Singapore - To Eat (28Sept2017 AURA)

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Singapore - To Eat
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AURA

400m walk from City Hall MRT
recommended by Eileen Chan

Located on the 6th floor of the national gallery is AURA. The sky lounge offers a beautiful panoramic view of the iconic Singapore skyline. The main dining restaurant is however located a floor below (No view of the city scape).

As shared from the staff, Aura was in the 2016 Michelin recommended list and according to staff, which was revealed later on, that it was their Sister restaurant which received the 2017 Michelin star.

Aura which offers Italian cuisine is quite the dining treat especially adding a visit to the National Gallery, which was originally Singapore’s City Hall.

Click here for ABBA location of AURA, Aura, 1 Saint Andrew's Road, 05-03 and 06-02 National Gallery Singapore, 178957

Ordered On:
28thSept2017

Complimentary serving of warm Focaccia bread

*Nice warm bread, but I felt the black based balsamic/oil dipping dishes were a silly aesthetic choice. We couldn’t even tell what was inside.*
Roasted Foie Gras with Nashi Pear, Fig compote and Duck Jus 32SGD

*A classic pairing and quality product. The crisp freshness of the pan seared Nashi Pear brings a brightness to the dish, offsetting the sweet Fig compote. A sure win favorite and classical pairing. Small but gratifying serve.*
Imberico de Bellota Ham with Tomato Jam and Almond Cream 38SGD

 *Though it says its a Bellota but the nutty deep flavors synonymous with Bellota kinda gets masked by the rest of the song and dance. The onion powder on which it was served on was interesting and gave a textural element. For a great educational experience on the difference between ham cures, the Jamon experience in Barcelona along Las Ramblas is not to be missed.*
Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with eggplant, tomato and Beluha Capers 32SGD

*A complete disappointment. Insufficient seasoning and more cheese would have perhaps played out better. The capers weren’t bold enough in its flavors and an order to be passed over.*
Italian Seabass with White and Green Asparagus and Saffron Sauce 45SGD

*Good reviews for the crispy skin from others visit but didn’t get a sample off this tine.*
Grilled Octopus with Smoked Peppers, Eggplant and Black Olives 45SGD

 *Amazing! By far one of the top preparations of octopus. Where one under does it, its tough and over doing it also renders it tough. The sweet spot was right on the money and a generous. Each cut was like eating the fatty, caramelized portion of steak fat without the fat! Tender juicy morsels and a well worth it order! The smoked pepper purée at the bottom was a nice sweet accent to compliment the dish in its entirety. Close to and another octopus cook competitor goes to London’s Duck and Waffle.*
Grilled Iberico Pork Chop with tomato petals and burnt onion cream 45SGD

*Apart from a beautifully cooked tender piece of pork chop prepared well with burnt onion cream, the dish itself was a little underwhelming.*
Kalingo Chocolate and Earl Grey Dome with Raspberry Cream 18SGD

*Am no expert on desserts but the tempered chocolate is smooth, rich and decadent. There may have been a hint of rum as well. One for chocolate lovers . The earl grey was now where to be found.*
Tiramisu with coffee Cream and chocolate Crumble SGD18

*An alright tiramisu*
Baked Cheese Cake with Lemon Espuma and Strawberries SGD18

*The chefy Espuma was a little bit of a distraction from the cheese cake. They could have just made a good lemon cheese cake as opposed to having two different elements. The lemon over powered the cheese cake, which in itself lacked the oomph expected from a creamy cheese cake.*
X2 coffees x1 draft beer
Total about 98SGD/pax

Food wise there were some hits and misses. The sure wins were the Foie Gras and defiantly the grilled octopus.

Only because they are part of the Michelin guide and not to mention higher price point, that expectations for Aura are higher. Please note that we dined at the upper deck with the view of Singapore skyline as opposed to the main dining hall downstairs. The dining upstairs was very dimly lit hence the harsher shots of the food taken.

By Michelin expectations, service on the upper deck was very lacking. When querying what dishes were recommended, staff rattled of exactly what was written on the menu. They weren’t selling the dish on a personal note, nor its flavor profile or intricate preparation. They weren’t even sure of the elements on the dish served.

On the initial service of the appetizer, service staff placed the dish without explanation of what’s what. They did however improve service thereafter having highlighted to them the lack of it.

The long and short of it, if dining at Aura, advice is to stick only the downstairs dining area without the view. Although both entities are part of the same establishment, the upstairs service was hugely lacking in comparison to downstairs (as experienced by fellow patron on a previous visit).

Downstairs's front of house explained and shared what I felt to be excuses. She said that upstairs is a different vibe/concept to the main dining hall and when queried if its acceptable by Michelin standards, it was later explained to me that its actually their sister restaurant which won the one star and not this particular branch.

*The dining space down stiars*

Stick to downstairs dining for the proper dining experience. Honestly if without the skyline view, its probably not that worth to be dining there. Go for the recommended mains reviewed and pass on the desserts.
Click here for ABBA location of AURA, Aura, 1 Saint Andrew's Road, 05-03 and 06-02 National Gallery Singapore, 178957