SIN: Ash & Elm
Where you can get smoke-trapped dessert!
Note that the lunch menu is a subset of its dinner counterpart, especially since the charcoal-grill kitchen is only operating in the evening. Because of that, my dining partner and I went for dinner.
Ash & Elm is one of the dining options housed inside InterContinental Singapore (5*), the flagship hotel of the InterContinental Hotels Group in the Little Red Dot, which is directly linked to the ever-bustling Bugis Junction. The restaurant prides itself in its three culinary theatres: a charcuterie and cheese room, a wood-fired oven and an open charcoal-grill kitchen.
Note that the lunch menu is a subset of its dinner counterpart, especially since the charcoal-grill kitchen is only operating in the evening. Because of that, my dining partner and I went for dinner.
Bread
On top of being aromatic, the complimentary bread was fluffy enough for my liking. It was served with salted butter and quite a lovely tapenade made of olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
Golden Cauliflower Florets S$10.00
Taste: 5/10
For the price, there was quite a generous amount of cauliflowers cooked in a mix of parmesan and mozzarella, as well as Chardonnay cream sauce. While I enjoyed the rich dish at first, I wouldn't want to finish it on my own as it grew heavier and heavier to the point of being cloying towards the end.
Alsace Flammekueche Flatbread S$28.00
Taste: 3.5/10
We were having a hard time deciding on one of the six available flatbread variants, and ended up making the wrong choice that evening. The topping of smoked bacon slices, onions and crème fraîche (French sour cream) was prohibitively salty. It was such a pity since the flatbread was actually crispy and fragrant as it was baked well in a wood-fired oven.
Beef Rib-Eye Steak S$48.00
Taste: 8/10
Charcoal-grilled using Manuka wood, the 120-day grain-fed Australian Black Angus beef was a far cry, in a good way, from the flatbread. It came with a juicy vine-ripened tomato, garlic confit and a small piece of roasted green peppers. I opted for black peppercorn sauce, which was too unfortunately too watery for my liking. Pika's advice: You may be better off ordering natural jus or béarnaise sauce (French sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks).
I requested for the beef to be served medium rare. Retaining most of its moisture, the red meat was succulent with an adequate amount of fats.
Smoked Aces S$18.00
Taste: 9/10
Our dessert of choice was a magical affair. What came to the table was a plate full of smoke trapped in a glass cover that it was initially impossible to see how the dessert looked like. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take a photo or a video of it. Anyway, taste wise, it was akin to caramel custard, finished with ginger syrup and citrusy bits. Along with the heady smoky aroma, the unique combination of flavours apparently worked well.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 6.5/10
Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
I wonder how salty the rest of the flatbread variants are.
Ash & Elm
80 Middle Road
InterContinental Singapore
Singapore
(Mon-Fri: 7.00am - 10.30am, 12 noon - 2.30pm, 6.00pm - 9.30pm;
Sat-Sun: 7.00am - 10.30am, 12 noon - 3.00pm, 6.00pm - 9.30pm)
*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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