Dined at Pollen last week, courtesy of ex-boss; I haven't met him for months and I was extremely glad I had the opportunity to catch up with him.
Pollen is a fine dining restaurant with a Mediterranean influence. It's located in the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay and boast a naturalistic ambience. I was initially pretty much intimidated by the whole setting but the waiters were warm and friendly, which kinda helped.
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photo credit: camerafilmroll.blogg.se
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Complimentary bread was served to fill our hungry stomachs. There were 2 choices, a rye and white bread. I chose the rye bread which was passable; the other white bread tasted much like a baguette as it was really hard and dry. Some garlic infused cheese spread and olives were served together with our bread and boy could I kill a vampire with that spread! Although the spread was creamy and cheesy, the garlic was way too overpowering. The olives were nice and juicy and it was a pity there's only three.
We had the salad of buttered lobster to share; not much sharing needed as the dish was really puny. I thought the lobsters were fresh and sweet and complimented the tomato puree below it.
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Salad of buttered lobster, pasta, seaweed, maple dressing
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I ordered a roasted Sea bass with beetroot, sweet potato, pumpkin puree and drizzled with Yuzu sauce. The Sea bass was roasted perfectly: crispy on the outside and tender in the inside. I thought the Yuzu really brightened this dish; amazing combination of earthiness and tanginess. My one and only qualm would be the way too salty beetroots. Apparently, the dish I had was a new item on the menu and I had the honour of having the very first Yuzu Sea Bass of the day.
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| Roasted Seabass with root vegetables and yuzu |
The other 2 dishes, my companions had, were the John Dory and the Cod. Both of which were beautifully plated but tasted fairly average. The spanish rice that came with the John Dory was pretty flavourful though.
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Roasted Brittany cod, razor clams, black truffle, wild mushrooms, sorrel
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| Line-caught John Dory, Spanish rice, cabaneros, asparagus |
There variety of desserts were too interesting to decline and so we ordered 3 different desserts to share. Before dessert arrived, a shot of pre-dessert was served. The pre-dessert tasted like a Mascarpone cheese cum raspberry jello mousse; really refreshing and delightful.
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| Pre-dessert |
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| Coconut Mousse, Rhubarb Broth and Goat Cheese Ice cream |
Aunt had the Coffee and Cognac which tasted really weird and too out of the world. I can't really figure which component of the dish I ate but it was really bitter and pungent.
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| Coffee and Cognac Honey Truffle cream, Hazelnut crocante |
The best dessert would have to be the PB&J; this is by far the best PB&J dessert I had. I love how they gave the usual PB&J a twist and used Yuzu sorbet instead, love love love the combination of creamy Peanut Butter and tangy but refreshing Yuzu. I thought the bottom layer of crunchy peanut butter and juicy pomegranate seeds just kicked this dessert up a notch.
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| "PB&J" Penut Butter, Cherry Yuzu Sorbet |
As if dessert wasn't enough, post dessert Petit Fours were served and I just had to get my hands on those cute little goodies. Sadly, the Petit Fours looked better than it tasted; the pralines were filled with weird concoction while the fancier liked cupcakes were passable. The cinnamon jelly tasted like sugary coated jelly beans which results in the green tea mint chocolate being the best tasting one of the lot.
Overall, Pollen is indeed an atas place to dine. While the food may not be worth the money, it does boast a team of friendly staff, great ambience and a beautiful conservatory to admire. Oh my, what money can buy XOXO
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