Tuesday, January 26, 2010

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

16 comments:

Kenny Mah said...

No Virginia Woolf in sight, yet your words always comfort me, at times even more than your pictures do (which is a mean feat, given the beauty of your shots).

We should brunch some day soon. Come back to us, in Kay-El, bro.

J said...

*lol*
What's wrong with 2 tone jeans?

Ciki said...

why your shots so nice one ar.. makes me wanna barf at my own.. chis!

ahaha.. everytime i see your photos my heart skips a beat (whenever you {ur fotos} are near.. you know the song?!)

lovely lovely.

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

So how much prosecco did you have? Sounds like a lovely indulgent meal. :-)

Sean said...

ooh i googled this immediately cos i lurve dining with a view. 8th floor isn't quite as high as we'd like, but the history of the place makes it really appealing. imagine sipping wine at the exact spot where lighthouse workers spent their evenings 50 years ago guiding ships safely into port. ok, i'm a sucker for that kinda stuff :D

Tummythoz said...

Pity d tiramisu did not do justice to your superb pic.

UnkaLeong said...

One cannot be help but get caught up in the rapture of your prose and shots ;) When's your next trip back to KL bro? A meetup is long overdue :P

qwazymonkey said...

"we definitely need the energy to last the day" Things that make you go hmmmmm...

LOL

Nice pics as always. Jeles

choi yen said...

the ice creme doesn't look like what we normally have hor..

ladyironchef said...

i'm abit confused, so it's ala carte buffet brunch with free flow? how much is it? I have been quite intrigued by the lighthouse, but prices look intimidating! haha

sc said...

just antipasti and dolci? i was like "no way!"...and then i scrolled down to read the rest.. :p

backStreetGluttons said...

modern, chic and thoroughly neat abd bright. Great light house ! we love the colorless drink

pang said...

wow! brilliant shots....i'm licking d screen...:P

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HairyBerry said...

kenny, woahhhhhh! thanks so much for the compliment, bro. i'm not worthy! hey, great meeting up last weekend. come by singapore more often! ;D

j, lol! i feel weird la, wearing karlerful jeans...hehe. and it's wet!

cumi & ciki, aiyooooo, woman, your shots are brilliantly cool la. haha, i dunno the song leh, but that reminds me....are we gonna do karaoke again, soon? ;D

lyrical lemongrass, can't remember how much i had but definitely not as much as during the unforgettable prosecco party at fbb's. and yupe, definitely a lovely brunch. ;)

sean, cool! i know what you mean! it's like traveling back in time, with a glass of prosecco in hand! this place has got character. and kudos to the hotel for the good conservation job. oh, i forgot to mention the great view of the fireworks come national day too! ;D

tummythoz, thanks! yeah, i was kinda disappointed too, given the fact that this is a recommended Italian restaurant. i coulda ordered more pipi babi...hehehe.

unkaleong, thanks so much, bro! too bad i couldnt join y'all for the party. hey, we should meet up this cny! time to makan!!!

qwazymonkey, Things that me me go hmmmm.....char kway teow, hokkien mee, bak chor mee and yes, pork cheek. ;D thanks for the compliment, bro! and pleaseeeeeee la, your shots are brilliant!!!! ;D

mimi, agree! it was my first taste of such ais cream. the taste was more subtle than i expected. ;D

HairyBerry said...

ladyironchef, oh, it's ala carte brunch, with free-flowing prosecco and house wines. our full course cost about S$100 per person. once in a while, indulge, dude! ;D

sc, heheheheheh.....u r right! somehow, it just didnt feel right to not go full course because it's not always that i get to do this. i really enjoyed the brunch! ;D

backstreetgluttons, oooohhh, we lurve lurve lurve the colourless drink too. and whites. and reds. ok la, i shouldnt mix or else my full course will end in vain. hehehehe.

pang, thanks for the compliment! had a great time there. *passing you the tissue paper to wipte the screen* hehehehhe

anonymous, glad to be of help. ;D thanks for visiting.