@willow.restaurant by Chef @nictkc was my choice for my wife's birthday this year. A contemporary Asian dining room in Singapore carrying one Michelin star. The space is both elegant and modern with a lot of soul. Chef Terence Sng was on duty and the night started with a Dom 2015. Only the best for my Queen.
I watched firsthand how the team cooks with simplicity and trust in the produce, leaning on the consistency of Japanese ingredients and letting their natural flavour lead. The menu itself moves through beautiful ingredients using techniques drawn from across cultures.
Tuna and deep sea red crab came early, bright and clean with just enough richness to set the tone. Their twist on kaya toast was clever and comforting, brioche layered with mushroom and an unexpected salty finish that stayed with me.
The zucchini with Japanese cuttlefish tasted fresh and almost healthy, but still full of flavour. A reminder that balance and technique can sit in the same bowl. The Chinese sauerkraut fish-inspired dish brought in both green and red peppercorns, a familiar technique in that region, and it was such a good expression of that style.
The Brisbane quail came out and it was unreal. Paired with a tea egg and smoky greens, it ended up being the best quail I have ever had. A real soul moment. Wagyu followed, melt in the mouth and beautifully charred with a little salad bouquet. Every dish was big in flavour, and the level of craft and presentation across the menu was on another level altogether.
As a proper food geek, I like to taste, think, and talk through what I am experiencing. @ter_enceeee was more than happy to listen and explain the intention behind each dish, which made the night stand out from so many others. You need to be a geek to tolerate that, and he met me there the whole way through.
Kat, the restaurant manager, accommodated every request from a week before we even arrived, and continued to do so on the night. Santhosh, the sommelier, paired sake and wine with such precise detail, explaining exactly why each choice worked and letting me taste the difference myself.
The mastery here is not just in the kitchen. It runs through the entire dining experience.
