Is my birthday (hee..hee..)
My bf supposed to give me a surprise by bringing me to nice restuarant that I haven't try before. (Think he must had a hard time trying to find one nice one)
So he look through "hungrygowhere" and found this little place at Hillcrest.

He make a reservation at 7pm, but we were early.
The servers invite us in (greeted us by our names) even thou they wasn't really open yet.

We were seated in a "private" area near the celler. Nice ambience.cosy...

We had a glass of wine each and sparling water (Dont serve ice water)
before placing our order.
The server came with this board, introducing us their recommendation of the month.

We ordered a orange prawn salad to share. Nice citrus spark with the herbs and veg. My bf ordered this steak from their recommendation and I got the US Prime Ribeye.Both medium rare.

hmmm...personally i think the steak come as what I had expected. nice and tender. I keep taking the small potatoes balls from my bf plates. Is so crisy and tasty that I can't resist. I also thought that his steak taste better than mine...

We had this interesting dessert from the recommendation. looks like a volcano. It was a scope of reasberry sorbet with a crunchy base. The server pour the lighted rum over the volcano to give the "eruption" effect.

By then I was already very full.
Then i heard ppl singing birthday songs behind me...and a chocolate cake with candle was brought in front of me...
Nice arrangement...the cake came with my name written on the plate as well...cool...Had a few bite of the cake (pretty nice for a complementary cake) but didn't manage to finish it, cos i was too full.

Service was good. Servers attended to us promptly, singing my birthday song loud enough (hahaha...).

Nice option...

Oh, total bill is about $250, but worth it.

Nestled amongst a residential district, The Grill at Hillcrest reminds me of a small family-run restaurant set in a quiet little European town.

The cosy wooden decor and dim lighting instantly puts one in a relaxed mood, all set for ending the day with an excellent meal.

Perfect for a quiet nights' dinner with your most beloved.

I was here on Christmas day, encouraged by the numerous positive reviews I read about this place and I was not disappointed.

Service is definitely not slack here, though it was a little overwhelming with the number of waiters who greet you and shower you with attention, but I assume that it was because we were there early and thus the only patrons then for them to serve. It was anyhow better than the service that you get in any other restaurant.

The food standard in general was very good with special mention to the Kurobuta pork which was excellent. Every bite was succulent and juicy, very well marinated.

At what we were charged, which included starters, mains, coffee, wine and dessert, I must say that this place is worth every penny paid.

Don't come to this place for faddish dining. Come here because the classics are done right.

The menu is somewhat limited but everything I tried turned out to be very good.

There was a solid 10 of us at dinner that night. A few of us shared a salad and some oysters which were pronounced very fresh. But the rest of us were there for the beef.

They were having a promotion of US Kobe ribeye ($90). A couple of us ordered that while some opted for the slightly cheaper Australian wagyu ($80).

I've eaten a lot of steaks in my life but this qualifies as an one of the very best steaks I've ever had. The Kobe was melt in the mouth tender and the medium-rare doneness suited the beef perfectly. I'm a little leery of going anything below medium for most steakhouses in Singapore but the beef was so good that medium-rare was absolutely perfect - flavourful and succulent. In fact, my particular steak was dipping into the rare territory but I had no complaints whatsover.

One of the things about wagyu or kobe is that it can get so oily from the rendered fat that you get a little sick of it before you finish it. This one was done so well that all the flavour went in but you did not feel the fat.

As for the sides, they come with roasted veggies and a baked potato. I suggest the mash instead and ordering a serving of sauted mushrooms. The mushrooms were a little of a revelation as to how a simple, simple dish can be fantastic if the chef knows what he is doing.

Orders of a vegetarian mushroom linguine and duck confit were also approved by the table. In fact, the mushroom linguine must have been excellent because that particular diner is well known to be incredibly particular about food.

One more very important thing.

The service sets the bar for solicitous but relaxed dining. The restaurant manager took great care of a raucous table of 10, including 3 children. Special requests were accommodated with a warm smile, dinner of spaghetti and mash was complimentary for the 2 yr-old and you actually felt that the staff did enjoy what they were doing. I was a little nervous bringing a 2yr old to an expensive grill but my worries were unfounded. They even brought him crayons. A rare thing indeed in Singapore.

The food here isn't terribly hip but it's solid, flavourful cooking in a relaxed, unfussy environment. If you skip the jaw-droppingly expensive wagyu/kobe, most mains start from $20 for a pasta to $50 for a USDA Prime steak. It's certainly not Aston's but you do get what you pay for.

I'm certain to come back again.

Hubby & I didn't make plans for x'mas eve so we randomly drove around and visited this place, which was definitely the right choice for the evening!

Their excellent service first attracted us to the place, while we were still contemplating which restaurant to go to. Their service staff were very friendly, as they explained the menu for the day, even though they were already quite full and probably didn't really need the extra business. They were knowledgeable and patient, even though we were just potential customers.

During our dinner, the service staff made us feel at home, by coming over every now and then to ask if we were enjoying our dinner. Yet, it wasn't that many times, as some service staff tend to be overbearingly irritating.

Their wagyu beef was marvellous. With each bite, I felt the meat melting in my mouth. Definitely a must-try! It's a place that I will recommend to my friends and go back to in future!

it was my bf's birthday celebrations. when i checked the Les Amis group of restaurants website, I decided to go for the Grill at Hillcrest because of it's good location [bukit timah - close enough to my home but private enough too], reasonable pricing and of course the whole idea that a restaurant under Les Amis should be good.

i was not disappointed at all.

when i requested for a private seat, the manager kindly offered a place by the wine cellar. when he heard that it was for a birthday celebration, he asked for my bf's name so that to quote him, "it could be written on the cake".

we were pleasantly surprised on the day itself. the table that they reserved for us was a single table surrounded by bottles of wine so it was really private. the service was impeccable too - they served champagne and still water immediately when we sat down. the managers and waitresses also kept coming back to check on us to make sure we were doing okay.

as for the food, we ordered a kurobuta from the grill menu ($35 for a 250g US cut), a US prime rib ($35, de-boned. I was pleasantly surprised.), sides of sauteed mushrooms ($8, a personal fav), Chocolate-banana tart with Elderflower Jelly ($12, daily specials). Champagne was at $18 per glass. And the manager gave a complimentary cake and sang a birthday song too.

The place is quite a walk in from the Bukit Timah Road. It's on Greenwood Ave. Once you find the place, it really is worth the walk. (:

Excellent service, excellent food, excellent ambience. Though a little pricey, it's well worth it, for the Les Amis reputation, the service and of course the yummylicious food. [not many places in singapore serves good kurobuta. and trust me, this IS good.]