Plebeian Plates

Recently, I've been busy with a multitude of other preoccupations, so much so that updating Rumrum has taken a back seat. Truth be told, I'm losing steam as well, for I no longer feel any inspiration to write. Instead, many-a-time, my infrequent postings are "motivated" by a sense of compulsion, though it remains a mystery as to why I feel this way. I reckon that this is in part due to a writer's block (I seem to have run up against a literary wall and lost my flourish in writing) and in part due to the low viewer ratings. While I must say that this blog was never written with the intention to cater to the mass market and was meant as a space for me to expound on my love for food, dismal viewer ratings have undeniably made me feel as though my efforts have gone unappreciated (please understand). Anyhow, I decided to briefly run through several plebeian eateries that I've been to in the past few weeks, none of which have really stood out.

1. Le Cuisine

Having been hailed as one of ten hot new tables by TimeOut Singapore for the month of May, my dining partner and I decided to give this French fusion eatery a shot (despite its barf-worthy name, for "cuisine" is a feminine noun and should be used with the definite article "la" instead). While the establishment made a fair attempt to mimic the quaintness of a Parisian restaurant, unfortunately, the same cannot be said of their nourriture, which represented an archetypal matrimony of blandness and pretentiousness.

Interior

For starters, a pumpkin/papaya mint soup was served. While I have had on several occasions bouts of amnesia about exact ingredients used in dishes, the fact that the primary ingredient of the soup eludes my memory bears testament to the sheer tragedic tastelessness of the broth, which bore a rather close resemblance to a flour-water mixture. 

Soup

For the mains, I ordered the signature Lychee Pork dish while my dining partner ordered the Braised Lamb Shank. While the former was interesting in that it contained lychee pearls, the pork was overly tough and dry - perhaps, the pigs had come from an arid desert and had been dehydrated as a result? As for the braised lamb shank, while the meat was more tender, the gravy was overly salty for our liking, making the dish mediocre at best.

Lychee Pork

Braised Lamb Shank

Drinks

All in all, the meal at Le Cuisine did not live up to expectations and certainly does not deserve a return trip.

2. Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Cafe

Having heard and read about this supposedly authentic German restaurant in Bras Basah, my dining partners and I decided to pop by one night for dinner. Once again, kudos to Stuttgart Cafe for their quirky and rather characteristic decor, what with a water wheel and a wall of cuckoo clocks. Unfortunately, the meal left me with a gnawing dissatisfaction, and while it did not fail spectacularly, there was a deep-set ennui that promises to deter me from ever patronising S-Cafe again. 

Decor

For starters, we had their specialty dish, i.e., Maultaschen or Swabian dumplings with potato salad and sauteed onions. Honestly, the dish did not excel in a single aspect (what with the paltry amount of filling and indistinct flavours), thus making me wonder as to why this should even have been a crown jewel of S-Cafe. Truly puzzling.

Unremarkable

As for the mains, we shared a sausage platter with two specialty sausages, complemented with sauerkraut and potato salad. To my dismay, the sausages were overly oleaginous (the perfect recipe for some atherosclerosis) and their insides were laden with salt, although the sauerkraut represented quite a delightful contrast. Nevertheless, in my opinion, having delectable sides but a less-than-wonderful centrepiece defeats the purpose of a main course, for it is akin to donning one's bridesmaids in silk gowns while the bride is covered in drab fabric. Furthermore, due to the widely available nature of sauerkraut, I doubt that the sides were freshly prepared - thus, any commendation should go to the people who were involved in the preparation of the sauerkraut instead of to the restaurant. 

Sausages in a pool of glistening oil

Having had a rather pedestrian meal thus far, we had been hoping for at least an attempt at last-minute salvation - some decadent dessert, perhaps? Sadly, our hopes were dashed, for the lava cake which we had ordered had a rather unctuous and oily chocolate filling that resembled goo more like fast-flowing lava. Furthermore, the vanilla ice cream tasted so creamy to the point that it was cringeworthy and lacked the true vanilla bean taste as well. As for the supposedly famous blackforest cake - which the cafe has eponymously named itself after - it was a terrible disaster, for the sponge was dry and the cake was lacking in its rum taste. Wow, so much for the dish which was reportedly the crème de la crème of this eatery.

Disappointing Desserts

3. A Western diner near Regent Hotel, whose name I am unable to recall

The food here requires no verbose verbiage, for ALL food was served lukewarm and were either lacking in flavour (especially the soups) or finesse (the pork ribs were charred and hard; the restaurant could not even get their basics right - what more is there to speak of finesse?)

Abysmal

That's about all for now. Apologies if everything sounds like a lamentation, but do understand that substandard food that does not meet basic expectations cannot and should not be tolerated.