Corner House, 1 Michelin Star, Lunch Discovery Menu

Award Winning Corner House serves contemporary cuisine created by our local chef Jason Tan. In 2015, it was named the Best Restaurant of the year in The Peak's annual awards.  In 2016, it made it to the top 17th spot in Asia's Top 50 restaurants.  Click here for a list of their awards.

This is also where PM Lee hosted President Xi Jinping during his visit. Knowing that Chef Jason Tan is a Shatec graduate with working stints in Hotel Lisboa Macau and Le Amis, I can't help but feel proud of my fellow Singaporean's achievements.

I have to give the credit to my old time buddy as she was the one who has scouted this place for us to spend a lovely Thursday lunch in a restaurant surrounded by lush greenery.

"Oh my gosh! The place is lovely!" That was the first thought that struck me.

Corner House is posh in a cosy way. I was dressed in my casual dress with sneakers as I was thinking of going for a walk in Botanic Gardens after lunch. The dress code only states that slippers are not allowed. Shorts and bermudas are allowed.

We were immediately greeted by the host. As she led us to the second level, we were welcomed by a party of staff. The second level was gorgeous with windows from ceiling to the ground, allowing us to have a clear view of the greenery, yet in an air-conditioned environment. The waiter led us to a cosy corner, pulled out the chairs for us and placed the napkins on our laps.

Opening the menu, I gushed, "Hey there is a $58 three-course Business Luncheon! Sounds reasonable."

"The Lunch Discovery Menu has  a total of 7 courses for $128. It looks very interesting," she suggested.

After some pondering, we went ahead with the Lunch Discovery Menu. I need to recount this in detail so that if you are there for the first time, you must order their Discovery Menu. The essence of the restaurant's creations lies in their Discovery Menu. Only through their Discovery Menu that I finally experienced what Masterchef judges always talked about - different textures and flavours coming together to create new dimensions.

Lunch Discovery Menu S$128 per pax

Amuse Bouche 

- Oyster Leaf with Yuzu Gel, Hand-made Fish Cracker with Tobiko Roe

Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche is not the name of a soup. It means single bite-sized starters but they are different from appetizers because they are served according to the chef's selection on that day.

My favourite is the Oyster Leaf because I was taken by surprise! When I chewed the entire leaf with the Yuzu gel, the oyster flavour enveloped my mouth and was balanced by the sweetness and sourness of the Yuzu. How could a leaf taste like an oyster? It is really a type of leaf that resembles the taste of oyster. Click here to find out more.

The sweet and salty Tobiko roe, with the mayonnaise, compliments the fish cracker perfectly. I love the feeling of roe popping in my mouth. Tobiko is the name of flying fish in Japanese.

Walnut Raisin Roll, Baguette and Butter

Bread and Butter

The bread and butter was actually served first. You could always ask for more throughout the course. I especially enjoyed the walnut raisin roll. Soft, nutty and sweet bread goes perfectly with smooth butter of good quality. The other piece of bread tastes as normal as it looks.

Carabinero Prawn
Variation of best seasonal tomatoes, Vintage Sherry, Cystal De Shine Cavier

Carabinero prawn

Look at how pretty and interesting the dish looks!

Carabinero prawns is one of the most coveted prawns in the kitchen. They are large, deep sea prawn species. The prawn was succulent and sweet. The green stick on the prawn was actually sea asparagus. The one with the generous cavier was even more enjoyable as they popped in my mouth with the fresh sweet prawn. The deep fried prawn whiskers could be crispier.

The bright orange thingy is Tomato Sorbet. How cool! It tasted refreshing and not yucky at all.

The most interesting thing on the plate would be the tomato cloud - the white foamy block with cute yellow spheres. The waitress explained that it is actually clear tomato water made into a white form with olive oil spheres.

The cherry tomato with Hijiki was nice but forgettable. But its two bigger counterparts provided the best surprise. We thought they were the same but they weren't. One of the tomatoes was infused with Thai Basil Honey and the other one with mint. I enjoyed the minted one more than the honeyed one.

Foie Gras 'Lu Shui'

with Grapefruit, Green Apple, Rice Cracker, Ginger

Beautifully plated

When the dish was served, I was hesitant about the Foie Gras because it looked very hard. When I bit into it, it was soft and smooth. The white dome on the left is the Grapefruit foam. The reddish fruit is the Grapefruit flesh. The green matchsticks are green apple and the orange sticks are pickled ginger. 

Grapefruit foam

This is the dish which truly brings out the pairing of different elements on the plate in order to create a perfect combo. I am really glad I watched many episodes of Masterchef Aust. George Calombaris always says that we need to mix all the elements together in order to taste the essence of the dish. Let me explain further.

When I ate the grapefruit foam with the Foie Gras, it is so bitter that it is hardly enjoyable. But when I made sure I included all the elements on the dish, voila, a new taste is created. The bitterness of the grapefruit foam was completely balanced by the sweetness of the red grapefruit. The pickled ginger, the sour and crunchy apple and cracker gives the dish many textures as Foie Gras is soft. Everything goes so well together. 

New Zealand Blue Cod Crispy Scales 

with Hokkaido Scallops, Fennel, Yellow Capsicum, Ikura Roes,  Basil

Cod with yellow capsicum and pickled fennel on scallops

The waitress explained to us that the cod fish scales when deep fried, would puff up. I can't wait to try it out at home. Although this is a cod dish, the star of the dish for both of us was the Hokkaido Scallops. They were perfectly cooked, sweet, juicy and the browning on top gives its a nice charred fragrance.

The Ikura Roes juices exploded in my mouth with every pop, enhancing the flavour of the cod as though fresh, I would have hoped for it be sweeter. The only thing that I did not enjoy was the burnt orange. No matter how I mixed the other elements with the burnt orange, I still found the sharp bitter taste to be overpowering and I could not see its place in the puzzle.

Australian M7 Wagyu Beef 

with Veal Tendon, Black Truffle, romaine lettuce

The Wagyu beef was tender and juicy but not impressive. The beef itself failed to wow me because I have tasted Wagyu beef which would melt in my mouth but this version definitely is far from melting. The star of the dish is the soft veal tendon braised to perfection. I also enjoyed the black Truffle on the artichokes.

My Interpretation of Kaya Toast 

with Pandan, Gula Melaka, Muscovado Sable (unrefined Brown Sugar), Pineapple

I was blown away by the beauty of the dessert. But beauty is only skin deep. Overall, I found the dish a tad too overwhelming with sweetness although the Pineapple sorbet has done its best in trying to balance the dish with its refreshing and sourish flavours.

The white powdery thingy is Pandan snow. The thick brown sauce is the Gula Melaka. The thick parfait was the Kaya. The parfait was very smooth. I felt that the biscuits were too thin for the rich Kaya parfait. Nonetheless, it is still an intelligent, delicious and pretty dessert which could only be found in Corner House. If you are a Gula Melaka fan or a Chendol lover, you would love this dish to bits.

I really wish that Corner House would provide an alternative for dessert in their Discovery Menu.

Petite Fours - Macadamia Nut with Chocolate, Salted Egg Macarons

I wasn't paying attention when the waiter explained that they were salted egg macarons. I was surprised to taste the familiar sweet salted egg taste that has become so trendy that it can be an overkill. For salted egg pastries, I expected it to be creamier. This tasted more like the texture of Tau Sar in Tau Sar Piah.

The nutty chocolates and salted egg macaroons cleansed our palate of the richness and sweetness of the Kaya Toast dessert. Very clever!

Overall, we had an awesome gastronomic journey and no regrets for trying out Corner House Lunch Discovery Menu. Despite the hefty bill, Corner House second level was full house on a weekday during lunch. Feeling awesome, we then took a short walk in Botanic Gardens.

I have taken a few shots of the atas yet cosy Corner House. It is air-conditioned and the windows provide a clear view of the beautiful Botanic Gardens. This place is perfect for special occasions or surprises.

For a group of 6

A different section

Nice smelling hand wash

Tastefully decorated with lovely smell from the essential oil

Entrance

Evokes the romance of a special historical location

Address: 1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens, E J H Corner House, 259569
Phone: 6469 1000
Hours: 12–3PM, 6:30–11PM