It's been another lovely year and for my 26th birthday, S decided that Gunther's will be where we spent the evening for Celebrations Part I.


This is our second visit to Gunther's, with the first coming when the restaurant - ranked fourth in Asia by the Miele Guide - just started dishing out modern French cuisine. S was extremely proud of the fact then that she 'discovered' the place before the media did (either that or it's a figment of my imagination).


In the same tradition as Garibaldi, the main menu at Gunther's doesn't change much, but offers seasonal specials to entice the regular patrons. So the biggest surprise was not the menu but the fact that the head waiter now goes around with a tray to showcase the seasonal specials - Maine lobsters, French mushrooms, seabass and a huge slab of fresh, ruby-red grain-fed beef. Unfortunately the meat felt like it came straight out of the zoo's kitchen.


Back to the food. S was craving for her Angel Hair Pasta with Scampi Oil, so the glutton opposite her decided on the degustation menu (this little french word seems to be popping up at many top restaurants - basically one savors all the very best of the chef's dishes in small portions and part with a large portion of his money. A fine balance of small and large makes everyone a happy man).

Tempura Prawn

The night started with the amuse bouche - Tempura Prawn. S actually remembers that this was the same amuse bouche we had on our first dinner here. It still amazes me how she remembers the intricate details of her meals.

The degustation menu started with a wonderful Cold Angel Hair pasta, Oscietra Caviar. The flavorful pasta adding a great bite to complement the alcoholic perfume of the caviar.

Next up was the Brittany Langoustine "Armoricaine". Always loved langoustines for their funny little appearance. The oven baked shellfish here was tasty and succulent, but was at best credible rather than amazing.

Before the main course was the Floating island of champignon de Paris on consommé of poultry. The consomme seems to be the new darling of the dining scene and all respectable menus lines up this soupy essence as a lovely palate-cleanser before the main course.

Grilled smoked French Duck Breast

Angel Hair Pasta with Scampi Oil

For mains, I had the Grilled Smoked French Duck Breast while S had the Angel Hair Pasta with Scampi Oil. The duck breast was juicy and tender, the pan-seared skin adding complexity to the taste and bite. S was really looking forward to her pasta but it was not as tasty as we remembered it to be (her expression after the first 2 bites told it all). To be fair, the pasta was well done but just lacks the exploding overwhelming scampi flavour that's the hallmark of the dish and what lingered in our memories.

Even though the meal had it's hits and misses, the dining experience always boils down to the company and I had the greatest company I can ever ask for. I'm already looking forward to gathering more Michelin and Miele stars with S.

Happy birthday to me!