District 10 Tasting Session
1 Vista Exchange Green
#01-42 The Star Vista
3D River Valley Road
#01-11 Clarke Quay
81 Clemenceau Avenue
#01-15 UE Square
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-514 Suntec City Tower 2
Opening Hours:
Varies By Outlet
http://www.district10.com.sg/
This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Fiona Seah, and Little Moments Of My Life.
Good Wine Pairings, Prime Dry-Aged Meat
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 6
Budget about SGD $70 ++ per person.
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Formed in 2009 and headed up by Italian Chef Luca Pezzera, District 10 is a modern European gastrobar concept, offering in each of their 4 locations a different dining experience, including a bar + fine dining restaurant (UE Square), a tapas bar (The Star Vista), bar + fast food (Clarke Quay), and a bar + grill house (Suntec City). With its diverse range of offerings, tasty food, and attentive service, District 10 is a serious contender in the Singapore wine and dine scene. We were invited to a media tasting for District 10 latest range of wines in their newest Suntec City outlet, which opened in September 2015.
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| District 10 Signage |
Ambience at District 10 is classic European style fine dining. The sleek, dapper restaurant features warm, low ambient lighting, long communal tables, sturdy dark coloured furniture, contrasted by white tablecloths, shiny silverware, and wine glasses gleaming in the light. The Suntec City Bar + Grill House has industrial tools hanging in the open, a manly atmosphere especially when chef works on the aged meat! A clear glass panel allows viewing into the kitchen where serious charcoal grilling takes place, and a $22,000 Italian chiller for premium aged meat stands to one side. The place is designed by leading architect Warren Liu, and is the 1st location in Suntec City to feature scalable cabana style, broad seat al-fresco dining!
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| District 10 Exterior |
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| District 10 Interior |
Service at District 10 befits a fine dining establishment. Staff are unobstrusive yet attentive, quietly observing the room, and attending to guests when they beckon. Requests are carried out promptly, with a touch of sophistication and professionalism. I note that staff also come around regularly to clear away empty / dirty plates and glasses, proactively asking diners upon observing that they've finished. I also commend staff on their product knowledge, they're able to provide descriptions for each dish, even off-menu items like the dishes during our tasting, which were created solely for this evening.
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| District 10 Bar |
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| Serious Kitchen Tools |
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| Table Setting |
Food at District 10 is distinctly modern Italian, plated artistically. The regular menu at each outlet is small, but varies quite greatly from outlet to outlet, such that dining at a different District 10 outlet can have a totally different menu. Chef also experiments with Asian fusion flavours, creating seasonal / off-menu dishes to keep things interesting for repeat diners. In general, I find food at District 10 to be of high quality, made with premium ingredients, and prepared carefully, so that flavour of 1 or 2 ingredients stand out on the plate. Portions are large, and prices befit its fine dining status, budget about SGD $70 or so for a 2-course meal with drinks.
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| Dry-Aged Meat |
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| Charcoal Grill |
Speaking to Chef Luca Pezzera, it's evident he is passionate about food, passionate about combining ingredients that delight the senses. Hailing from Bergamo in Lombardy, North Italy, the award-winning chef brings to bear over 20 years of culinary experience in crafting the dishes at District 10.
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| Chef Luca Pezzera |
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| Chef Luca Pezzera |
The sparkling Zonin - Prosecco Doc Cuvee 1821 is a prosecco made from glera grapes, and has a pale, straw yellow and subtle green colour. Refined and elegant on the nose, with an aroma of fresh apples. The Zonin - Prosecco Doc Cuvee 1821 is fruity on the palate, with notes of almonds, crisp apples, and citrus, and a fresh but dry finish, with a slight lingering bitterness. Great as a replacement for champagne!
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| Zonin - Prosecco Doc Cuvee 1821 |
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| Zonin - Prosecco Doc Cuvee 1821 |
Chef challenged me to identify this; I managed to correctly discern that it's a Crostini With Duck Rillettes And Fig Jam (SGD $16) canape. Served cold, the shredded duck has a meaty flavour and moist texture, without any gamey taste. The dollop of fig jam on top lends a slightly tart, fruity, refreshing sweetness.
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| Crostini With Duck Rillettes And Fig Jam (SGD $16) |
Was pleased with this unique rendition of an Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Bread! The sun-dried tomato lends a burst of bright, intense flavour, and it's baked directly into 2 angles of the soft, chewy bread. The result is a morsel which teases, not giving the full flavour in every bite, but just enough for the floral tomato flavour to linger.
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| Sun-Dried Tomato Bread |
The Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Aquilis Sauvignon is a classic sauvignon blanc made from 100% sauvignon blanc grapes, and has a golden, straw yellow and pale green colour. Fruity, with touches of floral, citrus, and wood on the nose. The Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Aquilis Sauvignon is dry and silky with a medium body on the palate, with notes of apples, lemon, and chalk mineral, and a long, refreshing finish, without any bitterness.
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| Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Aquilis Sauvignon |
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| Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Aquilis Sauvignon |
The Feudo Principi Di Butera - Insolia is an inzolia made from ansonica grapes, and has a pale, straw yellow and tinge of green colour. Aroma of flowers and mineral on the nose, with touches of apples and tangerines. The Feudo Principi Di Butera - Insolia is dry and crisp with a medium body on the palate, with notes of tangerine, apples, almond, and stone mineral, and a long yet crisp finish.
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| Feudo Principi Di Butera - Insolia |
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| Feudo Principi Di Butera - Insolia |
The Proscuitto De Parma With San Marzano Tomatoes was excellent, served on a mound of rocket leaves / arugula, topped with a san marzano tomatoes, widely considered by chefs to be the best tomato in the world, due to its intense sweetness that lacks an acidic bite. Paired with the savoury, salty, aged Italian proscuitto de parma / dry-cured ham, the combination is delightful, neither flavour overwhelming the other, but co-existing together in harmony.
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| Proscuitto De Parma With San Marzano Tomatoes |
The Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico is a modified chianti made from 95% sangiovese grapes and 5% canaiolo grapes, with a dark, garnet red colour. Bursting with strawberry aroma on the nose, with notes of sage, clove, oregano, cherry, and earth. The Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico is vibrant and lively with a medium body on the palate, with notes of cherry, violets, cinnamon, clove, and thyme, and a soft, delicate finish, with polished tannins and little bitterness.
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| Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico |
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| Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico |
The Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico Riserva is a longer-aged chianti made from 100% sangiovese grapes, with a ruby red and tinge of orange colour. There is a complex yet subtle aroma of berries and fruit on the nose, with notes of violet, cinnamon, clove, wood, and earth. The Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico Riserva is smooth and rich with a full body on the palate, with notes of strawberry, blackberry, cherry, rhubarb, basil, tarragon, sage, and chalk mineral, and a long, deep finish, with robust tannins.
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| Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico Riserva |
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| Castello D'Albola - Chianti Classico Riserva |
The Pappardelle With Duck Ragout features wide, thin, home made pappardelle pasta, in a savoury sweet tomato gravy with shredded duck. The duck is relatively tender with a slight chew, and I like that it doesn't have any gamey taste. A hearty, robust, decent dish, straight forward in taste. It was incredibly filling! However, I did think the gravy was a little more watery than it should be.
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| Pappardelle With Duck Ragout |
The Feudo Principi Di Butera - Symposio is a unique and complex blended wine, made from 65% cabernet sauvignon grapes, 30% merlot grapes, 5% petit verdot grapes, with a deep violet purple and dark scarlet colour. The aroma is of blackberries, cherry, mushroom, and plum on the nose, with a tinge of orange. The Feudo Principi Di Butera - Symposio is elegant and rich on the palate, with notes of leather, barbecue, chocolate, tobacco, star anise, and cumin, and a long, silky finish that lingers.
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| Feudo Principi Di Butera - Symposio |
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| Feudo Principi Di Butera - Symposio |
The Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Alturio Refosco is a refosco made from 100% refosco dal peduncolo rosso grapes, with a dark scarlet purple, nearly opaque colour. The scent on the nose is of cherry and plum, with notes of jasmine, blackberries, chocolate, and thyme. The Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Alturio Refosco is dry, robust, and harmonious with a medium body on the palate, with notes of cranberry, coffee, roast, and oak, and a long, mineral driven finish, with big, bold, chewy tannins.
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| Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Alturio Refosco |
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| Tenuta Ca'Bolani - Alturio Refosco |
The Grilled Black Angus OP Beef Ribs With Rosemary Sea Salt & Rosemary Glaze (SGD $20 / 100g) was, for me, the best dish I had this evening. The charcoal grilled, dry-aged beef is a carnivore's delight, savoury, salty, meaty / beefy, deep and robust in flavour. You get a hint of the smoky char, the tasty fat, the spice kick of salt and pepper, the fragrant aroma of rosemary. Served on rocket leaves / arugula and lettuce, with a decent rosemary glaze on the side, though I felt it wasn't needed as the beef was good enough on its own.
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| Grilled Black Angus OP Beef Ribs With Rosemary Sea Salt & Rosemary Glaze (SGD $20 / 100g) |
The Pork Crackling was incredibly salty! This would have been great with beer, but not so good with wine. Too over-seasoned for my liking, which made it difficult to eat more than 1 piece.
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| Pork Crackling |
The Zonin - Moscato is a classic moscato made from 100% muscat blanc à petits grains grapes, also known as moscato bianco grapes, with a straw yellow colour with golden reflections. Fruity and inviting on the nose, with notes of peach, mango, apricot, and lemon. The Zonin - Moscato is fresh and delicately sweet on the palate, with notes of musk, passionfruit, nectarine, underbrush, and pear, and a spritzy, effervescence finish, with a hint of lingering sweetness.
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| Zonin - Moscato |
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| Zonin - Moscato |
By itself, the Wild Berries Tart With Creme Fraiche & Vanilla Sauce (SGD $12) is sharp and sour in taste, and quite difficult to eat. But when paired with a sweet dessert wine, or ice cream, this creative and beautiful dessert (with a touch of gold leaf) becomes a lot more palatable and pleasant. The pastry tart base is nicely crumbly in texture but not too buttery in taste, while the sour blueberries within the tart means eating small bites is recommended.
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| Wild Berries Tart With Creme Fraiche & Vanilla Sauce (SGD $12) |
Had great fun sampling the new range of Zonin Wines in District 10, paired with the purposefully crafted tasting menu to showcase how each wine matches with food.
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| Zonin Wines |
Overall, District 10 is worth visiting for its high quality, consistently good food, carefully prepared with premium ingredients. With a chef who knows how to match food and wine, an intimate ambience, and attentive service, District 10 promises a memorable dining experience. Such an experience though, doesn't come cheap, so be prepared to splurge when dining here.
 Reserve a table now @ District 10 - The Star Vista |
Reserve a table now @ District 10 - UE Square |
Reserve a table now @ District 10 - Suntec City |
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CONVERSATION