Gunther's

When I first came her last year I thought finally I had discovered a restaurant in Singapore I would gladly return to time and time again. I was wrong, as two subsequent visits revealed.

The last one was for a business lunch some weeks back, where I was dining with my colleague and some Hong Kong bankers. My colleague and I arrived early and were greeted by the generally pleasing maitre d' who appeared to remember us. We were shown to a table and handed menus by a waiter who managed to knock a glass over in the process. That was forgivable, but approaching us around five minutes later to ask us if we were ready to order was not. Doesn't anyone in management coordinate with the waiting staff details such as how many covers to expect?

After the bankers arrived we perused the wine list, which is one of the most impressive in Singapore. I speculated as to whether the S$40k plus bottles really were stocked in their cellars but that was an immaterial indulgence since our price range would be a small fraction of that.

A tray of fresh seafood was presented to us, and then the hard sell started. The blue-shelled mussels were good we were told, with the waiters perfoming "thumbs ups" like pimps recommending their best hooker in Geylang. None of us bought into this, even after, to our incredulity, they had another go at palming that produce off onto us. I chose the bone marrow with toast as a starter and the cod as a main.

Unbeleivably, while waiting for the wine to be served, the waiters passed us carrying plates of the mussels destined for customers who had bought into their sales pitch. As they passed our table, they urged us to look at how delicious the prepared mussels were and pointed at the plates of steaming shells. Bizarre and ludicrous, removing any veneer of professionalism this place might have been thought to possess after my first visit.

The bone marrow was decent, not exceptional, with the "toast" resembling a prawn cracker rather then the more substantial item I had in mind.The cod was big and brazen, a tad rubbery and presented in the midst of the usual collection of meaningless accompanying gestures that is the signature at this restaurant. So there's the pointless little pile of saffron rice, and two rather ludicrous puddles of mango coulis.

It called to mind the joke of a pot au feu I had here on my second visit last year, which was simply not pot au feu at all, but a rather thin meat stock in a tiny bowl. And that time I asked for my Dover sole to be prepared a la meuniere which the maitre d' assured me the chef would be able to do. He did not. The simplicity essential to sole a la meuniere was ruined by the peppering of the fish with halved cherry tomatoes.A joke.

Gunther's is nowhere near the top league I'm afraid, although trying so hard to be, if only through the stratospheric prices it inflicts on the customers.

We avoided puddings, went straight to coffee, and they paid, I'm grateful to say. The damage would have been severe for what we had, even though unfortunately these were the serious type of banker who refuses to drink wine at lunchtime, so initial thoughts of a price constraint on the wine were immaterial. Had wine been included the entire damage would have represented the usual burning rip-off that is also the signature of this frankly mediocre place.

Gunther's has absolutely no right to charge its exhorbitant prices for the wobbly service and faux haute cuisine on offer.

And the oh-so-dark walls aiming at European chic fail to entice on second veiwing as do the architectural paintings which resemble bad John Piper pastiches. And Gunther should avoid bumbling around to meet the customers in his alarmingly grubby chef's get-up. No value added there at all.

Do not eat at this restaurant! The menu is overpriced and the service a disgrace. We had my husband's birthday there and we wasted $1200 in the process. We were embarrassed to take our friends there. We were not told in advance that it was a set-menu and a'surprise menu' at that. meaning that we were not able to choose any food for ourselves. At best we could describe what we were served as 'what was left in the fridge that day'. The steaks we were served looked like minutes steaks from Denny's. Don't waste your money. We were overcharged, the staff argued with us and in the end did not seem to care at what a disastrous affair the evening had been. Save your money for somewhere that serves good food and has the right attitude towards people who are prepared to spend money on fine dining.

Well, I had an urge to feast on epicurean luxuries for some time. Being an avid fan of French food, it's natural that I aim to dine at a fine French restaurant. I'd figured that a trip to France is a long stretch, so that ruled out Pierre Gagnaire, Bras, L'Ambrosie and the likes. Had to settle for good French food in this small island. Having noted Chef Gunther's calibre in the kitchen (he worked as sous chef to Alain Passard at his flagship L'Arpege for a few years, IIRC), I decided to have my big dinner there.

Ambience:
The interior of the restaurant is dark, its decor simple. Nothing shabby at all though, and it's rather comfortable being inside.

Food / Beverage:
The list below highlights the food I had.

Chef's Carte Blanche Menu - $888++
1. Cold Angel Hair Pasta on a bed of Beluga Caviar with Caviar Cream Sauce
2. Carpaccio of Wagyu Beef with White Truffle and Egg Confit
3. Sauteed Norwegian Scallops with Rocket Leaves and White Truffle Accompaniment
4. Grilled Scottish Bamboo Clam in Peanut Paste and Olive Oil
5. Seabass boiled in Provencal Herbs with White Truffle Slices and Pilaf Rice
6. Seared Goose Foie Gras with a slice of Caramelised Pear
7. Roasted Suckling Pig with Lindemans Kriek Beer Sauce
8. Lobster Provencal with Lobster Caviar and Caviar Cream Sauce
9. Poached Langoustines with White Truffle and a dash of Saffron soaked in Chilli Oil and Tapenade
10. Grilled Tenderloin of Wagyu Beef in Consomme of Poultry with Foie Gras Ravioli, Porcini Mushrooms, Grilled Sweetcorn and Vegetables
11. Mandarin Orange Mille-Feuille
12. Coffee/Tea with Petit Fours
(These aren't official names as most of them are not on the menu. They are merely my personal description of what I ate.)

Standouts for me are 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

The precious, precious beluga caviar provides the delicate and refined creaminess which pairs prefectly well with the angel hair pasta. The dish goes down buttery smooth, and hints of the sea the way exceptional fleur de sel does. It also helps that the portion of caviar we got was really generous.

The beef carpaccio is truly delicious. I sandwiched each thin slice of the rare, No. 9 Wagyu beef between 2 slices of Alba white truffle before eating them. The burst of flavours is incredible. Truly an ultra-luxe comfort food.

The bamboo clam is firm, has a nice crunch, and tastes a perfect middle-ground between sweet and savoury, an accomplishment aided by the peanut paste and olive oil. The ingredients here may not be fit for a royalty, but it can definitely satiate many a tastebud.

Ah, the seared goose liver. A standard dish, but oh-so-perfectly executed. It looks the part of an eggplant, but the taste is in a whole other ballpark altogether. Smooth and tender, sweet and delicate, this dish will convert any foie gras hater who has a rancor for even a slight tinge of bile. For there is zilch of that here, nor is there any of the repugnant flavours which thread commonly amongst offals. The dessert wine that went along with this made it all the more sublime.

The lobster provencal is something that is hard to flounder. But what surprised me here is simply how good it tastes. Throw lobster caviar into the mix and multiply that throughout the entire dish and you should have a clue to its greatness. Absolutely marvellous.

The langoustines are a real delight. Perfect texture is an indication of well-timed and scrupulous preparation. But the real stunner here is the condiment of saffron. The chilli oil and tapenade masked its bitterness well, and the combination reminds me of chinese XO sauce, albeit with far greater complexity of flavours. Magnificent indeed.

The beef tenderloin is medium rare as a requested. It is thinly sliced and comes with hot soup. Upon investigation, I found out that the soup is actually one of the chef's specialties: consomme of poultry with foie gras ravioli. Ingenious combination, I must say. The soup and the lightly grilled Wagyu beef complemented each other so well that I was at a loss of words. The burnt sweetcorn looked out of place at first but it really serves to accentuate the entire experience with its unique sweetness. The mushrooms imparts some of its flavours to the soup and further heightens the dish. All in all, a splendid melange of ingredients.

The mille-feuille is a novelty to me. I'm light years away from being a pastry aficionado so that is kind of expected. The best thing about it the that it is not cloyingly sweet nor overly tart. Just the right mixture of both ranges in the spectrum of taste. Light and fluffy yet reasonably creamy, it is a fitting end to a fabulous meal.

It's also nice to see them serve Manjari chocolates as a mignardise to tea at the end of the meal. I'm one who likes to have chocolate in its purest tempered form. Granted, this is no Chuao, but it's still great nonetheless.

All in all, the best meal I've ever had. But for this kind of money, it'd better be.

Value:
For the kind of ingredients used, I think the price is justified. Of course there's the standard restaurant markup, but you pay less for the ambience here than Les Amis, for example. It's not great value, but which premium restaurant is?

Service:
Service is very good, and the chef actually approached us for feedback of the food, and offered elaboration to some of the nuances of the dishes. The waiters, and especially the sommelier, are quite a knowledgeable lot, and helped enliven the experience.