CreatureS

CreatureS
120 Desker Road

http://www.creatures.com.sg/


Modern Singaporean Fine Dining, Tropical Setting

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $55 per person.


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Located in a corner shophouse along Desker Road, CreatureS is a contemporary bistro, offering modern Singaporean fusion cuisine. CreatureS regularly receives rave reviews for its stylish ambience, attentive service, and great tasting food. Typically fully booked, the founders of CreatureS, photographer Dennis Chong and information technology executive Chong Kok Keong, say the inspiration behind the name 'CreatureS' is two-fold, namely, creatures of comfort (comfort food), and creatures of habit (you'll come back)!

Ambience at CreatureS resembles a tropical rainforest meshed with industrial chic. Vivid, colourful painted walls of green leaves / forest, beautiful spotlit flower arrangements, and modern furniture blend nicely with corrugated metal panels and rough concrete walls. Low ambient lighting sets an intimate mood, and the spacious seating area spread over 2 levels is able to accomodate large groups. The small outdoor al-fresco dining area is also a popular seating choice during good weather. Excellent atmosphere for slow, lingering meals!

Service at CreatureS is of a good standard, similar to the level of service received in a high-end bistro / low-end restaurant. Staff are friendly, offering greetings upon arrival, and will proactively engage potential guests if they stop by outside. Diners are quickly seated, and staff are knowledgable enough to make recommendations on dishes, providing basic descriptions. I also like that the menu has comprehensive information on dishes. Staff will come around to check for feedback and the progress of your meal, which I appreciate!

Food at CreatureS is modern Singaporean fusion, a blend of Western presentation styles and ingredients, with Asian flavours and spices. Generally, I find food here to be very tasty and delicious, a complex yet pleasing blend of flavours and textures. Familiar tastes are presented in new, exciting ways, but being modern interpretations, I feel diners may have strong feelings of like / dislike towards these. Portions are large, and can be shared by those with small appetites. Prices are typical of a high-end bistro / restaurant, budget about SGD $55 per person for a 2-course meal.


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Love the pretty decor here, the place is almost like an art museum! Near perfect ambience, save for some stool seats which could be uncomfortable over long periods. Staff also provide good service, are engaging, and appear happy.

CreatureS Exterior

CreatureS Interior 1st Level 01

CreatureS Interior 1st Level 02

CreatureS Interior 1st Level 03

CreatureS Interior 2nd Level 01

CreatureS Interior 2nd Level 02

CreatureS Interior 2nd Level 03

Table Setting

Dessert Utensils

Flower Arrangement

Decorative Light Bulb 01

Decorative Light Bulb 02

Poem

The Lemongrass & Pandan Quencher (SGD $5) is a refreshing beverage with a distinctly strong, floral lemongrass flavour, which kind of mutes the flavour of pandan / screwpine leaf. Still a pretty decent, straight forward drink, worth ordering!

Lemongrass & Pandan Quencher

The Fortune Cookie Chai Tea Blend (SGD $6) is an earthy, strong blend of pu-er tea, black tea, tangerine peels, marigold flowers, and sez chuan peppers! Good as a pick-me-up during the day!

Fortune Cookie Chai Tea Blend

Had a colleague who discussed a customer's preference for orange juice with cucumber, and crafted it into a training scenario. So when I saw this Cucumber & Orange Juice (SGD $8) on the menu at CreatureS, I just had to order it and see what it tastes like! Didn't disappoint, the taste is properly zesty, sweet, and refreshing, with a slight hint of grassy taste.

Cucumber & Orange Juice

The Cocktail Japanese Sangria (SGD $15) is a fruity blend of Japanese sake, umeshu, yuzu juice, pear liqueur, and plum juice. The result is a mildly sweet taste with notes of sour in this cocktail. Good!

Cocktail Japanese Sangria

The Asian Herb Fries (SGD $12) are piping hot, slightly crisp outside but fluffy inside, shoe-string fries, tossed in a mixture of Asian spices (I discern the taste of 5-spice powder, curry powder), and served with a cool kaffir lime mayonnaise on the side.

Asian Herb Fries 01

Asian Herb Fries 02

Asian Herb Fries 03

The Pumpkin Soup & You Tiao (SGD $12) has that nicely mild, mellow taste of pumpkin, with the texture of the soup / broth being rich and creamy. Seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice, and freshly grated coconut relish, which lends a zesty, slightly sour, earthy tastes to the soup / broth. I also detect some spicy heat from the chili flakes within. Very lovely, quite addictive! The you tiao / fried dough fritters are properly crisp, without an oily texture, and pair very well when dunked into the rich pumpkin soup / broth. Great appetizer, worth ordering!

Pumpkin Soup & You Tiao 01

Pumpkin Soup & You Tiao 02

Pumpkin Soup & You Tiao 03

Loved the Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri (SGD $32), which had the loveliest, soft, flaky oven roasted cod fish in a slightly salty but delicious miso sauce. Accompanied by a fresh salad of cucumber slices in a light dressing of plum sauce and calamansi juice, along with shrimp belacan and assam herb rice balls. Smash the rice balls, mix it together with the salad, and get a little bit of everything in 1 mouthful! Texture is a mix of tender, soft, crunchy, grainy, and juicy, while the taste is a combination of savoury, salty, sweet, earthy, with the distinct flavour of shrimp behind. Incredible dish!

Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri 01

Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri 02

Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri 03

Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri 04

A fine example of gastronomic racial harmony, the Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles (SGD $22) is a multi-ethnic dish of complex flavours, that work beautifully together. It includes a Malay style fried chicken steak, large, tender, and moist, coated in a thick, crisp batter, which is flavoured with Indian spices such as garam masala. A bowl of Chinese la-mian / pulled noodles, tossed in a light soy sauce, fried shallots, and peanut oil, garnished with bell pepper / capsicums, incredibly fragrant with a bouncy / slightly chewy texture. A small Western / European style garden salad of fresh, crunchy lettuce, and juicy cherry tomatoes. Finally, there is a Peranakan style inspired chinchalok / fermented shrimp mayonnaise, creamy and savoury, but light on the shrimp taste. Familiar comfortable flavours, I enjoyed this dish. Highly recommended!

Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles 01

Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles 02

Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles 03

Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles 04

Ah Gong Fried Chicken And Ah Ma Noodles 05

The large Zhu Burger (SGD $23) features a thick, minced pork patty marinated in XO cognac. Sandwiched between 2 soft, fluffy burger buns, with a juicy tomato slice, caramelised onions, and gooey cheese, each bite was meaty and satisfiying, with good flavour. Served with a fresh mesclun salad, and thin, crisp shoestring fries on the side. I notice the pork patty is rather loosely packed, coming apart easily, but at least it's juicy and savoury, and not too salty. Good!

Zhu Burger 01

Zhu Burger 02

Zhu Burger 03

Zhu Burger 04

The lovely, large slice of CreatureS Chocolate Cake (SGD $18) is a rich and decadent slice of chocolate heaven! The espresso infused chocolate sponge cake, which is moist and soft, has that intense and deep chocolate flavour. Served with a thick, gooey, home made salted caramel which is rich and sweet. Dusted with pink Himalayan sea salt, the salty taste helps cut through the dense sweetness, making it more pleasing to the palate. However, the coconut ice cream on the side, while good, has its taste overwhelmed by this medley of more powerful flavours.

CreatureS Chocolate Cake 01

CreatureS Chocolate Cake 02

CreatureS Chocolate Cake 03

CreatureS Chocolate Cake Photoception

The large slice of Durian Cake (SGD $12) has real durian flesh from the Mao Shan Wang durian, you can actually see the fibers within the cake! Moist and soft, the pandan / screwpine leaf genoise sponge cake is layered with vanilla and pandan / screwpine leaf chantilly cream, making it sweet and rich. Very good cake!

Durian Cake 01

Durian Cake 02

Durian Cake 03

The pretty Rainbow Cheesecake (SGD $9) has an incredibly smooth, velvet soft texture to the cream cheese, coloured in happy rainbow swirls. Reminds me of paddle pop ice cream! Sitting on a cinnamon infused biscuit crumble base, which is not too sweet, and quite fragrant. Loved every bite of this!

Rainbow Cheesecake 01

Rainbow Cheesecake 02

Rainbow Cheesecake 03

The Orh Nee Cake (SGD $10) invokes images of that sweet, nutty flavour of that classic Chinese Teochew dessert, Yam Taro Paste Orh Nee. However, the version here only has chunks of the yam taro paste orh nee mixed with mashed ginko nuts, layered between vanilla flavoured genoise sponge cake that has a moist, light, soft texture. The floral coconut chantilly cream with dessicated coconut on top is much stronger in flavour, but also tends to mask the delicate flavour of yam / taro. Still a good dessert, though I expected more from its name, so I was somewhat disappointed.

Orh Nee Cake 01

Orh Nee Cake 02

Orh Nee Cake 03

The CreatureS Affogato (SGD $?) is an off-menu item, made only upon request from those in the know. The creamy coconut ice cream, lightly dusted with chocolate powder, is doused in a strong, stiff, bitter shot of espresso. The contrast of sweet somewhat mellows the intense bitterness of the coffee, making it rather delightful. Would have preferred if the ice cream were sweeter, to further reduce the overall bitterness of this beverage!

CreatureS Affogato 01

CreatureS Affogato 02

CreatureS Affogato 03

CreatureS Affogato 04

CreatureS Affogato 05

CreatureS Affogato 06

The Lavender Earl Grey Tea Cake (SGD $7), a pretty and fragrant earl grey tea cake topped with lavender infused diplomat cream, was a disappointment. The texture was dry, and rather firm instead of being soft and fluffy. Not good.

Lavender Earl Grey Tea Cake 01

Lavender Earl Grey Tea Cake 02

Lavender Earl Grey Tea Cake 03

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Reserve a table now @ CreatureS

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