Lunch @ Iggy's, Singapore

Dining at Iggy's Singapore has been on my wish list for some time. During our last trip to Singapore, Hubby made it happen for me. :) 

Iggy's is named after its founder, award-winning sommelier and respected restaurateur Ignatius Chan. The restaurant has won numerous (impressive) awards such as the best restaurant in Asia, according to The Miele Guide 2011/2012. It is also the best restaurant in Asia according to the prestigious S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants, coming in at no.26 this year.  These two awards have got me excited about our lunch at Iggy's.

No.1 in Asia, according to The Miele Guide

Iggy's is an intimate restaurant which only seats 40 pax. It is located in The Hilton Hotel on Orchard Road.  Because it is a small yet popular restaurant, it is necessary to make advance bookings and secure it with your credit card details.

The restaurant's interior is designed by celebrated designer Chris Lee of Asylum Creative. I like it, the ambiance is very romantic and classy. Service in general was good, however we got the impression that one of the staff assigned to us was a trainee as she failed several times to identify items on our plate when we asked for clarification. Her superior had to step in a couple of times to answer our questions.

Pretty orchids at the table

Yay! Baby Sumo finally at Iggy's Singapore ;)

The owner, Iggy's was a former sommelier so for his own restaurant, he had a wine specially created in collaboration with a winery in Australia (if I remember rightly), so Hubby had a glass of that to go with our lunch. We both went for the 4-course set lunch which is priced at S$85++ per person. According to the wait staff, only 1 or 2 items from the menu are changed per month.

2009 Iggy's Pinot Noir (S$30)

My lunch date :)

To start, we were presented this amuse bouche called "Nasi Lemak"... Hubby and I thought it was quite funny that we came all the way to Singapore to be served one of Malaysia's national dishes. Anyway this is a unique take on nasi lemak, with fish mousse at the bottom layer, pandan and lemongrass foam and topped with crunchy coconut rice with whitebait puffs. The taste certainly reminded me of nasi lemak and the contrasting flavours and textures was interesting and fun.

Iggy's take on Nasi lemak 

A few types of bread were offered to us throughout the meal. The foccacia was good but the sourdough one was too chewy for my liking.

Complimentary bread

Our table had a view of the semi-open kitchen. Hubby was particularly impressed with a gimmick installed in the restaurant serving area, which is a bit James Bond-like. The door to the kitchen was mechanical sliding doors made of hi-tech glass, the type which can be made clear or opaque at the press of a button.One minute we had a clear view of the kitchen, and another minute all we could see was frosted glass. It was quite fun watching all the action in the kitchen, when they allowed us and certainly a conversation piece for us.

Head Chef Akmal Anuar at work

Open sesame!

For each course, there are 3 choices. For the first course, I ordered the foie gras without hesitation. This was the best course I had during this lunch. The presentation was simple, but pretty enough. The foie gras was quite a reasonable portion and was complemented well by the sweet figs and crème de cassis (blackcurrant), and given texture by the hazelnut.

Foie gras | fig | hazelnut | crème de cassis

Hubby went for the pappardelle, which turns out to be made from wagyu beef and bell pepper to resemble pappardelle (the broad fettuccine). The pomegranate added a nice texture. This was a refreshing, light dish. Happy with our choices so far.

Pappardelle | Wagyu | bell pepper | pomegranate

My second course of "Egg" was served in a Staub cocotte. The egg was perfectly cooked, however the flavours did not really wow me. I guess this is breakfast served fine dining style, with runny egg, mushroom, potato and bacon.  I regretted not ordering the capellini with sakura ebi and kombu, which I later learnt was one of their "signature dishes".

Egg | mushroom | potato | bacon | Pinot Noir

Hubby's gnocchi was prettier in terms of presentation and much nicer tasting too. The gnocchi was served with lamb belly chunks, and fava beans (puree and whole) as well as crispy lamb bacon. Lamb bacon is actually pretty tasty!

Gnocchi | lamb belly | fava beans | lamb bacon

For mains, I had the lamb, which was pink, juicy and tender. It was perfectly cooked! This dish seems like a fusion between Western, Japanese and Indian flavours. I say this cos there is grilled nasu (a small Japanese eggplant which at first I thought was a small green chilli) and raita (an Indian cucumber and mint condiment). There was a pungent garlic puree which I didn't really touch.

Lamb | nasu | garlic | raita

Hubby had the duck, which was served with white sesame, cumin and carrot. The duck was also nicely cooked, with nice melting fat layers (almost tasting like bacon).

Duck| white sesame | cumin | carrot

For me, dessert was the most disappointing course. It didn't look like much (unless you like snow very much) and didn't taste like much either. There wasn't really any distinctive flavours here. I really didn't get this one.

Peach | yoghurt | elderflower | Spanish onion

Hubby's dessert was a whole different story. Called kaya & teh tarik, it was absolutely delicious! Ironically, these make up two popular dishes in Malaysia. The thick, soft brioche French toast had a wonderful caramelised extrior. It was served with a coconut and pandan spread as well as a bittersweet teh tarik ice cream (together with the foam as well!). This one deserves two thumbs up from us.

Kaya & teh tarik | brioche French toast | coconut | pandan

Sadly, no coffee/tea or petit fours is included in the set lunch here. But I did get a signed menu from all the kitchen staff ;)

Verdict: While most of the dishes were competently prepared, it did not really have the wow factor we were expecting. Were our expectations too high, since this has afterall been named so many times as the best restaurant in Asia?

Full set of photos, including set lunch menu can be viewed on my Facebook page here.

Opening times: Mon-Fri 12pm - 1.30pm (lunch); Mon-Sat 7pm - 9.30pm (dinner). Closed on Sundays and selected public holidays.

Service: Good.

Price: Set lunch S$85 per person. Total bill S$235.

Location: Iggy's, Level 3, Hilton Singapore, 581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883.

Tel: +65 6732 2234

Website: http://iggys.com.sg/

Nearest MRT: Orchard