I think it’s super obvious to most by now that I’m a sucker for sunsets! Whenever I plan for my dinners, a sunset view is definitely one of my requirement. The heart wants what it wants, besties. Singapore being a literal concrete jungle, we Singaporeans have that luxury to have dinner on tall skyscrapers overlooking the greatest view of the sunset and I totally love that. Something about being on top excites me! You know what I mean.
After checking out several menus from countless stunning restaurants, my friend and I decided to have our sunset dinner at the beautiful VUE, on the rooftop of OUE Bayfront. Just opposite the iconic Marina Bay Sands, the view is beyond spectacular.
VUE is named after the french word for “view” and that is also how its name is pronounced. Yes! I actually googled the correct way of pronouncing the restaurant’s name so I don’t embarrass myself when I’m there! I almost wanna pronounced it as Vu-ay.
I have not seen any other detailed reviews elsewhere regarding the size and portion of the courses so I’m here to hopefully give you a better expectation before reserving a table here.
When you reach to the rooftop, you’ll be greeted by a super luxe, dark and grand corridor that displays the extensive line of wines they offer in the restaurant. Walking through it is like stepping into a Batman mansion movie set. So dark and mysterious. The hostess is delightful. Really swift and efficient and what she does! Got our reservation checked, scanned our SafeEntry QR code and we’re in!
The interior of the restaurant is just astonishing and grand. It reminds me of the French chapel with the incredible semi-circular ceiling, the warm lighting.
It was quiet too, which is great cause I love a calm, serene vibe whenever I’m having a sunset dinner.
The 4-course omakase menu is specially curated by the executive chef, Chef Sam Chin.
Chef Sam has experience working alongside the likes of Lauren Peugeot and Chen Kentaro, both celebrated chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants so I know his menu will definitely be the best.
The menu is extensive too, and we were spoilt for choices! The servers were amazing at what they do, they gave us plenty of recommendations and good ones too. I didn’t get their names, but the service they rendered that evening was really astounding. Friendly, courteous, helpful and most importantly, anticipating our needs.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get that similar service from the head sommelier though. He attended to our table and we asked how big the portions are for the chef-tasting menu because I couldn’t eat much that night because silly little me scheduled another dinner on the same evening.
He replied by saying that it’s an individual portion, which we then asked again about the size. We know it’s an individual portion but we need to know the size literally. So he went back and forth with the same one-word, vague answer without any basic explanation. His tone went from rude to downright condescending, so we decided not to engage and get the servers to attend to us instead. All that prestigious awards achieved but no interpersonal skills or basic customer service, it’s a shame really.
Let’s not give him the spotlight and let’s focus on the food instead! They deserve so much more. You can check out the menu here too.
1. APPETIZERS
Australian Venison Loin Tartare
Personally for me, I do not like my food raw but I decided to try something new this time and I’m glad I did! It wasn’t as revolting as I thought it would be. Yeah, it looked red and bloody, but it tasted divine. Of course, the beautiful presentation of the dish really helped too but in terms of flavour, it was really delicious.
Norwegian Red King Crab Salad
When I hear salad, the first thing that comes into my mind is a plate filled with veggie! I was pleasantly surprised that it was different here. Yes, there was vegetables cut into cute, delicate pieces but I really didn’t expect the real king crab meat to be served fresh, with Oscietra caviar topped on it. It was magnificent, it tasted literally as fresh as the ocean. Not that I’ve tasted the ocean before but you know what I mean!
2. MIDDLE (Yeah, me too! I didn’t know there is a course called “middle” too.)
Pan-seared Perigord Foie Gras
This gotta be the main highlight for the whole menu for me, though this wasn’t the main course. I am a huge fan of foie gras and only limited restaurants serve them good and the ones here are fantastic. It’s not too gamey, it was really creamy and buttery. Perfection.
Signature Uni Risotto
I’m a fan of risottos too but it was my first time tasting fresh, raw sea urchins. While I find the sea urchins a little meh, the risotto tasted like food from an Italian heaven. Lady Gaga would be so proud. The portions was just nice too. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to get your tummy prepared for the main course.
3. MAIN COURSE
Pan-seared Spanish Seabass
Ola, amigos! Apparently the seabass is spanish? I love every single bite of it. It was pan-seared so the meat remains tender while the skin was super crispy. Really amazing. I tend to eat fish when I don’t wanna over-indulge so this was perfect for me.
Signature Kumamoto A5 Black Wagyu Sirloin
You guys.. I know saying that a steak melting in your mouth is cliché but indeed, it’s so true here. I was mesmerized. Two slices of these wasn’t enough! I want more! It’s so tender and juicy. A little tip! If you’re ordering wagyu, always have it cooked medium-rare. It intensifies the tenderness by a million percent! I’m drooling now as I type this.
4. DESSERT
Pear & Yuzu
Okay, this might be a little bit bias cause I am never a fan of pears. I hate pears and HATE is a strong word. I feel like it has a weird texture and aftertaste. But hey, that doesn’t stop from trying this dessert. You know what? I shouldn’t have. It smelled exactly like those Comfort Taxi Cabs and it instantly triggered my motion sickness. Do you know the smell of those lemon air fresheners that they stick onto their car air-con vents? It smells exactly like that.
So yes, I only ate their gold flakes after that.
Molten Chocolate Tart
Last but certainly not the least cause this is one is RICH in flavour. The chocolate tart was beautifully done! Not too sweet, not too bitter either. I wasn’t expecting the chocolate to liquidify in the middle though, I thought it would be like a custard-ish chocolate but I was wrong. I’d prefer it to be thicker so I can scoop it up with the crust sinfully! But really, oh god. It tasted so good with the salted caramel ice-cream by the side.
I will definitely come back. If you’re not into sunset views, I’d suggest coming here for their lunch sets instead cause the price isn’t that steep in the afternoon. I don’t really talk money here because all of us have different concepts of affordability, so if you ask me how much I spent here, I would say I almost spent more than half a thousand here for the omakase 4-course dinner menu.
It definitely was worth it, though. Will I come back? One hundred, thousand percent.
Aliff Daniel 