A SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS WEBSITE
by Christopher Lim
If you like the alfresco bars Hacienda and Superfamous in the Dempsey and Boat Quay areas respectively, then you might like their latest relative, Cicada. This article was first published in The Business Times on Oct 1, 2007.
The largely open-air dining concept is located at 7 Portsdown Road near the Temasek Club, and owner Michel Lu says that it is primarily a restaurant, although it has a decent wine list and bar menu.
The French onion soup ($10) had a nice balanced sweetness from the caramelised onions, but the highlight was actually the hot Gruyere cheese bun it was served with. The relatively neutral Gruyere was a really nice foil for the stronger soup, but was tasty enough to eat on its own.
The crab in the crab Caesar salad ($13) went nicely with the dressing, crunchy bacon and parmesan filo crisps, but it would’ve been much nicer if the poached egg were at least warm, if not hot.
Of the three pastas I sampled, the duck confit parpadelle was the best, although it might not appeal to those who don’t like heavy dishes. The wide, flat parpadelle pasta collects a lot of the duck fat, which does mean it never gets dry, but that could be too much of a good thing. You’ll probably need to wash it down with something like a pint of Beamish Irish Stout, which Cicada has on tap.
The linguine primavera aglio olio ($16) is a decent vegetarian option, and the grilled vegetables were fresh and crisp. This will appeal to the natural-taste crowd, but those looking for something with more flavour should stick with the duck confit parpadelle, because the linguine itself was a bit tasteless.
Seafood fans should try the Chilean seabass ($25), which was fatty and not overcooked. The buttery flesh contrasted nicely with the texture of the toasted almonds the fish was garnished with. The roasted spring chicken with a ragout of organic mushroom ($23) was a bit anonymous though, and a bit dry despite the mushrooms.
The desserts are one of the stronger portions of Cicada’s menu. The must-try is definitely the peanut butter chocolate brownie crunch cake ($12), which is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You’ll have to deliberately save space for it though, because it’s filling.
The caramelised apple crumble ($12) was, well, not very caramelised, and way too crumbly even for a crumble, but it might be worth trying just for the heavenly honey and fig ice cream it comes with, which wasn’t excessively sweet and had chewy bits of fig.
If you like pastry, you can try the frangelico cream profiteroles, though they need to be eaten with the almond nougatine they come with, because the cream’s a bit heavy and needs the nougatine to lift it up a bit.
Cicada
7 Portsdown Rd
Tel: 6472-2100
Rating: 6.5/10
