The Lighthouse

Although we reached safe and sound, one arrived at the entrance with unintended two-tone jeans while the other one had to fork extra for a cab to avoid the rain, the hassle and arrive fashionable. Nothing wrong with that, of course, especially after a gruesome camp in some exotic part of Malaysia.

Even with the heavy morning shower, which had gradually reduced to a cooling drizzle, the view from the top floor of the historical hotel was pleasant - with the Singapore Flyer standing between the Esplanade and the future Marina Bay Sands. Imagine a sunset dinner in the restaurant, which resembles a lantern room, followed by some time at the balcony with wine in hand, overlooking the prominent landscape of the lion city. Sounds great to me.

We were here for the Italian Prosecco Sunday Brunch that came with free-flowing house wines and yes, prosecco. It didn't take long for us to make a reservation when I read about it in a complimentary daily. It's still very much ala carte here. Initially, we'd devised a plan to order an appetizer or dessert just and pace ourselves with the dish to keep the prosecco pouring until their very last bottle. A study of their menu changed our minds. So, from a supposedly antipasti OR dolci, we went for a full course instead.

Uova In Camicia "Alla Florentina" - Poached eggs "Florentine styled"

Guancia Di Maialino Da Latte Grigliata, Purea Di Zucca, Composta Di Mele Verdi - Grilled pork cheek, pumpkin puree, green apple compote

Garganelli Al Ragu' Di Cinghiale, Pecorino Toscano - Garganelli pasta with wild boar ragout, Tuscan pecorino

Tonno Scottato In Crosta Di Pistacchi, Zucchine Grigliate, Insalatina Di Arance E Olive Nere Pan-seard tuna in pistachio crust, grilled zucchini, orange and black olives salad

Cannoli Siciliani Caserecci, Gelato Alla Cassata - Homemade Sicilian cannoli, cassata ice cream

Tiramisu Classico Alla Moda Di Venezia - Classic Venetian Styled Tiramisu

It should be easy to identify those dishes decided by me, right? The grilled pork cheek came highly recommended and cheek being made of some collagen, gave smooth texture and was additionally flavoured with the subtle sweetness of pumpkin and green apple. Now, if only they'd serves this as a main...with a dozen pieces of such. That's bliss. My ragout must have been drowned with a fat wine, for the taste was wonderfully dense. Topped with some pecorino, I enjoyed it very much. Somehow a trait of fine-dines, the portion could have been more generous. It is afterall, partially breakfast and we definitely need the energy to last the day (and the prosecco). I didn't hear of any complaint on the poached egg but the tuna, with its tad saltiness, would have been a suitable filling for the complimentary warm, fluffy bread instead of being served as a secondi. There's nothing ricotta cheese can't fix in a dessert, like in the case of the cannoli. It would have been better if the pastry was more refined. Then again, I've not had any cannoli that has an egg-roll like texture. So, what's the difference between a tiramisu and a Venetian style tiramisu? I'm afraid I don't know. But I know my kind of tiramisu must consist of sponges heavily soaked in kahlua or cognac and with covered with a good amount of mascarpone and sprinkled with a strong-tasting chocolate. A simple demand, I feel. This one was dull.

It's amazing how we gorged the prosecco continuously and yet, were able to discuss food and snapped some photos of the bay. What's even more impressive was the fact that we, in our inebriated state, managed to take a bus to Orchard Road and continued on wandering aimlessly, stopping at the stalls at Ion Orchard for snacks.

Sometimes, we still talk about The Lighthouse. I guess what magnetizes us is the fact that the menu consists of creative and less conventional ideas. A revisit sounds workable but first, we must make sure that it won't rain that day. I'm not quite the two-tone jeans fan.

The Lighthouse
1 Fullerton Square
Level 8
Fullerton Hotel
Tel: (+65) 6877 8933