Whitegrass has been on my to-try list for a long while so when the friend suggested this place for dinner, I was looking forward to it. The restaurant was quite empty and a little too dark for my liking, though we got used to it after awhile. They had 2 menu for selection. Though I was gaming for the lesser course, my heart skipped a beat when I heard there was Amadai on the Gastronomic course. So we went for that in the end, priced $298 per pax

Amuse Bouche

Sakura Ebi, Caviar with Cabbage, Unagi, Madeleine with Mushroom

The amuse bouche came a little too fast, even before I could order the wine. Perhaps they thought we must be starving. Lol. Served in 4 different bite size, we started with the Sakura ebi which was an explosion of sweetness from the prawns, moving on to the cabbage base with caviar that was every bit delicious. The unagi was not bad either but the madeleine with mushroom was too novelty for my liking, especially so with the green tea dusting

Also some delicious bread to start. It was a combination of crispy outerlayer with a light and airy bread dough that would leave you wanting for more

Hotaru Ika
Lemongrass, Sauce Buerre Blanc
Seasonal special, I thought the sauce went really well with the firefly squid

Takeneko
Sakura Ebi, Sansho
This was an interesting dish, in a good way. The bamboo shoots were deep fried with a thin layer of batter so you could still taste the sweetness within. But what really brought out the dish was the Sakura Ebi that was done in a way that it reminded you of hae bee hiang and to some point I was wondering wah, what is this that I’m eating? Lol

Lobster
Amera Tomato, Nabana
Served with spring vegetables which was a tad bitter to complement the sweetness of the lobster and tangyness of the tomato mousse. I really liked the mousse in fact. And the lobster to be honest, I couldn’t tell it was lobster. If I were to eat this with my eyes closed, I would have thought this was prawns

Beef Tongue
Green Peas, Sauce Pernod
When this came, the aroma filled the space and the friend insisted it was the sauce. But the beef tongue was so tender you wouldn’t have guessed it was the tongue. I say this was a well-executed dish with a hearty flavour

White Asparagus
Mozzarella Buffalo, Sauce Choron

I didn’t expect white asparagus to be presented in such manner. And when you eat it, it felt like soon kueh. A starchy dumpling-like texture with a mixture of asparagus and buffalo within, shaped like a turnip. I thought it was not bad though I probably wouldn’t want to have a second serving of it

Moving on to the second bread, sesame bread! It’s a filler. So if you are not half full by then, eat more bread then. lol

Amadai
Hamaguri, Uni

We have had the best Amadai so when I had the first bite of this, I told the friend, wow, this one can fight. The tiles were so crisp and fish cooked well, overall it was pretty satisfying. With some clams as the sauce, the flavour was slightly on the saltier side to balance out the sweetness from the fish. I was glad I had the Amadai

Pigeon
Fukinatou, Haccho Miso

And the pigeon was another one worth mentioning. I started with the breast meat which was so tender and went on to the liver that was cooked so well and finishing off with the wing that was stellar. Overall, well balanced and on point

Palate Cleanser

Japanese Strawberry
Pistachio, Rhubarb

I told the friend, this one tasted like strawberry sundae from Macs. lol

Ending off with some petite 4 which came in the form of Financier, Warabi Mochi and Green Tea Biscuit

Lets just say desserts weren’t their focus. lol. I mean it was okay but the mains were definitely much better

I almost didn’t get to come to Whitegrass cos the friend wanted another place. But I’m glad the meal here turned out fine afterall. It was Japanese-French fusion with a touch of creativity. Maybe too creative sometimes. But I thought this place is worth a return, for that Amadai and Pigeon

Whitegrass

30 Victoria St, #01-26/27

CHIJMES

Singapore 187996