Dinner at ME@OUE Bayfront

50 Collyer Quay #19-01 OUE Bayfront, Singapore 049321

Tel: 6634 4555

Website: http://me-oue.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/me.oue

So, the Beau's birthday was here, and I was contemplating a few restaurants to bring him for dinner. I wanted something ambient with beauty, intimate, with good food and somewhere we could hang out for drinks after dinner.  ME @ OUE emerged as the winner eventually, because of their 3-cuisined menu, which I shall go into details shortly.

It was a breathtaking restaurant no doubt, offering gorgeous views of the cityscape, and accessible by its own private elevator at OUE Bayfront Building.  One would pass by a long passageway with rows of wine on display before desccending upon the restaurant entrance. The interior was simply stunning - I could not help staring because it looked like a skyful of stars overhead, and the intimate, elegant ambience was nearly unearthly. On the table were poinsettias in anticipation of Christmas, and behind us was an open kitchen. Service was personalised, attentive and thoughtful.

The wine list was very extensive, a booklet 28 pages thick! I polished off 3 glasses of some very smooth Pinot Noir (SGD$21.00) over the course of dinner. Besides wine, they also have beer, shots, coffee, tea and their own creatively-concocted cocktails.

We started with the Squid Ink Croissant - a pleasant surprise, which was flakey, soft and utterly tasty, redolent with the sweet murkiness of squid's natural flavour.

Their food menu left us spoilt for choices as well, and there was the Japanese menu, French menu and Chinese menu, suiting diners who have different cravings / preferences for the night. We decided to try food from different menus here.

These very fresh Oysters (SGD$6.00 each) were "just flown in", as we were told. They were rather huge, and served with homemade sauce and lemon wedges. The oysters were fleshy, juicy and saccharine in their freshness, throwing me off-guard from first slurp to the last. I tried a little of the sauce, but decided that they tasted good enough to be savoured on their own.

Next, Foie Gras Terrine (SGD$28.00) - a thick disc with pretty plating of quince marmalade, mint, caramelised hazelnut, coffee salt, and served with scrumptious Cheese Brioche. The foie gras was lightly-flavoured, none of that heavy, dank tasting that mediocre foie gras contains; it was light, creamy and velvety - and perfect either spread over the brioche or eaten in tiny bits on its own.

For mains, the Beau had the Buta Katarosu Yaki (SGD$42.00) - grilled Kagoshima pork, young potato, mushrooms and onion gravy; also served with seasonsal greens. Portion was rather good; the grilled pork was succulent and juicy. Flavour leaned towards the sweeter side, heightened beautifully by the faintest smokey hints that piqued the palate. Greens and fresh, and the onion gravy was a unique touch.

I had the Lobster Risotto (SGD$38.00 for appetiser portion / SGD$72.00 for main course portion) - doused with hazelnut squid ink, sea asparagus and parmesan cheese. The rice was chewy and grainy the way I loved it, pooled by a luscious gravy sapid with lobster's flavour; the lobster pieces were generous, springy and pleasing to the palate.

The birthday surprise for The Beau was a touching gesture, a lovely citrusy dessert that melted in the mouth beautifully, topped with a shard of white chocolate and berries.

Overall, the dining experience here was exceptional and outstanding; with delectable dishes, choice of different cuisines, excellent service and of course, the stunning settings which I believe would look good in daylight and nighttime.  I would certainly love to be back, to try what I didn't, during this first visit.