Juniper
We had a choice of 3 restaurants to dine with our guests after we’d been perfectly put together courtesy of Hugo Boss : Neo Tamarind, Prego @ Westin Hotel & Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill @ Traders Hotel. I think most of us dined at Gobo Upstairs, perhaps because of its reputation or perhaps because it has a nice view.
If you like watching your food being prepared, their grill has a glass wall so you can see the chefs busy at work from most seating areas in the restaurant. When we received our invitations, we’d already chosen our main courses – milk fed lamb or black angus beef.
Perfectly put together ladies by Hugo Boss who dined at Gobo Upstairs
I can see why Gobo Upstairs has earned its reputation as a lovely place to dine, it certainly has the ambiance for couples out on romantic dates, business lunches or dinners or just friends who want to hang out for a few hours. The view alone is worth the price.
It’s been some time since I went for a fine dining experience complete with white and red wines. We were served wines from New Zealand, namely Woven Stone, Sauvignon Blanc and Wooing Tree, Pinot Noir to go with our starters and main course.
A waitress brought our food from breads to the dessert. I wonder if she had an off day though as she was a little surly-looking and didn’t smile or acknowledge when we thanked her for her service each time she came to the table.
Smoked salmon Mille Feuille
beetroot/mascarpone/salmon roe
Generous slices of smoked salmon complemented perfectly by the vegetables and mascarpone. A fantastic starter which I wouldn’t mind having again at Gobo.
Roasted Roma Tomato Soup
croutons/goat cheese
Absolutely loved the tangy tomato soup, I thought it was hearty and had just the right consistency. The croutons and goat cheese made this soup all the more appetising.
Milk Fed Lamb
panisse/choron/baby vegetables/pomme puree
The first time the main course arrived at the table, I was rather chuffed as the portion was generous and I thought I’d definitely be eating till my heart’s content but when we carved into the meat, it was quite raw inside to the extent that we could see blood. The waiter informed us that it was medium rare (we hadn’t been asked how we wanted the main course done before the meal) and that was what was recommended by the chef. Well, the chef might be able to down it like that but we are more the “well done” type so we asked if it could be re-done. We wouldn’t know that it was a little too rare for our taste by looking at the caramelized exterior of the meat. When the main course came back, it was a fresh slab of lamb but in a much smaller portion than the first time round. This time, it was well done but the quantity of the meat was a let-down. One would expect the same amount of meat to come back especially since we hadn’t even eaten any of it the first time round. Taste wise, this is not the most tender lamb I’ve had nor the most memorable.
Chocolate Indulgence
dark chocolate/gold leaf/mix berries compote
The dessert made up for the disappointment in the main course as this was dense, luscious, mouth-watering chocolate cake at its best. The gold leaf was literally the icing on the cake!
Overall, this was an interesting dining experience if only to experience first-hand what all the fuss was about with the restaurant (online reviews generally rave about it). In this case however, I felt that the starters and dessert were a lot better than the main course. Still, it was a perfectly put together event and evening for all of us from beginning to end.
