Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow

Previously I lunched at Flutes at the former location at National Museum of Singapore but they have relocated to another heritage building, Guoco Midtown House which used to be a police station.

Here, Flutes uses some Australian ingredients like kangaroo tartare and Aquna Murray Cod and pavlova, with much Asian (mostly Japanese) influences. Set lunch starts from $58+ and dinner from $148+. For the purpose of this tasting, we were served the dinner degustation menu at $178+.

The degustation has 5 alleged courses, but if you include the snack, palate cleanser, pre-dessert, and petits fours, that makes 9 courses in total. What I like about the arrangement of the courses is how it is arranged like a symphony with a crescendo at the main course.

The snacks, the first course (Alaskan king crab salad), and the second (Aquna Murray Cod) are nice. But it’s really the third course (celeriac & langoustine) that starts to impress. The celeriac is peeled thinly into ribbons, then baked in brown butter. Topped with Manjimup truffle, paired with langoustine in a reduction of Madeira. This may come across as bland to a younger audience but to me, that sweetness of seafood plays off beautifully with the subtle onion-like, grassy taste of celeriac. The concept behind this magical dish reminded me so much of the sensibility of the signature turnip dish at the world-famous L’effervescence in Tokyo.

When I thought the celeriac dish would be the best dish of the night, the main course arrived: BBQ Zabuton Satsuma Gyu Skewer. That sounds really fancy, and it is. “Zabuton” is a rare cut from the cow’s shoulder blade. To be labeled “Satsuma Gyu,” the meat must be from Tajima breed of cow from the Kagoshima Prefecture. Satsuma Gyu won 1st place in the Wagyu Olympics Competition in Japan in 2017, and it could be considered the best wagyu in the world.

The beef is simply fantastic. Pillowy, juicy, soft, and sweet. But what’s great is how it pairs well with beetroot. I don’t like beetroot normally because it has a earthy, soil-like taste. I’m not an earthworm, I don’t want to eat soil. But somehow, they complement each other greatly.

One last dish I really enjoyed is the Pavlova. I’ve been wanting to bake one for some time but I am lazy. It’s a lovely contrast of the sweetness with the calamansi sorbet; the strawberry acting as a mediator. The balance is delicate and beautiful.

Flutes has been around for 20 years and what I like about the new space is it continues to be a proper fine-dining restaurant with pristine table cloth on padded tables. I also think it’s weird that Singapore doesn’t have more Australian restaurants because after I traveled in Australia extensively, I found they have a unique fine-dining style. And Flutes fills that lacuna in Singapore’s fine-dining. It is delicious, educational, and interesting.

Flutes Restaurant
120 Beach Road #01-02 Guoco Midtown House Singapore 189769
t: +65 63388770
11am – 2:30pm and 6pm – 10:30pm
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Food: 8.5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Decor: 9/10

You may be interested in…
– Kenwa Orenji, Mohamed Sultan: Greatest hits of Japanese cuisine
– Restaurant Imbue, Keong Saik: The Problem with Chasing After Michelin Stars
– Recent Eats: Ammakase (Raffles Place); Burma Social (Tras St); Cafe Usagi (Suntec); Imbue (Keong Saik); Kageyama Ramen (Suntec); La Savoir (Orchard); Le Petit Paris (Bedok); Malts (Marina Square)
– Singapore Foodie Reviews: SG Hawker Charcoal Burger in New York, Pan-fried Shanghainese Buns, and Bhutanese Cuisine

This is an invited tasting.