Opened by Chef Marvas Ng, who has served French fine dining for more than 10 years in China and Hong Kong, in partnership with 1855 F&B, Path Restaurant at MBFC is the latest, and most exciting, addition to our food scene. The elegant restaurant is dressed in muted shades, and illuminated by lights that bring about a romantic ambience, and relaxing vibe come evening time. The gentle swirls and curves on the ceiling are inspired by topography, and the different layers signify the different depths that you will experience in the modern Asian cuisine at Path. As with a topography map, where various paths are mapped out, diners can explore different paths by curating their own set lunch, and opting for different dining experiences — in the private room, or at the Chef's Table right in the thick of the action.
Path places a great deal of emphasis on the dining experience, with a focus on tableside service, and engagement with guests. So you can expect tip top service here. I certainly did not mind the little theatrics that accompanied my meal!
To start, we were introduced to a red, and white wine that are both new to Singapore. The Dominio del Águila Pícaro del Águila Tinto 2019($120) which is matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. The owners concentrates 100% on their farming & winemaking, as they believe in letting their wines speak for themselves. They do not have a marketing team though Wine critics rave about their wines(recently, their Top Single Vineyard Wine Canta La Perdiz 2016 was rated 100 points by Wine Advocate)
Alheit Cartology 2019($108). Alheit is a cult winery at the forefront of South Africa’s ‘New Wave’Since its first, headline-grabbing release in 2011, their flagship wine Cartology has become a key wine in the history of the new South Africa Alheit is classified as one of the “first growths” of South Africa by Master of Wine Tim Atkin. They are a White-Wine Specialist and produces the best Chenin Blancs in South Africa
What's not to love about fresh and fatty yellowtail sashimi? Thick slices of Wakamatsu Strait Yellowtail($36) are paired with pickled zucchini, pickled Chinese Artichoke (crosne), and a generous pour of Spring Onion Oil blended with grapeseed oil. The pristine freshness of the fish from Hokkaido was evident, alluring, and immensely addictive. Amazing on its own, but spiced up by the myriad of flavours present in the pickled vegetables and spring onion oil, this gorgeous ensemble is not to be missed. I absolutely adored how Chef Marvas highlighted the natural flavours of the fish with seemingly simple ingredients.
The preparation of the Hand-Dived Hokkaido Scallops($58) was a joy to watch. Cooked right beside you at your table, sashimi-grade scallops from Hokkaido are seared on a hot stone that's 250 degrees celcius. The scallops are then topped with house-made Seaweed Truffle Sauce and Sakura Ebi, before they are covered with a glass cover and brought to your table. Get ready your cameras! Make sure not to take too long with photos or the scallops would be overcooked on the stone! Best enjoyed with the sides of Pickled Kombu and Pumpkin Salad, the plump and juicy scallops were more than delightful.
The collagen-rich Premium Kuhlbarra Fish Maw($35) might not look like a dish that will sweep you off your feet, but it will! Fresh fish maw is first double-boiled for an hour to soak up sake and dashi stock, before a collagen beurre blanc is prepared and combined with ingredients such as fermented black bean, sake, and water bamboo shoots. The cooked fish maw is folded into the beurre blanc at the last minute, and the dish is finished off with a sprinkle of caviar, tobiko and ikura. Expect an indulgent broth that's rich and smooth, and every mouthful to be packed with umami. This was so so good! I was literally scrapping every last drop off the bowl. I'm not a fan of soups or broths in general, but I've been craving for this!
"Suan Ni" Hong Man ($24) sees eel presented in a manner that I've never seen before. Completely different from the usual grilled eel that's paired with Japanese grains, Path's take on yellow eel is unconventional and innovative. Steamed partially-deboned yellow eel(with only the main spinal cord left) is cooled, deep-fried, and braised in a house-made dou ban jiang sauce made with a special blend of chillis and more. Only eels of 300g to 500g are chosen so that the bones and flesh are tender, ensuring the deboning process will be smooth and clean. Crispy rice, ginger shreds, and cashew nuts complete the dish. I'm not a fan of eel to begin with, and this slightly spicy dish dressed with Asian flavours felt a little too adventurous for me. So even though I finished it, I don't think this is something I would order again.
Braised in a house-made vegetable stock till soft and tender, the French Organic Cauliflower($24) is patted dry, deep fried, coated with house-made mayonnaise and then a mixture of house-made furikake, Taiwanese buckwheat, deep-fried quinoa, multi grains and Norwegian Viking salt. This is probably one of the only vegetables I would ever eat! The natural flavours of the cauliflower were still distinct, and not overshadowed by the savoury mix of ingredients that it was dressed with. I love mayonnaise, and furikake, so I naturally enjoyed the combination. The different textures present sure made it more fun to eat! Most of my dining partners said it was one of the highlights of their meal.
The Crispy Japanese Amadai($75), which is covered with crispy scales, promises delicate, firm and sweet flesh within. The fish is cleverly paired with a unique black bean beurre blanc that is poured onto the plate after the dish is placed on your table. The salty notes of black bean adds a palatable touch to the fish. I felt that the Alheit Cartology 2019 paired especially well with this dish!
Painstakingly prepared, the Signature Butter-Roasted Herb-Brined French Poulet($72) is undeniably the star of the show. The preparation process is extremely tedious, but the effort that goes into it certainly pays off. First brined for 16 hours in a 5% salt solution infused with a mixture of Chinese herbs, then blanched in a Hong Kong-style mixture, the chicken is then air-dried for half a day, before it is coated with roughly 800 to 1000gm of butter all over the chicken, then roasted in an oven. During the roasting process, all drippings are collected and reserved. Once evenly roasted, the chicken is briefly left to rest in a hot smoker.
Wonderfully tender and intensely flavourful, the chicken was simply impeccable. The roasted skin was thin, and carried a light smoky flavour. And, oh that meat! I'm convinced that this is one of the best chickens I've ever had. Best savoured with the accompanying drippings aka liquid gold, and Daikon Sword Leaf Lettuce Roll, or a bowl of the Signature Wild Forest Mushrooms Donabe, the French Poulet is just too good to be missed.
The Signature Wild Forest Mushrooms Donabe ($38) can only be ordered along with a meat dish. That's not an issue though, because you're definitely ordering the French Poulet, right? Armed with a slight crisp at the bottom, the donabe was tasty enough on its own, but a complete showstopper when laced with healthy lashings of the drippings from the French Poulet. That liquid gold is to die for! Depsite being really full, I happily wolfed down two servings of the donabe, with almost the entire bowl of liquid gold. This winning combination had my heart from the very first bite.
A lovely and light dessert to round off a brilliant meal, the Whiskey Bombe Alaska($28) features house-made whisky ice cream encased in a fluffy layer of meringue, which is then flambeed with whisky, and topped with kirsch marmalade. If you're afraid of the taste of whisky being too strong, you don't have to worry as it isn't at all! I really enjoyed this creation!
Made with Jiang Xiao Bai "Chinese Bai Jiu" instead of rum, Path's French Caneles($18 for 3) rock a beautifully caramelised crusty exterior and pillowy interior. The caneles are bigger than what I usually encounter, but I'm not complaining! It's not easy to find good caneles and I'm happy and proud to report that I gobbled down two of them, even though I was stuffed to the brim!
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Path, and have been recommending this restaurant to all my friends. I made a return visit in just two weeks to try their very value-for-money set lunch and was not in the least bit surprised to see the entire restaurant packed during lunch time. My friend and I share 2 3-course lunch sets (6 different items) and relished everything. The Duck Rillette and Chargrilled King Prawn were awesome. I genuinely believe that Path is the best restaurant to have hit our shores in 2022, and I'm excited to see what Chef Marvas comes up with next!
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