SINGAPORE: Privé Restaurant

If I were filthy rich and could choose to live anywhere in Singapore, I'd probably want to stay on a boat at Keppel Bay. Then I could live off Privé's food and become a fat but happy boatwife. 
Privé is split into three: the waterfront bar, the bakery cafe and the restaurant. The ingenuity and skill behind each dish at the restaurant is indisputable, but I have to say that what gives every dish that extra layer of intensely subtle flavour is where you eat it.  Being at Keppel Bay, Privé's tables are placed so every diner has a breathtaking view of the water and the pristine boats that skim its glittering surface. As if the mouthwatering food isn't enough, it's really because Privé takes me far away, both literally and metaphorically, from the burning heat of Singapore's roads and looming buildings that I'm drawn back every time. 

Willow Mushrooms

with Truffle Poached Egg, Parma Ham & Shaved Aged Parmesan Cheese

I'm a mushroom person through and through, especially when it comes to truffles. Truffle oil is one of those magical ingredients that make anything and everything taste absolutely heavenly. A small bottle of it cost me £5 at Waitrose, but I put it on everything from pasta to scrambled eggs and I swear it practically makes my day. 
Of course, when I saw the word "truffle" on the menu at Privé, it was an easy choice to make. The starter was everything starters should be - delicate yet flavourful and light enough to trigger your cravings for the main dishes.

Large Grilled Asparagus

with Sauce Hollandaise

Potato Gratin 

Sautéed Mushrooms

French Young Quail

with Porcini Mushrooms, Streaky Bacon, Parsnip Purée & Jus de Poulet 

I'm not much of a meat eater, but the quail I ordered was amazingly tender and bursting with glorious smoky flavour. The accompanying parsnip purée melted like butter in my mouth. In fact, I actually thought it was overly buttered mash potato until the waitress told us it was parsnip purée.


Josper Grilled Steaks: 

The reason for the sudden urge to re-visit Privé is that their kitchen has recently been bestowed with a brand new Josper grill. What makes the Josper grill so exceptional is that it's completely enclosed with thick walls so that steak or vegetables being grilled retain their natural, juicy flavour and still manage to cook in half the time. It is, in the words of Jancis Robinson (a wine reviewer for the FT), "the hottest indoor barbecue available". 

Ribeye Cap 75 USDA Prime Angus (10oz/280g) Considered The Holy Grail of steaks by enthusiasts and the best part of the Ribeye. Extremely marbled and as tender as a Filet Mignon, but with the full flavour of a Ribeye.

Double Rib Lamb Rack 58 Australia, Hormone-free, Clover Pasture-fed (12oz/340g) Thick, juicy, tender and flavourful, with a fine texture that melts in your mouth.

Premium Black Angus Tenderloin 58 Tasmania, Hormone-free, Grass-Fed (8oz/225g) Succulent with fine-textured marbling from pasture-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus cows. 

Privé

No. 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Marina at Keppel Bay

Singapore 098382

For reservations:

+65 6776 0777