've noticed how the crowd has dwindled a little more each visit. Pity, because I hope it sticks around for a while longer.

It's a pretty place, bright with lots of glass like a greenhouse, with views of Raffles Hotel. The menu at the outset looks an interesting prospect. Loads of choices of fish for the signature Fish & Chips, plus a choice of beer battered, sumac or breaded.There is a list of pastas and main courses too if you're not into a fried lunch. When I visited last week I tried the salmon with sumac batter and it was interesting.

The F&C come with an array of three sauces, tartar, vinegar and ketchup. I can't fault the fish, it's usually very fresh. Best thing are the fries, thickly cut, flat and long. I can understand when people say there's nothing special about the food, but it's all very decent and besides fish & chips are hardly what you can describe as spectacular in the first place.

I decided to check out this popular eatery recently. Located at the heart of Raffles City, this glass enclave gets a lot of natural light and creates a comforting dining environment in the city.

Down to the food, I started with the Seafood Cioppino Soup ($10.90). I did not enjoy it as I found it to be too watery.

For my main course I had the Capellini with Tuna ($18.90) which was another of those dishes which I could not understand. The tuna was nice , although some bits were overcooked. The dish had a sour finish and looked more like an Asian dish than a western one.

The Australian Barramundi ($21.90) fish and chips though was good though. I liked the firmness of the fish and how the chips were crispy on the outside and mushy on the insides.

Overall though, I am not sure if I would return as I found the prices to be on the high side for what I was eating.

I have had a few encounters with Double Bay. Once, my friend and I shared a pot of White Wine Mussels and Barramundi Fish and Chips in beer batter. Unfortunately both dishes didn't exactly dazzled. The mussels were plump and fresh, but the sauce was diluted and bland, with nary the aromatics of white wine. Fish and Chips were flaky and slightly oily. The chips were chunky and good though and was good for dunking into chili sauce.

My other visit was barely a week later, with a large group of friends. And as you know, a large group is always welcomed since it means that I get to dip my fork into a good number of dishes.

Calamari is a perennial favourite for communion. Each piece was of a good size and contained a springy bite within a thin coating of batter.

Caesar salad was an obligatory vege dish to balance the entire fried food equation. Unfortunately it seemed sparse on a very clean white plate, with limited sprinkling of bacon bits. Having a poached egg on the greens will be a nice gesture and helped increase the worth of this dish. By a teeny bit.

The Snapper Fish Pie that is good for two was encased in a warm and crusty pastry. Soft on the inside, flaky on the outside. I, however am one, who loves meat in my pie hence I can't exactly appreciate this fishy one.

Two types of Fish and Chips were ordered - one Seabass with Beer Batter and the other was Colbia with Coriander and Sumac batter. After sampling three styles of their Fish and Chips, I can safely conclude that I am not a fan. Though the freshness of the fish is undeniable, the problem is that the batter is too delicate to express the flavours convincingly. This and coupled with an oily aftertaste, its enough to keep me away from ordering it again.

The Atlantic Salmon was served up in its coral orange glory, indicating again the freshness of the fish. That was further assured, with a firm and smooth bite. The crisp skin scored by adding extra texture. An orange emulsion of an unidentifiable nature offers a fancy, epicurean moment.

The Chilean Seabass was the killer for the evening. Tender and flaky, it fell off easily with a glide of the knife, which sets an expectation before it hits your tongue. All I can is that you would be able to enjoy this meal even if you were toothless. The background of mash and grilled vegs complimented the entire dish. The unidentifiable emulsion trend continues in this one.

Crabmeat Linguine was done well, with the pasta cooked Al-Dente in a tomato flavour and entwined with crabmeat clumps and shavings of cheese. We however still think the one at Marmalade Pantry provides more kick.

I didn't have enough of the Capellini with Rare Pacific Tuna to make a fair judgement but some found it pretty good and enjoyed the fusion flavour about it. The pasta and cheese harmonized well with the tangy and Asian tones. But one of them said she never got a slice of the Rare Pacific Tuna, very much as what its name described! Thinking back, it did taste like char mee...

Snapper Fillet Sandwich with Avocado and Sprouts was an interesting choice for dinner, but I was keen to find out if their sandwiches were good. It was a crisp crunch of fish beneath the light crust bread but I thought Avocado would better compliment a non-fried and soft sort of patty.

The Sticky Date Pudding had a soft and dense consistency but even when it was half-drenched in a toffee syrup, it lacked the rich and sweet attributes of a pudding. I believe Marmalade Pantry is again the undisputed queen when it comes to serving a mean sticky pudding.

The lemon-loving fans at the table were pleased with the Lemon Meringue Pie, which had a tart lemon curd filling without being overly sour and was covered with a lightly fluffed up and torched Meringue.

The Molten Lava Cake varied slightly from the regular ones that I have eaten (or made). This one has a crust-like outering, possessing more of the characteristics of a souffle than the usual warm chocolate cake. The familiar oozing of gooey warm chocolate was however unmistakable, even though I held greater hopes of a richer choc taste.

There are few hits and misses at Double Bay in my visits there. I do see its potential but somehow it always misses the mark slightly (at times, quite a bit for some of the dishes). Its service level is however highly commendable. For the times that I was there, I have been very well-served by their wait staff, who maintain warm and friendly depositions and know their products well enough to sell them.

They serve a brunch menu and I am tempted to give it another shot....

For the full story and more pics, refer to http://wildrocketing.blogspot.com/2009/12/double-bay.html

Oh i missed Aussie! The drinking the BBQ the partyinggg!!! When this new bloke on the block came to town. i tot oh well..gona give it a try n grabbed another Aussie alumni n went to check it out!

A modern contemporary feel comes to mind with the ambience n decor... FISH seems to be quite the highlight here with chilean sea bass, barred cod and barramundi! Oh i fell in love with barramundi when i was in kuranda having barramundi fish n chips on a lovely veranda overlooking the ancient rainforests.. My failed attempt to secure freshly caught barramundi at Perhentian island left me sorely disappointed that i was determined to have one at Double Bay! But easily swayed i was as i started eyeing the fatty chilean sea bass which looked simply tantalising!

We started with the BBQ squid with peanut sauce.. a fusion dish with local flavours incorporated..i liked e smoky BBQ flavour on e squid n it's interesting paired with peanut sauce although non satay/gadogado/tahur telor fans might not take to it... The calamaris r hugh! It's value for $$$ but i didn't really like it coz e batter is a tad too thick for my liking.. great if u r having a couple of rings but not so great if u r like having 8 of it where e oil n thick batter do get to u..

For mains, i jumped fish i mean ship from barramundi to chilean sea bass which is touted to be very fatty n very moist! More fatty than wild salmon! Awesome for grilling! The chilean sea bass was wonderful.. it was flaky n fatty n smooth n goes well with e creamy sauce n shrooms... not too sure what's e pink emulsion sauce was abt since the creamy sauce sorta overpower it but i do like this dish! Slightly at a more premium price as chilean sea bass r kinda overfished..erm wait.. sld i even be recommending this? oh well... *grins*..

We had the vongole pasta as well which my friend wanted for carbo... The pasta is a tad on e stingy side but e clams r aplenty.. Taste-wise it's alrighty n not impressive..

If u r wondering y we didn't order fish n chips as its e signature here.. well my recent adventures with fish n chips in Spore r less than thrilling n i've simply decided to leave that when i'm back in Aussie soon!

Overall, it's quite a decent place to dine n e food's not too bad. I likey the chilean sea bass which i tot is yummy! Do give it a try!

4 Nov went for dinner with me friends, not many people there so service on that day was good, when we entered they asked if air con was too cold for us. water was refilled promptly.
we ordered calamari, mains were altanic salmon and ribeye steak (110g), desserts included sticky pudding and warm chocolate lava cake.

calamari was fresh, big with crispy coating. think its costs about $10.90 for about 15rings (estimated)

my friend said salmon was nice was cooked vege as side dish. $18.90 i think

$18.90, Ribeye I asked for medium, a bit bloody but able to taste the freshness so plus points. not filling if u are a big eater as its only 110g for us ladies its just fine :)

tasted my friend's sticky pudding, very nice, texture is just right for me, bit soft and chewy yum.
chocolate cake also very nice, not too sweet for a chocoholic, i personally liked the desserts very much
cant rem the cost for desserts think was around 10-15 sorry bad memory

would go there again on pay day cheers
ps: good service depends on how 'free' they are so good luck!

We took my mother-in-law to Double Bay to celebrate her birthday. After the first good experience, I was eager to relinquish that "good feeling".

The wait staff who served my friends and I the last time wasn't around this time. So, we had another wait staff who wasn't as good. I didn't catch his name. But eventually, another person, I think the manager came over to help us and everything went smoothly.

As I definitely must have the Mushroom Soup, we ordered it... the soup was consistent - it was excellent. We absolutely loved it. We also ordered the seafood soup, which was rich with ingredients and the taste was not overpowering. But if you asked me... just take the mushroom soup. It is way better. We also told them we would be sharing (4 of us), they split the soups for us.

For the mains, I ordered the seafood pasta. It actually tasted all right. Kinda' normal but what I liked was the generous amount of ingredients. My husband had the fish and chips. I can't remember what fish and batter he ordered but it was a little disappointing. It wasn't as exciting as I hope it would taste - like the types you eat in Australia. And it definitely wasn't worth the price. My MIL's SO had Vongole. I suggest you not order this. It's such a normal pasta dish to order at Double Bay.

But my MIL's grilled Marbled Goby (Soon Hock) was so tasty. It was the most outstanding main course that night. We all couldn't help but shared her Marbled Goby. By the way, this was not on the menu. It was supposed to be "Fish & Chips" but my MIL liked it grilled. So, the restaurant specially prepared it for her.

The tier-1 fish was tender and the skin was so crispy to the bite that the juice burst in your mouth. We could also taste the freshness of the fish. It was excellent!

We also ordered a wine, which I can't remember the name. This was a good wine I must say and it didn't cost a lot.

Since it was my MIL's birthday, I had to specially arranged a cake for her... or dessert. So, we ordered a molten chocolate cake and they served the dessert to her with a candle on it.

The molten chocolate was heavenly. It was a great way to end the dinner.

And I will be back - for the grilled Marbled Goby.

Their service is quite good. The waiter doesn't know about the food but they make an effort to find out for you.

We order some wedges which came with some peanut butter-based sauce. Was quite unique and went really really well with the fries. Fries were fresh, with good quality potatoes.

Next was the pie.
Ordered the australian all beef pie and the all mushroom pie.
The pies are like 15$ and is HUGE. Can actually feed two people.

The beef pie is stuffed with chokeful of minced beef. Very flavourful and unlike other places they are not tiresome to finish. Excellent.

The mushroom is abit lousier to me. Very mushroomy taste, got tired of it easily. If you love mushroom though, this is a must try!

Fish and chips is also their specialty. Ordered two of them with different styles of cooking. One is just normal fried (i think) the other was breaded. The breaded one was definitely better. Is more pleasant smelling and appetizing.

Called their desserts like the chocolate fondant and lemon souffle.
Decent, but needs to be improved. Would rather go to canele just nearby for dessert fix.


All in all, its very good value. Portions are humongous relative to prices.