Singapore March 8, 2010 NEW MENU Tippling Club IT'S a new season of culinary show and tell at Tippling Club, a cutting-edge restaurant (in previously staid Singapore) whose twin-pronged philosophy involves pushing boundaries and tickling palates with a technique-driven repertoire of ultra-progressive food and beverage, while having plenty of fun in the process. It's been 18 months since executive chef Ryan Clift and mixology expert Matthew Bax teamed with Cynthia Chua of the Spa Esprit Group to create the closest thing there is to a fully functioning food laboratory in Singapore, and the experiment is beginning to pay dividends. Located in an appropriately edgy, industrial chic structure next to House, Spa Esprit's one-stop beauty domain at Dempsey Road. Tippling Club has developed from an interesting, quasi-novelty culinary item and – after some tweaking of the original concept – emerged as a serious contender in the fine-dining stakes. Granted, the avant-garde cuisine and high-end prices still mean that the client base remains firmly in the niche category – although there is now a strong drinks-only crowd as well – but there is no disputing the serious intent or the overall quality of the dining experience. The kitchen team has been strengthened by a new head chef – Scott Huggins recently joined from Iggy’s – which allows Mr Clift more time to be inventive and create new dishes, while the bar team has also benefited from more high-calibre additions. Even though the environment is casually hip, the service is efficient, highly professional and totally in the groove – which is saying something in a service-challenged environment like Singapore. As a result, the entire Tippling Club experience, which involves counter-style seating with a full view of the kitchen and plating area, and a presentation style that relies on chefs and bar staff to serve diners, inform them of what they are eating and drinking and how it has all been prepared, is consistently impressive. There is a confident buzz in the kitchen and a constant sense of expectation from diners. A meal at Tippling Club means choosing from either a five-course Classic menu ($125 or $210 if paired with wines and cocktails) or a 10-course Gourmand menu ($230 or $380 with matching beverages). First-time visitors might choose the “safe” option – “we don’t want to scare them away,” says Mr Clift, while more adventurous types will invariably go for the Full Monty, as it were. Tippling Club’s all-new menu, which was introduced last Friday night, also serves as a coming-of age of sorts – an announcement that the restaurant is ready to face the challenges of competing in an increasingly difficult market. “We’re raising the bar a bit,” Mr Clift acknowledges, and there's no doubt that he's now running a much tighter culinary ship. After an onslaught of bite-sized culinary tricks – vichyssoise in a spoon, bourbon-infused, carbonated grapes, crispy rice paper with jamon belota, charred peppers with a wasabi and soy dipping sauce, among others – came Mr Clift's interpretation of chilli crab (above right). The Singapore flavour detectable in a refined orange-red emulsion, accompanied by shelled crabmeat and paired with a Mexican-inspired drink made with beer, yuzu and assorted spices. This was followed by a succession of what on paper appeared to be familiar items – escargot, foie gras, surf and turf (above left) – but were of course nearly unrecognisable when served. So it was a good thing that each dish as well as drink was given an extensive explanation by the server. The vegetable garden (below), for instance, came with porcini earth and white truffle “frost” – the garden in winter, according to Mr Clift. There was a slight sense that the professor had gone berserk, but even if their imagination runs a little wild, Mr Clift and Mr Bax are in full control of their faculties. Mr Bax is also an artist in more ways than one – he designed the menus and there is also an exhibition of his paintings at local gallery Fost next month. There is ample evidence of cooking techniques that are popular among progressive kitchens: a firm-fleshed confit of kingfish with freeze-dried ginger sponge, or wagyu beef cheek cooked sous vide for 48 hours at 72 degrees. Mr Clift takes his food seriously, of course, but because there is also an element of playfulness with each presentation, chances are he doesn’t take himself too seriously. This isn’t the type of food you can eat everyday, but Tippling Club offers a few options so you won't have to go broke – cocktails and snacks, for example, or post-dinner dessert. Having dined here at various intervals since it first opened, it’s clear to me that the restaurant has gone up a notch in quality – the talent was never in doubt and now, it seems that everything else has fallen nicely into place. Tippling Club Rating: 8/10
8D Dempsey Road
www.tipplingclub.com, www.baxvsclift.com
8D Dempsey Road
Tel: 6475-2217
www.tipplingclub.com, www.baxvsclift.com
