Dinner @ Whisk

It was only 7:30pm on Saturday evening when Mr. C and I decided to have dinner before catching a 10pm movie session at The Grand. Since there was quite a significant gap before the movie we felt there was plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely dinner at Whisk.

To be honest we were uncertain as to whether we could get a table since we had no reservation and it was prime time for dinner on a Saturday night. However the smiling hostess just welcomed us right in and it was no wonder, since even by the time we left there were still many tables left unoccupied.

We were seated inside the main dining area, while there were also 2-seater tables that line the side of the restaurant directly facing the entrance. Modern, with hanging crystal baubles on the side, they incorporated varying tones of grey into their decor resulting in a slightly cool and aloof ambiance.

We chose to have a la carte, selecting both appetisers and mains to share which is always a plus in my opinion as it leaves me no room to have food envy :p After placing our order, we were soon served their warm and toasty bread basket as well as the amuse bouche. Accompanying the bread they had two types of butter, smoked and chilli, with a dish of cream cheese. The bread was only so-so, the crust was baked too hard and it was a little dry, but I loved the cream cheese~

Amuse bouche for that evening was a sesame miso cracker with salmon tartare. I found this to be really bland, not much flavour, but the cracker was nicely crunchy.

Prior to our appetiser, we were poured two glasses of complimentary champagne since Mr. C was ‘spotted’ haha.. but it was very kind of them.

For appetisers we shared the beef tartare. This was actually a dish from their Voyage menu, but we asked nicely for it to be ordered separately which they happily agreed to. Named ‘Germany’ it was plated to look like a forest in Germany, with the use of kelp sponge cake, roots, potatoes and shavings of white Alba truffles. The tartare was hand chopped, with a slight tangy flavour and the meat was silkily tender. The white truffles contributed its earthy fragrance to the beef, but I found the kelp sponge cake quite odd, as it added a sweetness that was not necessary. Aside from the sponge cake though, I really enjoyed it~

Soup was next. We ordered two different types to which they served each in a split portion to make it easier for sharing. First was the wild mushroom cappuccino, with chives and a sprinkle of cepes dust. Accompanying it was a crisp bread with a few mushroom strewn on top. I did not really like the crisp bread as it was quite oily, but the soup was another matter. Served piping hot, it was creamily smooth with a pungent mushroom flavour. So satisfying~

The classic onion soup was our second choice. Presented in a small cup, a slice of baguette floated on top grilled with Comte cheese. This was super hot, so we were warned not to touch the cup, the broth was quite thin, but the onion flavour had depth. I loved how the cheese was so melty and gooey, but you did need to eat it quite quickly as it became hard and plastic-like when it cooled down.

As soon as our soup course was cleared away, we were surprised with a signature item from their Voyage menu, compliments from the chef to Mr. C. Known as ‘Spain’ it was a single Carabinero prawn decorated with an emulsion of milk. quinoa and olive oil. Very prettily presented, the prawn was sweet with the bouncy texture that can only come from fresh prawns and I liked how there was a slight citrus flavour from the accompaniments. Really good~

We shared two mains courses, one was the Spanish ‘Bacalao’ codfish and the other was their recommended suckling pig. The codfish came in quite a big portion, flawlessly snow white, with twirls of yellow zucchini and  piped circles of mint and taragon cream. Unfortunately the cod was slightly overcooked making it rubbery, and this was not helped by how hot the plate was.

The suckling pig fared better, two thick slices covered in gravy, accompanied by mashed ratte potatoes cupped in a crunchy sesame cracker and colourful condiments made from bell pepper, lemon and black garlic. The meat was quite tender and the skin still gave a crackle when bit into, what made it better for me was that it was not overly oil so it did not feel too heavy in the stomach afterwards.

By the time we had finished our mains, it was already 9:30pm, we did not expect the dinner to take so long and we still had dessert to come! The pre-dessert of the night was a chocolate covered ice-cream with caramel inside, scattered with nuts and a sprinkle of curry powder. I found the curry powder to be a little at odds with the whole package, but discounting that it tasted like a combination of picnic chocolate bar and peanut butter reese pieces~ ❤

Our dessert of the night was their signature flaky apple tart for two~ You can not go to Whisk and not have heard about their flaky apple tart. This was my first time trying it and I can see why it is so raved about.
Baked in a large pan, the pastry was thin and crispy with a substantial amount of finely sliced apples and almond flakes scattered on top. The apples were cooked just right, sweet and not too mushy,  paired with the vanilla ice-cream it was just perfect. Recommended!

They do serve petite fours, but we were already running late for our movie so we did not request ours. For a not very busy Saturday night, the dishes did take quite a long time to arrive, but overall dinner was quite pleasant~