The Place Located at the refurbished Grand Park City Hall, Tablescape is a relatively new modern European restaurant and bar by the Park Hotel Group. My first impression of Tablescape is its fine dining ambience, which I come to realise is not the main direction of the restaurant. The classy interior reminds me of the classic Parisian ambience, which is a stark contrast to the Peranakan-style accent floor. I visited Tablescape for dinner, and can imagine the gorgeous natural lighting in the day with its full floor to ceiling glass windows.

The Food Other than the ala carte menu, the two-or three-course set lunch is priced at S$32++ and S$42++ respectively, while the three-or four-course set dinner is priced at S$48++ and S$58++respectively.

We started well with the Bread Selection from the Trolley – Focaccia with Cheese; Sour Dough Mini Baguette; Onion Bread; Squid Ink Brioche. The breads are amazing, warm and freshly baked, which I couldn’t help but have a little too much before the meal proper. The focaccia with cheese and sour dough mini baguette are must haves.

The first dish I tried was the Salmon Gravlax with Vegetable Shavings, Lemon Myrtle Oil and Cream Cheese Ice Cream (S$16++). House-cured for 24 hours, the most charming part here is the cream cheese ice cream, which goes surprisingly well with the fresh and citrusy salmon.

The name of the Veal Sweetbread in 2-Minute Pea Soup with Ceps Mushroom Ragù (S$18++) got us talking. The 2-minute here represents the time taken for the peas to be plucked fresh from the pods, blended, and cooked with white wine and chicken stock. All in 2 minutes, which is quite a feat to imagine. That said, I didn’t really enjoy the pea soup, which is a personal preference. The saving grace for me is the pan-roasted veal sweetbread, which I wish is more substantial.

The other starter dish I tried was the Steak Tartare & Crispy Battered Poached Egg (S$24++), mixed with consummate red onions, gherkins, parsley and caper. My benchmark for beef tartare has reached a zenith after I had the version at Kimme, and unfortunately Tablescape’s rendition did not quite work for me.

For mains, I tried the Prosciutto Ham Wrapped Monkfish and Maine Lobster on Risotto in Armagnac Lobster Bisque (S$38++). The monkfish is pan-seared, while the Maine lobster is sous vide in clarified butter. The risotto uses Arborio grains which are gently simmered in lobster broth and cream, which is quite tasty on its own. That said, the flavours of both the monkfish and lobster itself are on the bland side for me, although the rich and creamy lobster bisque was on point. The prosciutto ham was too salty, and felt out of place with the whole dish.

The other mains I tried was the Milk-Fed Veal stuffed with Foie Gras, Duxelles and Sage with Cauliflower Mimosa and Madeira Jus (S$38++). The preparation of this dish takes 2 days, where the milk-fed veal tenderloin is stuffed with seared foie gras, duxelles and sage. The crumbed veal is then deep fried and baked in the oven, giving it a slightly crisp texture. I find it novel, but the stuffed foie gras within the crumbed veal feels superfluous for me.

For desserts, there is an elaborate range from the Dessert Selection from the Trolley (S$12++ each), which features sweets like the Raspberry Lychee and Almond Cake; Spicy Mango Mousse; Carrot Cake; Camembert Cheesecake; Champagne Jelly. I don’t have a sweet tooth, and naturally find that the desserts are too sweet for me.

Rants Pricing is quite steep here.

Will I Return Again? The revamped ambience at the hotel was on point, and the first impression of Tablescape was too. The bread trolley and the appetisers continued to impress as our dinner commenced, though I find the mains to be slightly underwhelming in comparison. Tablescape has much potential, and it probably needs some fine-tuning in the meantime to find the right balance for some of its dishes.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservation instantly at Tablescape here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 3/5

Tablescape
Level 3, 10 Coleman Street
Grand Park City Hall
Singapore 179809
Tel: +65 6432 5618

Opening Hours
Monday To Sunday: 12pm to 2:30pm; 6pm to 10pm

Ranted by The Ranter