Bacchanalia

So I've been hearing many good things about this restaurant and previously I tried to make a reservation but was told it was already full! Luckily this time I managed to score a reservation, so does the food live up to the hype & wait?

The decor of the restaurant! I would say seats are quite nicely spaced and the low-lit, red surroundings give a romantic/sexy feel. 

Their menu seen below, is based on the idea of sharing (as with all other restaurants now) and so I think one dish is good for sharing btwn 2 people cos portions aren't that big. Gauge for yourself by looking at the pics below!

This is taken off their fb page (link at the bottom of this post) and is correct as of May 28 2013

Aubergine Assam

$16

Tamarind glazed aubergine, charred aubergine puree, salted kombu crumb

Honestly, this dish was bland and not yummy for our tastes (but I have seen reviewers saying they love this dish so it really is VERY subjective so dont just take my word for it!) I felt that I couldnt tell I was eating eggplant and the assam flavour did not shine through at all. 2.4/5

HD Scallops

$36

Norwegian hand dived scallops, borlotti beans, tobiko, cocoa

This is goooood! If you can spare the $36, I suggest you spend it on this! Plump juicy scallops in a sauce that's slightly creamy but rich in taste, accompanied by the crunchy tobiko, mmmm it was bliss! The boy agreed too. The beans are a nice addition to this dish and I liked them! 4.6/5

Sorry just had to show you guys this :)

Duck Confit

$28

Spinach wrapped confit duck & cucumber

Corn cucmber dashi

Now this is a great rendition of deconstructed peking duck. That is all you'll think of when you eat this dish haha so if you're looking for some Western duck confit flavours here, I suggest you dont order this! But if you want a new way of presenting peking duck which bears about 90% semblance, I suggest you order this. 

I forgot whether you're supposed to drink the dashi first or eat the roll first but dont worry, your server will tell you that. I think eat first then cleanse the strong flavours with the soup?

So for the roll - basically its tender pieces of duck meat, with hoisin sauce (like the peking duck sauce) and some small cucumber strips wrapped in spinach. For us, the sauce was too sweet for our liking and got cloying after awhile. Would have been much nicer if it were a little less sweet!

The dashi was light and clean, tastes of cucumber mostly and did a good job of cleansing your palette! 3.9/5

How the interior looks! Sorry it looks uh kinda gross haha. 

Prawn Risotto

$28

Garlic oiled poached prawn, compressed radicchio di treviso, strawberries, burrata

This was superb!!!!! Please order this. I really love the creativity here ie the radicchio + strawberries! The tartness they add to this dish brings it to a whole new level. The boy and I loved this dish! Prawns were done nicely too. This wonderful dish we finished in no time :) 4.8/5

Steak & Eggs

$38

Brandt beef family reserve rib eye cap, pickled onions, "eggs", chips

The boy really loved their fries! It was wonderfully crisp and seasoned with kombu salt instead of the usual truffle oil nowadays. "Eggs" is actually a ring of yam puree with an egg confit in the middle! He also said that the beef was v tender and flavourful + the onions were sweet too!

Foie Gras Satay

$30

Sous vide foie gras with lemongrass with tamarind fluid gel, grated chestnuts, peanut satay

I felt that this dish didnt remind me of satay! But the foie gras was beautifully done, melts in your mouth kinda literally. Would have liked a bit more sauce to go w it. Cant really taste the chestnuts/peanut sauce so I think this dish, while creative, falls a little short on execution and taste? 3.8/5

Pre-dessert: Strawberry meringues with hazelnut & fromage frais

(credits to TanHsuehYun for the description!)

Super light and strawberry taste is q strong!

Tiramisu

$14 (should be! Not too sure)

Marsala mousse, coffee ganache, coco gel, blackcurrant ice cream

Now the servers are cheeky about this dish when they serve it to you and describe the dish, they purposely miss out a "secret" ingredient (the menu leaves it out too). So after you've tried it, they then come back and ask if you've eaten that part haha. Well its an ingredient q a few restaurants are using in their desserts now, that taste of nostalgia. 

Okay so this does not remind you of tiramisu at all in summary BUT it is a good dessert so dont order if you're looking for classic tiramisu cos the only thing reminiscent of it is the marsala mousse (ie the white parts at the side). In the middle, well it says coffee ganache but it tastes more like chocolate to me but the different textures in this case - mousse, ganache, crunchy bits + secret ingredient below, makes this a rather good dessert. The blackcurrant ice cream was sour and went rather well with the cake though I'm not sure why its there w a supposed tiramisu. 4/5

Avocado & Lime

$15

Black hokkaido sugar, goat cheese cream, lime sorbet

The goat cheese cream is stuffed into the avocado which is coated w black sugar. Now the avocado taste IS strong even w the goat cheese so if you do not like avocado, please dont order this dish! It is a savory dessert so bear that in mind if you wanna order this. I'd say that the pairing of goat cheese w avocado doesnt really resonate with me. The lime sorbet was really refreshing and I like the soil beneath it! I've read many reviews online abt how this dessert's really good, so I guess its really up to you! Do give it a try if your curiosity demands so. 3.6/5

Service was very good there, prompt, friendly, helpful. Ambience is good for a romantic meal! They also have bigger tables to accommodate large groups. They hold themed brunches which includes lotsa alcohol! Do check their fb page if you wanna know more. I think this is a good place to splurge on with creative dishes! Also the menu I showed above is a new version with 5 added dishes since April 21! I liked that there are new dishes to try which'll entice customers to go back. I'd definitely be back for more prawn risotto though! 

Bacchanalia

23A Coleman Street (once you pass MICA, the building w colourful windows, look out for the turn into this historic building! Dont miss it!)

65091453 (please make reservations in advance!)

Tues-Sat 6pm-1am

Sun 11am-3pm

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