This is going to be a really long review as it will combine a review of their 2-week old new menu, in addition to snippets of their former menu (back when I dined there in March’13 for my 24th birthday).
al fresco dining
I have been a fan of Owner/Chef Vincent Teng since his days at Table 66, where I was officially introduced to sous vide style cooking. I still remember the lamb shank I had back in June 2010, which felt like butter as my fork pierced through it. Table 66 has since ceased operations but in its place, Chef Vincent has reincarnated his cooking concept within a more casual and light-hearted environment that many fondly now know of as Skyve (an apt name to emphasize the shift towards casual dining).
the restaurant
Prior to this review (covering 2 of my dinner visits), I had been to Skyve only once for brunch. That was when R and myself still had the luxury of time to indulge in regular weekend Sunday brunches. Apart from the more pricey brunch menu, there’s an ongoing $6 nett breakfast promotion set (Toast, 2 Eggs, Sausage, Ham & Baked Beans) which is available between 10am-11.30am on weekdays too. That’s about the same price as a Mcdonald’s Breakfast, how awesome is that!
the lounge
There are 3 separate areas to the restaurant, which are the al fresco section (probably more for brunches), the restaurant section (for lunches and dinners in the comfort of aircon) and the lounge area (for light bites and booze). The lounge area in particular is really intimate and a perfect place to relax after work, knocking back a glass of wine while indulging in half a dozen oysters.
Review of the New Menu
Instead of having the mindset of “Why fix something that isn’t broken?”, Chef Vincent decided that it was time for a facelift of Skyve’s menu. While feeling a bit sad to see some really commendable items ceasing to exist, I was simultaneously rather eager to see what new creations were being introduced next.
We commenced the tasting with the a sampler of raw oysters, prepared in various styles. Of the lot, the one with the most distinctive taste was the ‘Escargot’ Style Oyster, which was gratinated in nori butter and topped with shaved bonito flakes and toasted sesame seeds. In my mind, while the taste is quite similar to an escargot, this definitely trumped a regular escargot by virtue of the desirable soft fleshy texture absent from a cooked snail. Truth be told, apart from aesthetics, there wasn’t much separating the Compressed Watermelon Oyster (topped with diced compressed watermelon, pickled watermelon rind and extra virgin olive oil) from the Lychee ‘Saketini’ Granita Oyster (topped with lychee & sake sorbet, seaweed “caviar”), as the natural creamy taste of the fresh oysters came across as most evident. Oysters of a single style are priced at $34++ for 1/2 dozen, or $38++ if you desire a mix of styles.
From left – Compressed Watermelon Oyster, Lychee ‘Saketini’ Granita Oyster, ‘Escargot’ Style Oyster ($34++/half dozen)
Another signature from Skyve’s new menu would be the Sous Vide Egg & Spaghettini ($18++). It was definitely tasty but also came across as slightly heavy for an appetizer, especially with so many flavors like the truffle salsa, iberico ham, hollandaise sauce and egg yolk all vying for attention. I must admit though, that if a sous vide egg could be labelled as a poached egg, it would probably have been the best poached egg I have had so far.
The thin crust Vegetarian Pizza ($34++) was garnished with pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, radish, all prepared in sous vide style, with grilled asparagus & capsicums, arugula leaves, truffle salsa and shaved parmesan cheese. Sous vide style involves cooking the vegetables (or meats) under relatively low temperatures in a vacuum under prolonged periods of time. Relative to simply boiling the vegetables, sous vide expands the time frame where the vegetables are cooked to a proper doneness, allowing the chef to get the texture and consistency right almost 100% of the time. In addition, the natural sweet flavors of the vegetables are less likely to be leeched out as well since it is cooked in a sealed vacuum bag, allowing for a more intense and concentrated flavor. That said, I would still prefer a pizza smothered in cheese with loads of seafood and meat.
The duck confit was one of my favourite dishes the last time I was here so I was so looking forward to the reworked version. The Asian Inspired Confit of Duck Leg ($36++) was done sous vide style and marinated in Asian five spice, served with pickled fennel and orange segment salad, polenta fries & orange sauce. The first thing that drew my attention to this dish was the robust aroma from the five spice marinade, which engulfed the entire restaurant. I’m sure it must have drawn some jealous looks from other diners who didn’t order it. Taste and texture-wise, it was also close to perfect in my view, especially the savoury crisp duck skin. Another plus point is that Skyve doesn’t scrimp on its portions and 2 duck legs are served per order. Downsides to this dish were that the Orange sauce didn’t quite complement the duck and I took to eating the duck in its unadulterated form, and while the polenta fries was novel with an internal texture similar to cous cous, I would have preferred just regular fries.
It was difficult to decide which was better, the duck or the Sous Vide Pork Shoulder ($36++) that had been braised in root beer and spice and served with savoury crackling skin, pineapple and pomegranate salsa, toragashi pepper & plum salt. The texture of the pork was really tender, similar to a well-executed Cantonese braised pork dish. It was also hugged by a sweet glaze and thoroughly marinated with the root beer whose flavor comes as a light aftertaste. I didn’t have much issues with the crackling but one of the other diners I was with felt that it was a little dry.
The Callebaut Warm Chocolate Molten Cake ($14++) was nicely done. They got the timing down right so the cake benefited from a lovely viscous core of warm chocolate. Funnily enough, the maple walnut gelato reminded me of po chai pills (保济丸) used for diarrhea relief because of an initial deep pungent taste from the maple. The other diners only drew this association after I mentioned it and had all found ice cream amazing initially. They reasoned that my sense of taste was acute because of food blogging but the real reason was because I choked on a fish bone and swallowed a whole mentos before, which resulted in my fear of swallowing tablets in general. So when I was in primary school, I had a case of diarrhea and chewed on po chai pills. The taste was so repulsive I vomited after and the taste of po chai pills has been etched into memory since then.
My favourite dessert was the Mango & Cheese Semifreddo ($12++). Think of a semifreddo as a creamier, more mousse-like version of ice cream. This one was really delectable, tasting much like cheesecake ice cream. The frozen lime foam perched on the semifreddo did well to balance the creaminess, thus avoiding running the risk of an over-cloying dessert.
Another dessert I would recommend would be Inspired By Reds ($12++), a strawberry parfait with sous vide strawberry in balsamic vinegar, raspberry sorbet, flower tuile and dehydrated raspberry. Highlights of this dish would be the smooth and balanced strawberry parfait, and the dehydrated raspberry bits which tasted like little bits of sweets with a concentrated sour zing. Apart from being visually stunning, this was also the perfect palate cleanser.
I abhorred the Tiramisu ($12++) becuase of its over-soggy nature but this view wasn’t shared by everyone, as almost all the lady diners present adored it precisely for that same point. One even went further to say that she preferred it soggier. Only today did I realize the vast misalignment in what different individuals would consider a good tiramisu.
The dinner was an invited media tasting and paid for by Skyve. Special thanks to Shasha from FoodNews for hosting the evening. I enjoyed myself tremendously!
A Review of the Old Menu
I was desperately thinking for a place to celebrate my birthday dinner, somewhere that had good food and ambience, wasn’t too obscure for people taking public transport, not too extravagant nor too crowded for a Saturday night. Such a selective filtering procedure lead me to shortlist Skyve.
For my appetizer for this dinner, I had the Seared Foie Gras ($22++), which was actually quite value for money in my book. Saveur fans might start hurling rocks at me saying that Saveur does it for $8 but I reason that the seared foie gras here is thicker, more fatty and tasty. And once you adjust for the size/weight of the foie gras (there’s actually 2 pieces of stacked foie gras in the picture), it all work out. The compressed watermelon, macerated watermelon rind, caramelized almonds, ume compote were pretty much useless adornments though and didn’t contribute much to complementing the foie gras. I ended up eating the foie gras and the watermelon separately.
The Squid Ink Spaghetti ($30++) was also really tasty. While this might potentially be one of the biggest no nos to order on a first date, trust me when I say the one here is worth the risk.
The Lamb Shank ($32++) braised in Red Wine wasn’t as tender as the one I had in June 2010 but still good nonetheless.
Despite being a recommendation by the staff, the Grilled Beef Chateaubriand ($40++) was quite a let down as it was rather lean and tough. There was some redemption from the Potato Rosti, Wild Mushrooms in Veal Jus Reduction and the accompanying Bearnaise Sauce, which added some flavour to the otherwise rubbery steak.
The Sous Vide Crispy Pork Belly ($34++) was a winner. I would say it’s better than the one at Ember, just because the sous vide cooking made the meat incredibly tender. I was sincerely shocked when my fork delved straight into the pork with almost no resistance. It was so jaw dropping and unbelievable that I had to ask my best friend K to poke at my pork as well. It’s just not something you’d encounter everyday. The problem I often encounter with Crackling Skin is that it’s so darn hard to cut it, especially if it gets soggy or overcooked. The crispy crackling here however, broke apart relatively easily to my relief. Tastewise, I think the pork belly was perfect on its own without the prune sauce, which tasted surprisingly savoury rather than sweet (like a mild Hoisin sauce). While I wasn’t a big a fan of the Potato & Apple Gratin and Fennel Salad with Mustard Seed on the side, it does help to cleanse the palate from the unctuousness accruing from the pork.
Confit of Duck Leg ($34++), Sous vide crispy duck leg, Maple caramelized Seasonal Root Vegetables, Sweet tamarind Sauce
Sous vide Petuna Ocean Trout ($34++), Poached warm Ocean Trout in Extra Virgin Oil, Black Olive & Seaweed Crust, Seasonal Vegetables, Potato Pave, Herb Fondue
Textures of Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake ($14++), Hazelnut Mousse, Chocolate Caramel Cream, Feuilletine Crust, Bing Cherry Coulis
Ivory Dome ($14++), Mango & Marscarpone, Passionfruit Jelly, Dark Chocolate Sponge, Mango & Lime Salad
Homemade Maple Ice Cream ($14++), Caramelized Apple infused with Cinnamon, Fleur de Sel, Wafers
Creme Caramel ($12++), Vanilla Egg Custard, Caramelized Orange Caramel, Sauternes Jelly, Sous Vide Pear
Let’s just put it this way, Skyve is currently within my top 5 favourite restaurants in Singapore. It’s a great place to find out more about sous vide style cooking without busting your budget…much.
Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar
10 Winstedt Road Block E, #01-17
Tel: +65 6225 6690
Like this:
Like Loading...
