Perle Noire

In a nutshell
Fudz: Perle Noire :: Oyster & Grill Bar
Cuisine: Western
Location: 85 Upper East Coast Road Singapore 455222
Dial: +65 6448 1732
Interweb: http://www.perlenoire.com.sg
Damage: $50 and above because you have to eat those oysters before you eat your mains

The story
Pearl and Xaviere were in dresses. The general request was to dine somewhere so that their attire was made of good use. I don't know what purpose dresses serve except for salads.

Food took a couple of light years to arrive. We can't fault them because good food takes time to prepare. To add, their service was impeccable. Nobody gave us a stink eye even though we were late. (Some websites still state that their restaurant location is at 687 East Coast Road and I alighted at the wrong stop.) Nobody minded that we giggled like prepubescent teenagers while taking photos of each other. We had to find something to occupy our time while waiting for the food to be upon us. The servers were smiley, cheerful and attentive.

The name of the restaurant, Perle Noire Oyster and Grill Bar tells you two things. First, you can have wine. We heard loud guffaws from another table, someone who had a drop too many. Secondly, oysters. Nobody leaves without eating the oysters. Okay, except for Xaviere who is still a child when it comes to food. Otherwise, nobody.

Oysters, dozen.

There are Natural Live Medium Oysters ($20/half dozen) and Natural Live Large Oysters ($24/half dozen). Naturally, I'd ask for Natural Live LARGE Oysters. The waiter apologetically told us that they ran out of large oysters. I gave an unnatural wince. Nature took over when everyone else said medium is okay. The waiter gave a good-natured smile and took down our orders.

I was not disappointed. Their Natural Live Medium Oysters looked large by my standards. I slurped three of them in a jiffy because they are naturally addictive.

Their bread rolls ($1/each) were warm and comforting while we waited for the rest of the food to come.

Seafood Capellini

Scallop, squid, fish, prawn and mussel. I like it that they mean seafood when they say it's seafood. In some places, 'seafood' means only two types of seafood in puny amounts. I don't see their point. Seafood Capellini ($35) was also served with long beans and a pine nut paste that was unique in flavour. It tasted a little bit like Chinese fried seafood noodles but I believe that a lot of thought was put into the dish. Pearl and Xaviere cleaned up their plates because it tasted so good.

Also because they are carb monsters.

Ribeye ($36)

So they got the 'Grill' in their name done right.

Grilled Salmon with sweet potato mash and asparagus ($25)

Three items - salmon, sweet potato and asparagus. Three ticks. I love them all. I was afraid that the salmon might be dry because they tend to get overcooked. This one was about the juiciest slab of cooked salmon I ever had. The sweet potato mash was light and all the more delicious when it was soaked up with the salmon oil and juice.

White truffled potato fries ($8) - snacks for the ones who need more carbohydrates in their lives

Earl Grey Creme Brûlée ($10)

All of us wanted to save our stomachs for Udders (next door) except for Pearl who wanted a real dessert. Earl Grey Creme Brûlée had the earl grey taste that I need and more. It came with sweet berries on the top. Everything was sweet about this dessert except the part where Pearl demanded Sheena to try some of it in a very ferocious manner. We don't know where this Ms Hyde came from.

Homemade cookies

The smiley waitress offered us complimentary homemade cookies after our meal. We loved them, cookies, service and all.

We ended Dress Night by going to Sheena's place to watch 90s music videos on YouTube. Is that what old folks do nowadays?

Chez Petit Salut

In a nutshell
Fudz: Chez Petit Salut
Cuisine: French
Location: 44 Jalan Merah Saga, Singapore 278116
Dial: +65 6474 9788
Interweb: http://www.chezpetitsalut.com/en/
Damage: $35 - 3-Course Set Lunch (available from 1130-1430hrs)

The story
I explicitly told Xaviere that I was on a tight budget. A few clicks on some online shopping websites had rendered me close to penniless until my next pay check... which was more than a fortnight away. Xaviere had nodded her pretty head in great understanding. I thought she was the most understanding friend in the world.

She still is. Except that afternoon when I skipped work and met her at Holland Village. What to eat? I eyed at the hawker centre across the road. She said, "Shall we go to Bistro Petit Salut? Everyone who has been there said that it's really good." My eyes widened at her bold suggestion. French fine dining? What happened to the tight budget talk we had last night?

Her big eyes looked so earnest and hopeful. I wonder how many boys got swayed by that soulful expression. I nodded dumbly as she led the way. So screwed.

Bistro Petit Salut is now known as Chez Petit Salut. Pardon my French. I don't understand a word of it. You probably have a better idea why the need for the change.

We took some time to decide what we want from the 3-course lunch menu.

Ocean trout tartare with olive oil, lemon jus, petit salad and toast

Tartare on toast

This had to be one of the most refreshing appetisers I had, despite being stuffed with a bread roll just before this was served. The dressing on the salad and tartare was tantalising to taste. I scooped copious amounts of tartare on each bite of the toast and still had tartare leftovers. This gave my mouth a good wake-up call for the main.

Xaviere had the soup of the day, which was tomato. She said it was decent.

Poulet au vinaigre

As pictured, this was a huge chicken thigh cooked to perfection in a broth made from vinegar, onions, carrots, and whatnots. A soft clove of garlic rested on top of the meat, daring you to pop it into your mouth if you are not a vamp. I'm no vamp but I learned some dining etiquette from James Bond movies and spread the garlic over the meat dutifully. I wished there was more than one clove. 

That was the vamp in me speaking. 

The polenta served as a bed for the soft chicken thigh, surrounded by a moat of broth. The combination of tender chicken and broth-soaked polenta brought some excitement in my mouth. It was so good that I finished the huge thigh to its bone.

Xaviere had the slow braised pork neck in mustard sauce with Pommes Purée, aka mashed potatoes. The pork neck was soft and easy to chew. Flavourful and delicious.

Slow braised pork neck in mustard sauce with Pomme Purée

I was not sure if I could eat another bite. Does anyone sane ever skip desserts?

Crème Brûlée 

Apple crumble

A spoonful of apple crumble

If there's apple crumble on the menu, I'm likely to choose it over any other dessert. The apple cubes still had their skins intact. Sweet, tart and warm. 

The crème brûlée made Xaviere very happy that afternoon. It was the biggest dish of crème brûlée I'd ever seen.

$35 well spent. Here's to homemade sandwiches for the rest of the month.

Grannies in Italiannies [Closed]

In a nutshell

Fudz: Italiannies
Cuisine: Italian (duh), wine
Code: Tipping towards fine dining but less stiff

Location: 111 Somerset Road #01-02

Dial: +65 6736 4211
Interweb: http://www.italiannies.com.sg/

Damage: $30-$50 per pax

Taste: Authentic pastas, delectable desserts but the pizzas do not wow

Ambience: A little cramp and lacks italian knick-knacks

Service: Obliging but not impeccable. Italians are famous for hospitality, thus the bar is raised.

The story

It was Rahmat A Samad's birthday. He turned into his early forties and we thought that he was way past an age to throw a McDonald's birthday party. Ing How suggested an Italian restaurant in TripleOne Somerset. Some of us still confuse TripleOne with 313. Orchard Road is never the same again with all these numbers to remember.

The attempt to spell the shop name with the dough

The entrance boasts a tiny baking corner with a big blackboard that claims that their breads are baked daily. We did not see anyone actually baking bread (it was already near 7 pm) but neither were their freshly-baked breads served warm as appetisers. 

Would have added a brownie point if they were served warm

Olive oil and vinegar as bread dips

Against the ceiling lights

The menu is pretty extensive, ranging from antipastos, essential pastas and pizzas, house special mains, and Abbondanza - platters for the awfully hungry or people who love to share. 

They offered us complimentary starters, mini parma ham & cherry tomato bruschettas

Virgin-Ades - Apple and Orange coolers for the thirsty camels

Ing How choosing wine over Mango Fruit Shakes

Pastas selection covers most of the local favourites like aglio olio, pomodoro and carbonara. They also serve gnocchi and ravioli if you want to deviate from the usual picks.

Zu Wee said there's crabmeat in them. I tried to make out the taste but my tongue failed me.

This reminded me of wonton soup. Tasted like it too.

Belle's Salmon Fettucine. Very salmonful. Try it if you love the fish.

Unfortunately for Italiannies, their pizzas don't quite make the cut or slice. I was trying to imagine that my mates and I were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (four of them were sharing pizzas), tucking into pizzas heartily after a hard day's work. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael would have groaned in dismay and returned to their sewage hideouts with grumbling stomachs.

Competition is rough and tough since we have all tried the pizzas from Timbre and Skinny Pizza. We know how pizzas should taste like, traditional or contemporary. Italiannies' pizzas aren't inedible but you won't go back for more.

Pepperoni

Seafood

Ham and Mushroom

Mushroom risotto packs a punch with generous servings of thinly sliced garlic and parmesan cheese

Rahmat's main. TBH, I have no idea what this is. Veal?

Crème Brûlée that makes a heart skip a beat

Tiramisu comes in a large square block and you can finish it with little trouble because it tastes so good

We made a lot of noise and were not chased out of the restaurant for a few good hours. I guess tolerance level for rowdy behaviour is pretty high. Despite not making reservations, the restaurant allowed 12 of us to come in with few questions asked. I'm not sure if this works every time but if there are hungry people to feed, why not?