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Review: Mom’s Birthday at Perle Noire
By daniel | July 10, 2007
Together with my brother David and his wife Krystina, Esther and I brought Mom to celebrate her birthday at the recently opened Perle Noire (which means “Black Pearl”) along East Coast Road near Siglap Centre. It had gotten a great review from The Sunday Times’ Wong Ah Yoke, as well as one from ieatishootipost’s Leslie Tay, for its wonderful grilled pork, so we were keen to try it out. Oh, and mom did like her Western food, especially a big and hearty steak, so we had her full blessings (we just didn’t realise how full).
The joint is located at a rather quiet end of the popular eating stretch along Siglap. The actual spot Perle Noire sits in has been quite a bogey one - over the past few years we’ve seen many joints come and go, and only its neighbour Cheesecake Cafe has steadfastly flourished. And from what we’ve read about Perle Noire, we hope the same fate doesn’t befall it.
We were quickly ushered to our reserved table and provided menus, and comfortably seated, took our chance to look around. The understated decor is not exactly top-notch fine-dining, but it is cosy and would make a nice spot for a couple’s romantic evening. Which we aren’t - we were a boisterous and hungry family looking for good food. Wait… there’s a huge fish tank in the rear of the restaurant with live fish swimming around. Now it feels like a Chinese seafood restaurant. A bit wrong.
The menu has something for everybody, and since my family is nothing if predictable, we ordered with haste and waited. We soon realised the air-conditioning wasn’t functioning very well and we were starting to get hot and bothered, but the Filipino wait staff quickly noticed our discomfort and set up a blow fan near the table. Score one for service. We were also provided with hot, fresh bread definitely made on the premises. Studded with bits of olives, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs, it was absolutely heavenly.
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Our soups arrived. David ordered a seafood bisque ($12.95) while Esther and I shared a fresh pumpkin tofu soup ($8.95).
The presentation for both was lovely. The seafood bisque came with whole pieces, not bits, of fresh seafood in an amazing stock. It had that rich essence which could only come from painstaking boiling crustacean shells and fish bones, and had a red colour so deep it looked covered in chilli oil. The smell of Pernod invaded our senses. The soup was so good it had my brother asking his wife permission to lick his bowl (which she thankfully denied). The pumpkin soup was also pretty good, except that it was a little too rich and more like a puree. But the hint of cumin was pleasant, and the quaint addition of tofu pieces added a different texture if not taste.
We also shared some New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels in a spicy wine sauce ($18.95).
This dish was an instant, runaway hit. The mussels were so fresh it tasted like it was just fished from the sea, and didn’t have that icky fishy smell that plagues many mussel dishes. The spicy wine sauce was piquant and had some mild heat to add kick. We used our spoons to scrape at the remains of the sauce - it was that good. Esther declared that she’d be back to Perle Noire just for the mussels. Coming from her, that says a lot.
Our main dishes arrived - and boy did they look good. I’m sure you’ll agree that the presentation is top-notch.
My brother’s Champignon De Poulet with Penne ($19.95) is actually really expensive for pasta with chicken. But he’s somewhat of a connoisseur with pasta, having tried many pasta dishes around town, and this dish brought a smile to his lips. Al dente and had just the right amount of sauce coating it, the penne came with shreds of mushrooms and bits of garlic that reminded us of one of our favourite dish in an Italian pasta joint back in Melbourne where we studied. Ah, memories…
Krystina’s Garlic King Prawns and Sea Scallops ($27.95) had the hallmarks of being prepared by a cook who recognised that fresh seafood shouldn’t be overpowered by strong flavours and sauces. They were simply grilled and drizzled slightly with a light cream sauce. She didn’t quite like the sushi rice that came with it, though. Maybe it felt out of place.
Mom’s Filleto De Manzo ($30.95), an Australian beef tenderloin stuffed with fresh oysters and wrapped in bacon, had her in raptures. It reminded her of her favourite carpetbag steak from Foster’s restaurant back in its Hotel Phoenix days (when we went as a family more than 15 years ago) and she loved the interpretation here. I’ve never been a fan of mixing oysters and beef though.
Esther was in a duck kind of mood, and had a Grilled French Duck Breast ($23.95). The finely-sliced duck was well-grilled and tender, bursting with the wholesome goodness of the waterfowl. Esther had two complaints about the dish though - One, she didn’t like the idea of baby radishes served as accompaniment. Two, she felt that the portion was too small (but she really does like her duck and well, you can tell from the picture it’s a decent-sized portion ^^).
And then the raison d’etre arrived - my order of Yorkshire Pork Rack ($28.95).
You know, usually I read food reviews with some level of sceptism. I’m never sure if I’d share the same tastebuds and preferences as the reviewer. Sometimes the writer is just plain wrong. Well, this didn’t turn out that way at all.
Oh. My. God. They were totally right. The huge chunk of pork may be massive, but it was incredibly tender and simply exploded with flavour. There’s none of that porky smell at all and even Esther, who doesn’t usually like pork, was impressed. I wiped the whole dish clean (save some bits of fat, which can be overwhelming). The Australian white female hog, who sacrificed herself for this dish, had given her life for a very good cause. This has been the best grilled pork dish I’ve tried, ever.
Utterly sated, we sat back and ordered dessert. Actually, we really were very full and shared just one Fondue de Chocolat.
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This was probably the low point of the meal. The melted dark chocolate came with assorted fruits (strawberries, green apples, rock melon), pine nuts and madeira cake, but it lacked any character. But we finished it up anyway, since Mom was here and she always said never to waste food. Brother and Mom washed it down with some coffee.
Anyhow, we are well-impressed enough with Perle Noire to already start planning for our next trip here. For example, we liked the sound of the Seafood Platter ($108). Stay tuned.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
You can find Perle Noire at 687 East Coast Road Singapore 459055. Reservations recommended (Tel: 6448-1732).
Topics: Restaurant, Reviews, Western |