Food Review: Alma By Juan Amador At Goodwood Park Hotel | Robust New Menu By New Singaporean Executive Chef, Yew Eng Tong

Posted on January 15, 2024 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place It has been a few years since I returned to the One Michelin Starred Alma by Juan Amador located in Goodwood Park Hotel, and my recent visit coincides with their appointment of a new head chef since Chef Haikal Johari left the restaurant last November.

Alma is now helmed by Chef Yew Eng Tong, a Singaporean chef who has worked with 3-Michelin star Chef Christian Bau (Victor’s Dining), and whom was also the opening chef at Ocean restaurant at RWS.

The Food Expect a modern European menu with Asian touches, where Alma offers 6-course (S$198++) and 8-course (S$248++) tasting menus for dinner, and for lunch, the 4-course menu starts from S$68++ per person.

Here is what to expect from the 8-Course Menu Excite (S$248++) I had.

Snacks
Cauliflower Tartlet
A series of two snacks, the first snack is a huge house-made Pie Tee tart with cauliflower, and cauliflower mousse along with various sashimi like prawn and sea urchin.

Takoyaki Potato Gratin
Presented together as the first snack, the second snack is a piping hot ball of Takoyaki potato gratin is filled with parmesan cheese and pink and black garlic puree. A nice burst of flavours and it really opens the palate for me.

Blue Fin Tuna (Brioche | Truffle)
The first course features squid ink brioche with tuna tartare along with smoked mayonnaise, frozen chocolate parfait and yuzu and soya sauce dressing by the side.

Arctic Char (Radish | Watermelon | Passionfruit | N25 Caviar)
The next course is a beautiful showcase of fresh ingredients. It showcases fresh Arctic Char tartare which sits on a layer of sushi with vinegar jelly, along with watermelon and passionfruit at the bottom. The icing on the cake is definitely the delicious N25 Caviar!

Fried Multi-Grain Mantou (Prawn Head Butter Espuma/Smoked Bordier Butter)
Not quite your usual bread course as this in-house made Mantou is served with a seafood prawn butter espuma and smoked butter, and is paired with the following egg course.

Egg (Velouté | Cep | Hollandaise)
A sous vide 65 degrees egg poured with velouté sauce, this soup and egg course is easily a crowd’s favourite.

Blue Lobster Tail (Assam | Purple Curry)
Purple curry is definitely not something I come across often and the Binchotan grilled lobster tail meat here is brushed with assam and seasoned with curry and Japanese rice seasoning, with lady’s finger poached in ponzu and pickled mustard seed.

Glacier 51 Toothfish (Crustacean Cream | Caviar Vinaigrette | Carrot)
The pan-seared Toothfish is served with crustacean cream with chive, carrot and prawn oil. Paired with carrot purée and topped with caviar vinaigrette, there are also nice crispy bits of Seaweed tempura for an added texture to the delicious fish.

Miyazaki Wagyu A5 (Leek Asb | Aubergine | Cocoa Jus)
For mains, I had the Miyazaki A5 Beef A5 which is coated with charred leek ash, with textures of eggplant (steamed, puréed and crispy skin) served at the side. At the bottom of the beef is cocoa jus, which is quite an interesting jus to go with the beef.

That said, I do find the cocoa flavour a tad overpowering when I had it together with the well-marbled beef. Other than eggplant, there is also a maki which is stuffed with Enoki mushroom.

Red Ruby (Coconut | Water Chestnut | Mint)
Moving on to dessert, the Thai-inspired deconstructed Red Ruby contains chunks of chestnut with rose gelatin in a light broth of lemongrass coconut soup, coconut espuma, a dash of mint oil and milk crisp.

Poached Peach (Soursop Sorbet | Sakura | Salted Buttermilk Sago | Red Shiso)
The main dessert is a Poached Peach with soursop sorbet on salted buttermilk sago, Sakura espuma, purple shiso salt and Sakura and purple shiso meringue.

Petit Fours
Last but not least, the meal concluded with a trio of Petit Fours – my favourite Pandan Financier of the trio, along with a mini Calamansi Tart with light charcoal burn; and the homemade Mochi Bread with ginger and crème anglaise.

Rants It would be a better dining experience if the interior of the slightly dated space is revamped as well.

Will I Return Again? The new menu and concept of Alma is definitely a good change for me, where the execution and presentation of the courses display the finesse expected of a Michelin starred restaurant. The injection of Asian flavours in the menu is also a welcoming element for me.

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

Make your reservations instantly at Alma by Juan Amador here.

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