The management for the Punggol Settlement needs to rethink its strategy. There is free parking everywhere at the Punggol Jetty area, except in the Settlement. Why deter people from coming here?

The Punggol Settlement is a huge two-storey building that houses mostly Chinese seafood restaurants. When I saw the kitsch fountains in front of the faux European building, I laughed. Such a clash in its architecture and the Chinese restaurants.

Coming to Punggol Settlement reminds me of 80s Singapore, which isn’t a bad thing, but the management needs to be clear of its direction, otherwise this place would end up looking bipolar.

Foie gras ($14.90)

Horizon Bistronomy’s spiel is to deliver “French food to the mass market, in a casual and affordable setting” (quoted from their facebook).

WOW. Firstly, never use the phrase “mass market”; the phrase devalues the individuality of every customer. Secondly, a setting cannot be affordable.

And thirdly, the prices aren’t affordable at all. Chiobu and I were gobsmacked that Horizon Bistronomy could demand such prices at an ulu location. It was at the edge of Singapore; any further, you’d need a passport. That said, other establishments asked for similarly ridiculous prices. The Giant supermarket here prices its groceries higher than Cold Storage’s. We bought fried rice for our dad at a Chinese restaurant at $9.50. But I guess most people who come here drive. So drivers don’t feel the pinch right?

Summer truffle mushroom risotto ($25)

The food was alright. There was a mild odor in the foie gras ($14.90). This is a French restaurant, however, they serve Italian mushroom risotto ($25), which thankfully used risotto rice grains, and had a great bite but it could be richer and more robust. Wanted to try the pork duo ($25, which sold out over the weekend), I had to go for the duck confit ($25, below) on Monday. It could be moister inside, and somehow, both Chiobu and I had a feeling that the classic French dish tasted Asian. What was in the seasoning?

Chiobu loved the candied bacon on the fig, pear, & bacon sabayon ($10.90, below), but I thought the dessert lacked texture, and unity–a confusion of tastes with candied bacon, poached pear, red wine fig, vanilla ice cream, champagne sabayon, and (chocolate?) cookie crumbs. Too many things going on at once. Food, like relationships and emotions and ways of thinking, should be complex, not complicated.
The ambience and service should commensurate with the high prices but they don’t. The space is al fresco, and small—no air con, still charge so high!–and the seaview, if you think about it, is fraught with refineries, factories, and freighters. What’s so valuable about the view? The service was good and polite, but it didn’t match the pricetag, as they forgot my order of wine. If I had my wine, perhaps this review would have gone a better (inebriated) way. We spent $85 for two.

Horizon Bistronomy

3 Punggol Point Road, #02-04 The Punggol Settlement, Singapore 828694
T: +65 6702 2855
M-Th 6pm-11pm, F&Sat 6pm-11.30pm, Sun 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm
facebook

Food: 6/10
Value: 4/10
Service: 7/10
Decor/Ambience: 6/10
Rating: 2.875/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.