I was in for a really special treat when a last minute dinner cropped up. Sky on 57! So much has been heard and said about Justin Quek's latest venture, it was a pleasure to head there for dinner without having to go through the hassle of booking, which according to the organizer required "alot of hard work" and probably some string pulling to even get a table! Saw Chef Justin making his rounds but I reckon they were solely for the VVVIP table.
The view from Sky on 57 is breathtaking once the sun sets, otherwise, it really is ordinary, with a capital O. Modern Asian Cuisine...here I come!
Inspired by Asia Menu
Table setting.
Rest of the restaurant...did not remain empty for long!
Veurve Cliquot champagne to start the evening...my favourite bubbly!
Some more red and some more white.
Fine Asian Crackers
A lovely twist to our local prawn crackers, indonesian bitternut crackers and thai seaweed crackers. The seaweed crackers were particularly addictive...remember Towkay Noi? It's less crunchy without the tempura layer. I found the prawn crackers a tad oily and "lao hong" but otherwise still delectable. A different take on appetizers though not particularly mindblowing but it seemed to work its magic for the foreigners on the table.
Bread basket of cheese bread, herb loaf, baguette and ciabatta with salted butter and chilli sauce
I reckon the chilli sauce was meant for the crackers but I ended up sharing the love with the bread selection as well.
Cheese bread - Just the sort you'd get at the local bakery, soft bread with browned cheese strips atop.
Baguette - Forgettable, definitely not Poilane calibre.
Ciabatta - Dusted with flour but the innards were a tad tough.
Herb Loaf - Oily but possibly the most palatable of the lot.
Main grouse, bread was not piping hot not crusty to touch..hence missing out on the symphony of cracking bread.
Demitasse of white asparagus vichyssoise, smoked eel cream and oscietra caviar
As impressive as the string of ingredients are, the smoked eel cream and caviar was a watery salty soup. White asparagus had a lovely truffle fragrance, just in time for spargel season!
Duo of Starters
French Perle Blanche Oyster in Yuzu Vinaigrette
One slurp, aphrodisiac heaven...unctously so.
Live Nordic King Scallop Ceviche and Marinated Lips with Citrus Dressing, Micro Green
Scallop carpaccio with a colourful and tasty garden salad tossed simply. Liked this!
Beelitz's White Asparagus
Steamed, slow cooked organic egg and fresh morel cream sauce
Spargels, reiterated! Different from the ones eaten in Frankfurt a year back. These were less juicy and sweet but still delish.
The slow cooked organic egg was advised to be eaten on a spoon in a mouthful, nothing too spectacular of this half boiled egg.
Nordic Salmon
Pan seared in laksa emulsion
Ok, at least one dish that caught my attention for smelling so fishy but did not taste as fishy as it smelt. In fact, it was rather outstanding with the incredibly crispy skin and well executed salmon. Loved the laksa emulsion it came with, flavourful with just the right notes of one of our country's national dishes.
Surf and Turf
Roasted 300 days grain fed Angus, Sauteed Maine Lobster in Asian Pepper Sauce
No choice of doneness as dictated by the chef. Judging from the pretty pink, before the knife sank in, it was already a tease. Not the greatest of all steaks eaten, not as melt in your mouth as Wagyu would...neither was it as tender as desired, it could be the chunk-sized it came in that made it slightly tough. That being said, loved the juices.
Maine lobster was awesome though, too small portions unfortunately! Chewy textures that worked great.
Pre-dessert of vodka lime sorbet which tasted really like margarita.
Symphony of Dessert
We were taught to eat it in the following order.
Pink Guava Sorbet - Rich, fruity sorbet that started the symphony oh-so-right.
Creme Brulee - A well executed creme brulee with the right wobble and cream. Comes with an edible ring of flowers - ahhh, pretty!
Opera cake with coffee hints amidst the chocolate layers. Loved the luxuriously smooth chocolate mousse. Yes, risked the pimples but well worth it.
Banana Fritter, a modern take on goreng pisang. Liked how this was mildly sweet, captured the essence of goreng pisang - crisp exterior meets mush moist banana filling.
Strawberry Parfait or so it seemed like it. Loooooooved it best, the Japanese colleague kept going "Oiishii" and egging everyone to head straight for it. Sweet strawberry chunks with nuts in yogurt...simple yet done so right.
Trio of seasonal fruit (jackfruit, pineapple, watermelon) with chocolate fondant and financiers
The financiers were dense and chewy with a lovely crusty exterior...rock hard to pierce through which caused some amusement. One of the hardest financiers to attempt but these were really good.
As much as I was wishing and hoping their famed Gula Java Macaroons will be included...it wasn't.
Vittoria gourmet coffee and Gryphon fine tea
I'm no gourmet tea connoisseur to begin with, this was just alright.
Service is attentive but an overload of colloquialism injected into conversations with the waiters, too casual for the evening I thought..as much as it would have been an attempt to make visitors feel at home. Conversations were peppered with too many "lahs" and "lors" for comfort.
Overhyped Sky on 57 is, for all the accolades bestowed on Justin Quek, I've yet to find a compelling reason to return. Perhaps I was expecting to be blown away and somehow I was not. Desserts fared way better than the mains...are truffle scrambled eggs for brunch tempting enough? You shall see.
Sky on 57
Marina Bay Sands
The view from Sky on 57 is breathtaking once the sun sets, otherwise, it really is ordinary, with a capital O. Modern Asian Cuisine...here I come!
Inspired by Asia Menu
Table setting.
Rest of the restaurant...did not remain empty for long!
Veurve Cliquot champagne to start the evening...my favourite bubbly!
Some more red and some more white.
Fine Asian Crackers
A lovely twist to our local prawn crackers, indonesian bitternut crackers and thai seaweed crackers. The seaweed crackers were particularly addictive...remember Towkay Noi? It's less crunchy without the tempura layer. I found the prawn crackers a tad oily and "lao hong" but otherwise still delectable. A different take on appetizers though not particularly mindblowing but it seemed to work its magic for the foreigners on the table.
Bread basket of cheese bread, herb loaf, baguette and ciabatta with salted butter and chilli sauce
I reckon the chilli sauce was meant for the crackers but I ended up sharing the love with the bread selection as well.
Cheese bread - Just the sort you'd get at the local bakery, soft bread with browned cheese strips atop.
Baguette - Forgettable, definitely not Poilane calibre.
Ciabatta - Dusted with flour but the innards were a tad tough.
Herb Loaf - Oily but possibly the most palatable of the lot.
Main grouse, bread was not piping hot not crusty to touch..hence missing out on the symphony of cracking bread.
Demitasse of white asparagus vichyssoise, smoked eel cream and oscietra caviar
As impressive as the string of ingredients are, the smoked eel cream and caviar was a watery salty soup. White asparagus had a lovely truffle fragrance, just in time for spargel season!
Duo of Starters
French Perle Blanche Oyster in Yuzu Vinaigrette
One slurp, aphrodisiac heaven...unctously so.
Live Nordic King Scallop Ceviche and Marinated Lips with Citrus Dressing, Micro Green
Scallop carpaccio with a colourful and tasty garden salad tossed simply. Liked this!
Beelitz's White Asparagus
Steamed, slow cooked organic egg and fresh morel cream sauce
Spargels, reiterated! Different from the ones eaten in Frankfurt a year back. These were less juicy and sweet but still delish.
The slow cooked organic egg was advised to be eaten on a spoon in a mouthful, nothing too spectacular of this half boiled egg.
Nordic Salmon
Pan seared in laksa emulsion
Ok, at least one dish that caught my attention for smelling so fishy but did not taste as fishy as it smelt. In fact, it was rather outstanding with the incredibly crispy skin and well executed salmon. Loved the laksa emulsion it came with, flavourful with just the right notes of one of our country's national dishes.
Surf and Turf
Roasted 300 days grain fed Angus, Sauteed Maine Lobster in Asian Pepper Sauce
No choice of doneness as dictated by the chef. Judging from the pretty pink, before the knife sank in, it was already a tease. Not the greatest of all steaks eaten, not as melt in your mouth as Wagyu would...neither was it as tender as desired, it could be the chunk-sized it came in that made it slightly tough. That being said, loved the juices.
Maine lobster was awesome though, too small portions unfortunately! Chewy textures that worked great.
Pre-dessert of vodka lime sorbet which tasted really like margarita.
Symphony of Dessert
We were taught to eat it in the following order.
Pink Guava Sorbet - Rich, fruity sorbet that started the symphony oh-so-right.
Creme Brulee - A well executed creme brulee with the right wobble and cream. Comes with an edible ring of flowers - ahhh, pretty!
Opera cake with coffee hints amidst the chocolate layers. Loved the luxuriously smooth chocolate mousse. Yes, risked the pimples but well worth it.
Banana Fritter, a modern take on goreng pisang. Liked how this was mildly sweet, captured the essence of goreng pisang - crisp exterior meets mush moist banana filling.
Strawberry Parfait or so it seemed like it. Loooooooved it best, the Japanese colleague kept going "Oiishii" and egging everyone to head straight for it. Sweet strawberry chunks with nuts in yogurt...simple yet done so right.
Trio of seasonal fruit (jackfruit, pineapple, watermelon) with chocolate fondant and financiers
The financiers were dense and chewy with a lovely crusty exterior...rock hard to pierce through which caused some amusement. One of the hardest financiers to attempt but these were really good.
As much as I was wishing and hoping their famed Gula Java Macaroons will be included...it wasn't.
Vittoria gourmet coffee and Gryphon fine tea
I'm no gourmet tea connoisseur to begin with, this was just alright.
Service is attentive but an overload of colloquialism injected into conversations with the waiters, too casual for the evening I thought..as much as it would have been an attempt to make visitors feel at home. Conversations were peppered with too many "lahs" and "lors" for comfort.
Overhyped Sky on 57 is, for all the accolades bestowed on Justin Quek, I've yet to find a compelling reason to return. Perhaps I was expecting to be blown away and somehow I was not. Desserts fared way better than the mains...are truffle scrambled eggs for brunch tempting enough? You shall see.
Sky on 57
Marina Bay Sands
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