Food Review: Path Restaurant At MBFC Tower 3 | Launch Of New Menus And An Entirely New Dinner Format

Posted on March 21, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place I checked out Path restaurant when it opened a year ago at MBFC and one year on, the restaurant spots a refreshed interior along with new menus for lunch and dinner. Helmed by Chef Marvas, the new dinner format is a prix fixe menus – Six-course titled Voyage (S$188++), and Eight-course named Expedition (S$228++). The dishes and menu showcase Chef Marvas personal culinary journey with his favoured East Asian flavours and ingredients coupled with his French fine dining culinary experience. For lunch, a la carte and set menus are available.

The Food Some highlights from the new dinner menu include the Pork Trotter “Crepinette”, Deep Sea Fish Maw, as well as the Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe. For lunch, it is a new one prix fixe menu titled “Gourmet Lunch” (S$128++) and a curated a-la-carte lunch menu is also available. Wine pairings are available as add-ons with the prix fixe menus; a choice between a flight of three glasses at S$88++ and a flight of five at S$128++.

I had the Eight-course Expedition Menu (S$228++) which started with a trio of starters coined as Memories – Aubergine “Sphere”, Abacus Seed “Skewer”, Lamb “Beignet”
The abacus seed skewer is the most interesting of the lot for me where the ‘suan pan zi’ (abacus seeds) are grilled on binchotan and skewered.

The first course of the dinner starts proper and here are the courses I had in sequence:

Japanese Katsuo – Parcel of Bonito with Quinoa, Ginger Flower Pickled Nashi Pear, Buckwheat Dashi with Grapefruit Oil
A refreshing start to the meal where the fish here is marinated in shoyu, sake, togarashi and garlic. There is also an option to supplement the dish with Amur Caviar at an additional S$28++.

Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe – Brown Crab, Soy Curd, Baguette
An interesting combination of crab and beancurd which is delicious on its own, and it also works well by dipping the crusty mini baguette that accompanies it.

Deep Sea Fish Maw – Dou Xi Beurre Blanc, Caviar
One of my favourite courses on this menu, the steamed fish maw topped with tobiko and ikura is served table side and it spots a perfect soft and chewy texture. The best part of the dish is definitely that delicious and creamy Beurre Blanc prepared from collagen stock of the fish maw, fermented black bean, garlic, chilli and some sake.

To have it more luxe, there is also an option to supplement the dish with Russian Caviar at an additional S$28++.

BBQ South African Abalone – Risoni, Chicken Jus, Grapes
The tasty Risoni pasta is my favourite element especially with the addition of housemade teriyaki sauce to the pasta.

Oriental “Bouillabaisse” – Money Bag, Sea Cucumber, Saffron Aioli
Another unique course I had is the Oriental “Bouillabaisse”. The luscious broth here is a combination of chicken, prawn, and fish along with a tinge of yellow emperor chilli. There is also a cute housemade “moneybag” of tofu skin stuffed with sea cucumber, shrimp, bamboo shoots and Beijing cabbage.

Pork Trotter “Crepinette” – Mei Cai Ragu, Sweet Vinegar Jus, Mushroom
This course might not be the prettiest looking, but it is also the dish which surprises me the most. Inspired by Chef Marvas’s childhood flavour – Hakka Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables – prepared with classic French technique where pork is wrapped with caul fat and pan-fried.

You get a nice crispy golden texture paired with a rich dark sauce and topped with micro-greens. The dish is well-balanced in flavour with the addition of other ingredients like ginger, garlic, peppercorns, angelica and a mushroom ragout of shiitakes and buttons. The star ingredient here is ‘mei cai’, also known as Hakka Preserved Vegetables.

15 Days Dry Aged US Duck Crown – Eight Prosperity
The tender and beautiful US duck is served with eight condiments including the likes of Spinach puree, Teochew chilli, Pickled mustard salsa with pineapples and Oba leaf kimchi.

The preparation of the duck is rather painstaking as it involves dry aging the duck, before it is charcoal grilled, then slow roasted and finally, deep fried.

Heirloom Tomato – Aiyu Jelly, Oolong Tea, Strawberry
A refreshing palate cleanser course before dessert.

Mongolian Milk Curd – Valrhona Ivoire, Greek Yogurt, Blueberry
It sounds like a rich combination of ingredients, but this milk curd is surprisingly light, and it helps with the balance of berries and nuts like pistachio bits.

Petit Four – Red Date “Sorbet”, Lotus Seed “Madeleine”, Citrus ‘Bonbon’, Hawthorn “Gummies”

Rants For those who want a relatively casual dinner, it is a pity that there is no more ala carte menu for dinner.

Will I Return Again? Path is taking the path of providing a finer dining experience with its new dinner set menu. Overall, I find that the dishes are well-executed and there is a strong Asian element to the courses along with Chef Marvas’s French culinary techniques. The dining experience is better than before for me.

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

Make your reservations instantly at Path here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5