Lo and Behold Group owns some of my favorite restaurants that gave me fond memories, the desserts from Tanjong Beach Club, the best pizza from Extra Virgin Pizza and the grandeur of White Rabbit. Black Swan continues the tradition, with Sebastian Ng from Ember as the consultant chef.
Crab Salad
The Art Deco building, which used to house a Chinese bank, gives the restaurant an Old World charm, while the bistro-like interior was cosy. The service, from the start to the end, was impeccable, with inexperienced but well-trained, efficient and attentive servers.
The food was as tasty as it was beautiful. We had the set lunch (2 courses $28, three $34). For starters, the crab salad (+$4) was a tad oily but the citrusy flavors worked well while the char-grilled beef tartar (+$4, above) was one of the best beef tartar I had. The beef was not minced but diced, giving it a nice bite. When the beef was eaten on the crispy, toasted bread, it tasted like a very good smokey burger.
The mains were fantastic too. The duck leg confit was better than the Black Swan Burger. The burger was as what a burger should taste like while the duck leg confit was one of the best in Singapore – crackling skin with moist, tender meat. Divine.
A triple win as the desserts continued to score. The coconut creme caramel (below) had an interesting Asian twist, drizzled with gula melaka and ginger, but it could be more wobbly. The date & toffee pudding was ok: the ice cream was especially rich, however, the pudding tasted like toffee banana muffin.
Black Swan refers to a financial term that describes an unexpected event impossible to predict–but the service, vibe and food here were predictably good. If I were Simon Cowell, I’d say the food was excellent but might be a little safe. On the whole, the restaurant left an impression on me: it felt like an SQ experience, safe and sound. You can say Black Swan soars.
Including a mocktail, we paid $100 for two for lunch.
Date & toffee pudding
The Black Swan Singapore
19 Cecil St Singapore 049704
T: 8181 3305
Lunch: M-F: 11.30am-2.30pm
Dinner: M-Sat: 6-10.30pm
Supper: M-Th: 10.30pm-1am, F-Sat: 10.30pm-2am
Rating: 3.569/5 stars
Written by A. Nathanael Ho.
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