Iggy’s, Singapore

As the highest ranking World’s Best restaurant in Asia, Iggy’s was one of the reasons I came to Singapore. That said reviews haven’t been unanimously positive, fellow bloggers have recommended their lunch being good value for money, but dinner being sorely overpriced and overrated. Lunch it is then.

Lunch is offered at 4-courses for c. £45pp, 2 options per course. The menu looks French with a fair share of Japanese influence and an impressive range of international ingredients.

Amuse Bouche

Foie Gras pear, balsamic, shiso

It was a huge slab of foie gras, gently seared and barely holding the wobbly liver in shape, its nutty grease oozing out with a light poke of the knife. It was truly indulgent, the liver just dissolved away… with a little tingles on tongue as the popping candy danced away. It was a brilliant touch to give this classic dish a modern surprise; my highlight of the meal.

Pappardelle Wagyu, piquillo, pomegranate

My cholesterol-conscious parents both opted for the pasta starter. This was comparatively lighter and more refreshing with the slightly citrusy pomegranate seeds. A few pieces of waygu sashimi were hidden under the pile to give some roundness to the dish.

Egg Pinot Noir, bacon, mushroom

I think this was the size of my amuse bouche, if not smaller. The soft boiled egg yolk erupted to mix with the concentrated mushroom broth and cured ham shavings. The flavours were intense, almost like a very strong stock, and I thought it worked well with the custardy yolk.

Spaghettini cod’s milt, spring onion

Japanese eat cod’s milt as a delicacy and yup, it is indeed the fish sperm sac. And no I didn’t tell my parents that when they said they wanted some carbs.

I don’t think I could pick out the taste of milt, I certainly didn’t spot anything that looked like one. This was creamy but not heavy, finished with a touch of subtle heat. A fairly forgettable dish really.

Pork Belly Gobo, yam mikan

The root vegetables were bland; I guess the bitter-sweetness from the satsuma mandarin was supposed to dominate and lift the weight off the fatty pork. I don’t know, I think there was too much bitterness in the mandarin and the dish tipped off balance. I didn’t enjoyed it very much, though Dad thought it was quite good.

70°C Wagyu Cheek Pinot Noir, mustard

These were incredibly tender, the meat simply collapsed. Mum thought it was too soft, she didn’t like the lack of meat structure. I quite liked it; I liked how the intertwined fat dissolved with the muscles. That said the slow cooking method somewhat masked wagyu beef characteristics.

Forrest Berries Bloody orange, lime mascarpone, campari

I didn’t try it – Mum said blood orange sorbet was quite sour. I gathered it wasn’t my kind of dessert.

Kaya & Teh Tarik Brioche French toast, coconut pandan

Definitely my kind of dessert. The crusty cube of French toast was infused with ice cream in the centre; the tea-flavoured sorbet and foam was perfect with the smooth kaya. It was like a Singapore’s signature breakfast deconstructed.

The starters were superb, particularly the foie gras with popping candy; the mains were less impressive, nonetheless well executed. I enjoyed it. Given I had been feasting on local food in hawker centres for 2 days, this was a pleasant change. I wouldn’t say it was an unforgettable meal though.

On a side note: The dining room was freezing cold. We were seated right under the air conditioner and we asked to be moved away from it. And the staff kindly seated us under another aircon ventilation point.

Iggy’s

The Hilton Hotel

Level 3

581 Orchard Road

Singapore 238883

Tel: (+65) 6732 2234

You may also like: Amber (Hong Kong), Passage 53 (Paris), L'Atelier de JR (Hong Kong)