“CORNER HOUSE”, a one-Michelin-starred contemporary French restaurant that is a regular on the “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” list and a true representative of Singapore.
The restaurant is located in a historic building in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and its concept, “Gastro-Botanica,” incorporates a special love for plants into its cuisine.
The restaurant not only uses plants, but also offers beautifully delicious dishes that make one ponder on the complex systems inherent in nature.
Ave. Budget: Lunch course 128～168++ SGD, Dinner course 228++ SGD/ “Michelin Guide Sigapore 2020″ 1-star,
“Gastro Botanica,” which demonstrates respect for nature.
I wanted to escape the murderous heat of Tokyo and go to a summer resort, but instead I headed to Singapore, right below the equator.
I was afraid it would be like adding fuel to the fire, but when I landed, it was cooler than Tokyo! It’s crazy, what’s happening to the earth…
I thought as I took the subway to the northwest of Singapore, heading towards the botanical gardens.
That’s right, the first thing I had reserved was “Corner House”, a regular on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and a holder of one Michelin star.
Walking from the main gate of the botanical garden, which is directly connected to the metro station, it takes about 15 minutes to reach the restaurant, but I decided to walk instead of taking a taxi (you can also take a taxi on the road next to the park).
The concept of “Corner House” is “Gastro-Botanica”, which means that the dishes are created with a special consideration for plants. I had learned about this before my visit, but experiencing this environment made it seem natural.
In other words, there was a natural abundance of greenery that was not typical of Singapore.
To put it another way, in Singapore, which could be described as an artificial financial city, the most luxurious thing might be nature. With that in mind, I continued walking.
After walking what seemed to be a considerable distance, I finally arrived and was immediately impressed by the beautiful building, forgetting all about the boredom of the walk.
I later learned that the building is a designated historic colonial structure, which the Singaporean government requires to be preserved.
As for the name of the restaurant, I had assumed it was a play on the English term “corner shop” since I first heard of it, but it turns out that it was originally the home of a botanist named E J H Corner.
There are many things you don’t notice until you actually go and experience them for yourself.
Weekend lunches are rare in Singapore’s luxury restaurants
We were seated by the window, possibly because we made our reservation quite early. The coolness was perfect, and the view was excellent.
We ordered the 5-course “MENU EXPERIENCE” ($158: about 13,500 yen). There are “3 courses ($78++)” and “4 courses ($98++)” business lunch menus on weekdays, but only the “MENU EXPERIENCE” is available for weekend lunch.
We visited on a Sunday, by the way. It’s worth noting that most high-end restaurants in Singapore are closed on Sundays, but Corner House was open. It was much appreciated.
First, we toasted with a cocktail.
There were many authentic cocktails to choose from, but we went with the signature “MIDORI” to go with the botanical theme of the restaurant.
It’s made with a melon liqueur base, mixed with apple brandy and citrus juice.
As an amuse-bouche, what came out was an ostentatious presentation of a rice cracker topped with flying fish.
It has an Asian taste and is delicious.
Next up were two dishes that were a kind of interlude between the amuse-bouche and the appetizer (I counted them after finishing and there were 5 more dishes to come, so I suppose these were still part of the amuse-bouche).
On the left was foie gras mousse, and on the right was a plum and shiso jelly.
Up to this point, with these three dishes, my taste buds were on quite a rollercoaster ride, with saltiness, umami, viscosity, sweetness, and sourness all coming into play, putting my palate in a full-on battle mode, or rather, gastronomy mode.
And in the midst of all that came the Gillardeau oyster!
Produced by the Gillardeau family on the Oleron Island in western France, it is quite a famous brand locally in France.
This was undoubtedly the selection of a chef who is truly French.
They cover it abundantly with flakes of habitually frozen crème fraîche, despite using such high-end ingredients.
Although the inside is not visible, the oyster is covered abundantly with flakes of habitually frozen crème fraîche.
I was wondering how oysters and caviar would go together, but it turned out that the cucumber pickled in vinegar, yuzu pepper, and other refreshing sournesses that were placed underneath the oyster acted as the supporting role.
It was a thrilling taste, as if walking on a tightrope, where everything could collapse with just a little imbalance.
I’m starting to get excited about what kind of development the course will have next.
Wonderful combination of ingredients ordered from all over the world
Next up is lobster risotto.
Squid meat is also subtly mixed in as a hidden flavor, and buckwheat groats are mixed in with the rice, while Western leek and edible flowers are sprinkled on top.
Cider is also added to the jus, adding freshness.
Despite its vibrant appearance, it is a highly complex dish that relies on a sophisticated composition for its flavor.
The Patagonian toothfish, also known as the Chilean sea bass in English, has a taste almost similar to silver cod and is served steamed.
To accompany it, grilled Iberian pork cheek is added, creating a combination of sea and mountain, with a blend of delicate fullness and rich umami.
Grilled free-range chicken is the main meat dish of the day.
It is enjoyed with cherry shrimp, edamame, rice cake, and a truffle sauce made with Australian summer truffles.
Here’s the English translation with each sentence in a separate paragraph:
As a palate cleanser, it’s so elaborate that it could almost be considered a pre-dessert.
It includes watermelon and watermelon shaved ice, pineapple sorbet, lychee, and more, but is uniformly refreshing for a proper palate cleansing.
The dessert is a reconstructed version of the classic Malaysian breakfast dish, kaya toast.
While the meal has been relatively simple up to this point, the dessert is the most innovative aspect of the experience, which makes it quite interesting.
A solid selection of petit fours was also served.
The macaron had a rich mango filling, reminding me that we were still right near the equator.
Is it a complex system that reproduces nature that lurks at the root of deliciousness?
I previously mentioned that the dishes were simple, but that was merely a matter of my impression upon eating.
If you look carefully at each dish, you will notice that they are doing quite unusual things.
There are combinations of mostly seafood and mountain ingredients, and even the simplest dishes were filled with complex ingredient combinations.
This affects the course structure as well.
The typical French course format is “amuse-bouche -> appetizers (cold and hot) -> main course (fish and meat) -> dessert,” but the lunch I had here followed the same flow while not fitting into the existing forms of each part, with one part overlapping into the next.
If classic dishes could be expressed in sheet music in a major or minor key, this restaurant’s cuisine would be like jazz, incorporating tension chords, ninth chords, and even dissonant sounds in a skillful and tasteful way.
I had heard beforehand that at “Corner House”, the food is focused on plants, much like meat or fish, but after eating there, my impression was that “plants, meat, and fish are all equally the star.”
Perhaps it was just by chance that the menu was like that at the time, but the dishes felt like they reflected the complexity of nature, not just because of the focus on plants. But maybe I’m overthinking it.
–Restaurant Information on “Corner House”–
Business Hours: Lunch 12:30-15:00 (L.O. 13:30), Dinner 18:30-23:00 (L.O. 20:30)
Holiday: Sun
Telephone: +65 6469 1000
Address: 1 Cluny Rd, E J H Corner House Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Official web
MAP
▽If you’re looking for Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore, check out this article▽
▽If you’re looking for restaurants ranked in “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants,” this article is for you▽
