FiftyThree - Lunch

A beautiful, elegant and sophisticated restaurant carved within the second floor of a shop house located at the appendix of Fort Canning. The deco is sleek and modern, with natural colors and materials. Unfinished wood, stone and fabrics create a sober and bright atmosphere that marries well with what's on the menu.

The lunch menu includes two options: a 5 course lunch priced S$85 and a 3 course priced S$53. The S$85 menu requires to be ordered by the whole table.

To start with, we were served some tapioca crisps with a carrot and hazelnut sauce. This was beautifully presented and the chips were crispy and light.

The presentation of the bread was impressive. A gunny sack filled with two potato and two charcoal loafs of bread. The texture of both types of bread was enhanced by a light butter topped with roasted barley. I extremely enjoyed the fragrant flavour of the barley with their specially made bread.

The "Scallop and Hairy Bittercress Chicken 'Oysters' and Buckwheat" was outstanding. A huge, meaty scallop was surrounded by oyster looking pieces of chicken, that tasted as bouncy as oysters.

I unexpectedly enjoyed the "Japanese Tomatoes Watermelon and Horseradish". It sounds so simple and unexciting, but besides the freshness and full flavour of these peeled cherry tomatoes, what really made this dish work for me was the frozen cloud of horseradish. That icy tang combined with the vegetables just added a new dimension to an otherwise plain dish.

My next choice was the "Welsh Lamb Rump, Root Vegetables". A rare lamb rump was cut into juicy slices, arranged below thin and crispy slices of radish. Overall the main dish worked well and I would have this again.

The "Red Gunard and Hazelnut Beluga Lentils and Smoked Eel" was nice, although I couldn't find any hint of smoked eel. Tasty lentils well accompanied the firm and juicy texture of the fish.

I absolutely loved this dessert, but then again it's quite easy to make me happy when it comes to chocolate! "The Amedei - Chuao Banana and Malt" was a chocolate ganache garnished with a charcoal-like crumble, air-popped barley and some caramelized banana.

The "Amaou Strawberries and Pistachio
Tahitian Vanilla" was a classic combination of fresh strawberries with cinnamon flavoured crumble and a delicious thick pistachio sauce. This was a fresh and light dessert for those who prefer the fruity option. I would personally choose the chocolate dessert next time.

At the end of the meal, we were served a beautiful stone topped with two soft apple jellies. As the waitress explained, these elastic flat candies slowly dissolve on your tongue releasing an intense apple flavour. I personally couldn't resist chewing onto them since jellies generally don't last very long in my mouth anyway.

I would highly recommend this place for a relaxing fine lunch in an airy, spacious and sober environment. The service was attentive, efficient and friendly.
Dining at Fifty Three is like a "spa" experience of gourmet.

Fiftythree
53 Armenian Street
Tel: 6334 5535
Website: http://www.blogger.com/www.fiftythree.com.sg