Restaurant Week: Fine Palate Cafe @ Waterloo Street

51 waterloo street

Out of convenience, we headed to Fine Palate Cafe for a reasonably priced dinner. Perhaps one of the few within Raffles City area that did not have a surcharge and was not fully booked. Right next to Singapore Art Museum, 51 Waterloo Street is home to the arts - literally. There are music and art studios on various floors and Fine Palate Cafe is possibly the only eatery within the building.

fine palate cafe menu

Seems like reservations are not needed!

tan;e


Made to look like a store with shelves of glassware.



crowd


Packed to the brim.



fine palate cafe


Menu!



table



Thankfully we were given seats inside, the weather was too humid to take on a 3 course dinner al fresco. Dinner commenced without the usual rara of bread and butter. Instead, we headed straight into appetizer.


goat cheese souffle


Twice baked Goat Cheese Soufflé
Served with chives, chervil and rocket salad

The whiff of baked cheeses greeted the nose quite astoundingly, hovered on the smelly side. Chervil and rocket salad was tangy with vinaigrette hints.

goat cheese souffle sliced

Delving into the goat cheese souffle, I was expecting a lighter and fluffier version of this spongy souffle. It was not all bad, like a savoury cake and infact quite enjoyable.

duck terrine

Duck and Pistachio terrine
Pearl onion, cornichons and crispy lavosh

A platter of crackers and gherkins to go with the terrine. Somehow not a fan of it.

tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin
served with wild mushrooms gratin sauté potato and baby spinach

tenderloin sliced

I beamed at the mention of beef on the menu and had mine medium. A jab into it was all I needed to seal the conclusion about this - unevenly seared. This was tough at some parts and tender at others. Not a particular fan of the sauce used either.

Catch Of The Day

fish

Monkfish in parchment paper and a smattering of Indian herbs and potato maketh this dish. Slightly fishy and overly salty, this dish was too heavy on the herbs to like.

At this juncture, having the mains going downhill I can only hope desserts could provide a greater comfort.

pavlova

Pavlova With Summer Berries
Fresh whipped cream, passion fruit, raspberry coulis

Meringue piled with whipped cream and a garden of fruits. I fault the bland cream but liked the mildly sweet meringue, particularly the chewy insides. Like an ideal macaron.

lemon tart

Lemon Tart
With coconut anglaise and fresh berries

One glance at this limp one, I knew it was heading for doom. Berries were the only saving grace for this otherwise subpar tart - lacking in zest and crunch of a basic tart. All of mush and overcooked curd. 

Very average showcase of food at best. Perhaps the lesson to learn about trying out restaurants is - if it never did appeal, it probably never will. Fine Palate was packed with diners, very incomprehensibly so.


$35++ dinner


Fine Palate Cafe
51 Waterloo Street #01-04 /05

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