This is a belated post and the restaurant has since gone on to garner one Michelin star. I liked the food here, but have many friends who didn’t. I think the flavours and tastes were well distilled, but the execution still feels like a work in progress.
Well, I later learned that chef Han was a banker turned chef and didn’t have formal culinary training foundation except for short stints in stellar kitchens abroad.
Loved it idea of bite sized local flavours in a tingkat. (tiffin carrier)
I am typically not a fan of deconstructed anything – it’s a fancy term to serve up food blogger friendly, PR buzz type of dishes, however I did enjoy the appreciate what he was trying to do with the degustation menu and the flavours were spot on, but the execution lacked precision and technique.
I can see why my gastronomy obsessed friends didn’t like their experience here. I don’t have much basis to compare this with since I don’t dine at these deconstructed, molecular hipster spots often, and I am benchmarking the food against the likes of three Michelin starred El Celler di can Roca, Akelarre, Arzak… unfortunately all of which I didn’t enjoy as much as I do good old simple, classic food.
I did enjoy the variation of laksa served with a juicy Hiroshima oyster and in place of noodles, it was a spiral of cold coconut cream which I found interesting but also odd – as I like my food hot.
The rich flavours however was not lost and it was a delicious blend of the rempah (spice paste), the laksa leaves and the iodite and sea flavours from the fresh oyster. (In place of the usual cockles found in laksa)
I found desserts a little too gimmicky, a chendol xiaolongbao served with gula melaka syrup in a typical vinegar jar and dim sum basket and the chocolate cigar has been done to death from the Roca brothers to Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet.
I’m curious about the new menu and plan to check that out. I think the chef has successfully distilled the flavours in every dish.. just missing finesse in execution.
I am not sure if they’ve updated the menu prices, but the degustation lunch menu worked out to about $50 with a bottle of sparkling water. I think it was $45++ for the lunch menu.
Labyrinth Singapore
8 Raffles Ave, 02-23
The Esplanade
