Communal / Culina

COMMUNAL 

Everytime after hot yoga, I would walk past this new restaurant called Communal on North Canal Rd. The interesting menu caught my eye and I tried to google it. All I found out about it is that it is recently opened by an NYC chef, and there was no website nor contact number. I know that some blogs wrote about it but obviously I trusted my own opinion on it.

Besides, usually if I want more than 5 items on a menu, I would make it a point to check it out.

The service was very good, and the chef came with a complimentary amuse bouche which was the cornbread with honey butter.

 It was pretty outstanding. The butter wasn't really sweet though, I think the honey was mostly in the bread, which was moist, sweet but not too heavy. Plus, the corn was super sweet, which is a big plus in my book.

 The casual menu which serves as a table mat as well. I love the concept, because this gives me the chance to keep mulling over the menu as I eat.

The cuisine is mostly new american. The variety of the menu was just right, I thought. Not too many items to be completely confused, but enough to offer something for everyone.

This was the dish on the menu that really piqued my interest. Caesar salad soup with bacon and parmesan foam. As Emeril Lagasse said once, the true skill of a chef lies in a simple soup, whether it has depth, flavor and character. And I couldn't agree more. Soup is a dish I've always adored, and it is hard to find a good soup. This soup is essentially a green vegetable soup puree, but nicely flavored, and very well complimented by the cheese foam. You can also taste the earthiness of the bacon, very subtle though. My only critique is that it is a little too watery, but I can deal with that. Better a lighter soup than a soup that is too creamy.

And for my main, I had the popular lobster mac and cheese gratin. I like this dish because 1) the lobster chunks were generous and sweet. 2) The mac was al dente and light 3) The mixture of cheeses made for a very flavorful profile 4) The breadcrumbs gave texture to the dish which was needed. In general, a lighter rendition of a dish which could be potentially super heavy. I enjoyed this dish a lot. If anything though, it could afford to be a little more melty and saucy.

 I didn't taste Deron's burger, but the fries were amazing to me. Melty in the inside, and crispy on the outside. He said the flavor of the burger was very good, one of the best he's had in Singapore. The foie gras was pretty standard and nothing to complain about.

The seabass with saffron foam was amazing. I like a slab of fish that is perfectly cooked. Crispy on the skin, tender on the meat. And the saffron flavor really compliments the fish, and it tastes healthy but delicious at the same time.

The smoked potato puree was a little reminiscent of the potato puree they serve at Bouchon and Joel Robuchon. Very much less butter in the formula though, although hefty compared to normal whipped potato. Tasty!

 We ordered the lemon tart with a pine nut crust. It was pretty tasty but I thought it was a little too sour for me. Nice flavors though.

 The staff was sweet enough to treat us to the chocolate souffle for free. The strawberry ice cream was good (obviously home made) but the souffle was a bit too rich for me. Any lover of milk choc should get it too. Also, the sugar on top wasn't melted completely.

In all, I really enjoyed the restaurant. The house white was very good too, and it's 1 for 1 on Fridays.

                                                             CULINA (DEMPSEY)

I went out for dinner with one of my dear friends D. yesterday and we were going to try out "the disgruntled chef" till we realize upon reaching the venue that it was closed on mondays. -_- Dop!

Due to my obsessive-compulsive nature regarding food, I went on to do a yelp search of a suitable substitute in the dempsey area while taking a brisk walk around the compound to survey the area physically.

All this time, my poor friend was following me around while I was muttering under my breath and looking over the menus of at least five restaurants. Sorry D. but I made it worth your while right *sweetly*?

After much ado, I chose Culina. On several factors. Decent reviews on Yelp, nice wine valley bistro feel, and I love the stuff they sell (great wines, pates, caviar and other interesting stuff), plus there was at least five items on the food menu I wanted to try......

And I bit into possibly the best oysters I've ever had. It's a high call, and I've had a lot of oysters in many many places, but the Perle Blanche (and the other one which name I cannot recall but it's the other creamy one) were amazing. Both were very creamy and meaty. The PBs were slightly sweeter and the other were slightly more briney but tasted like the ocean. I can't really decide which one I like more. Don't make me choose!

But most importantly, not only were the oysters good on their own, this vinagrette for oysters was AMAZING on them, a little sweet and a little sour. Sublime.

Their soup of the day was green pea with prosciutto. I LOVE green pea soup (I blame it on Top Chef 'cuz they always make it look so good), and I love prosciutto of course. The soup was incredibly flavorful, with great depth. Could do without the dollops of mint jelly in it, although it does make it interesting.

Their home-made gnocchi with duck ragout, orange zest and thyme was outstanding. I am super particular about gnocchi. Most places serve frozen ones which are chewy and gross, or mess up their home made ones by it being too gooey (super easy to do especially in this climate), but their gnocchi was near perfect. It was on the gooey side, and maybe could have been a bit more flour-ey BUT it was well done. The sauce was amazing, and the duck was so tender we agreed it tasted like braised beef. Nice dish, on the heavy side though.

They serve a side dish of brussel sprouts, and I love it that they do. Could use a little more lemon in it but pretty tasty.

The disappointment of the nice. Spaghettini was overcooked, and the crab meat was a bit lumpy and not-so-fresh. The parsley was fresh though.

In all, a very good experience. I would come back just for the oysters seriously.

xoxo,
Keira