Weets Eats: LeVeLing up their game
Since 2010, LeVeL33 has been serving views and beer.
The view from its terrace is certainly one of the best we'll get in Singapore. Spend a few minutes there at twilight when the city lights start up. It'll be a memorable experience.
It also serves craft beer and prides itself to be the world's highest urban microbrewery.
But in recent months, the food there has been given its own spotlight too.
There is a new menu, thanks to the new Executive Chef ArChan Chan from Hong Kong and her Chef de Cuisine Maksym Chukanov.
When I hear Hong Kong chef, I immediately think dim sum and wanton noodles.
Chef Chan proved me wrong. The menu is modern European with elements of beer, as a nod to LeVeL33's most known product.
But the dish that left the deepest impression is beer-less. It is the vegetarian option of clear tomato consomme ($22), served chilled.
The consomme looks light but it packs a punch. The tartness was a surprise but a welcome one. And it's a lot of work to make the soup - roma tomatoes are blended and hung overnight in cheesecloth to collect the juices. Then the juices are clarified with egg white and crushed ice.
There is also the Garden Greens Tart ($29) if you're looking for a vegan option.
The Kingfish Sashimi ($26) is another stellar dish. Lager cured kingfish is served with pickled cucumber, with a sauce of cucumber juice and seaweed oil poured over it.
The touch of tart in the dish is refreshing and whets the appetite.
By the time the seabass ($36) arrived, and there was yet one more liquid poured onto the dish, it was beginning to feel repetitive and like a gimmicky clutch because, let's face it, diners live for a live-action element to their dishes.
But three times in a night is too much for me.
Still, the elements work. I love the crispy skin and tender flesh, while the beer malt risotto was interesting.
The quail ($27) is delicious. The bird is marinated overnight with lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce, LeVeL33's stout and chilli. And after it's grilled, a glaze of stout, honey and quail jus is applied. The result is a deep soulful coat of treacle.
Pork Intercostal ($37) is promising on paper, but less exciting in real life. The mustard seeds added a nice touch of heat but that was probably the only drama coming from the dish.
LeVeL33
#33-01 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, Tel: 6834-3133
Opens 11.30am to midnight Monday to Thursday; 11.30am to 2am on Friday and Saturday; noon to midnight on Sunday
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