FrapasBar By Saveur Tasting Session

FrapasBar By Saveur Tasting Session
2 Tampines Central 5
#01-35 Century Square

2 Handy Road
#01-11 The Cathay

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 10pm


https://www.frapasbar.sg/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from Purple Taste, msginginly, With Rachelle, Epicurious Caniggia, and Her Pen And Fork.

Seared Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $5 per piece)

Hearty Christmas Feast

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 5
Value for Money: 6
Budget about SGD $22++ / $45++ per person.


.....


With their 2 outlets established in October 2018 and December 2018 respectively, FrapasBar By Saveur is a fusion gastrobar, named for serving French style tapas plates and being operated by the Saveur Group. This 2019 Christmas, FrapasBar By Saveur is serving up a hearty Christmas feast, which happens to be priced higher than their regular menu, for the discerning diner.

FrapasBar By Saveur Exterior

FrapasBar By Saveur Interior

Ambience at FrapasBar By Saveur is modern luxe. A large showpiece bar dominates the center, where guests perch on cushioned high chairs and engage with the staff. The spacious seating area is neatly lined with comfortable booths, tables with sleek-looking tops, and plush cushioned chairs, in a variety of colours. Warm decorative lights complete the look, lending a cozy, intimate feel.

Service at FrapasBar By Saveur is transactional but passable. I like that staff accord diners personalised attention when speaking, and have decent product knowledge, able to briefly describe dishes. However, they did seem understaffed during our visit, busily running about, and at times, forgetting orders. The lack of manpower also affects speed of serving and attention to details.

Food at FrapasBar By Saveur is French style tapas / small plates / sharing plates, with portions sized either for individuals or for sharing. The Saveur Group is known for their above average quality of dishes, being able to consistently execute dishes that are tasty and well presented. Prices are affordable for the regular menu, budget about SGD $22++ per person. For the 2019 Christmas feast, budget about $45++ per person.

Seating

Menu Christmas Feast 2019

Menu Christmas Feast 2019

.....


The 2019 Christmas feast features 2 curated menus, for 2 people and for 6 people to share. There are 3 seasonal special dishes, while the rest of the festive menu is filled in with dishes from the regular menu.

Part of the 2019 Christmas specials, the Turkey Breast & Ham is a sharing plate featuring medium thick slices of turkey breast and honey baked gammon ham, both having a moist and tender texture. The turkey breast is rather light on flavour, though the pairing of grainy chestnut filling and thick cranberry compote help to contribute meaty nutty sweet savoury flavours. On its own, the honey baked gammon ham has good salty sweet savoury flavour. Accompanied by tender juicy baby carrots, and crunchy smoky sauteed brussels sprouts, both with vegetal sweet flavour. We enjoyed this, and voted it among the best dishes we had during our visit.

Turkey Breast & Ham

Turkey Breast & Ham

Part of the 2019 Christmas specials, this is a decent attempt at a Beef En Croute, also known as a Beef Wellington. The thick but crisp flaky puff pastry with buttery sweet flavour, envelops a large beef tenderloin fillet, surrounded by rough mashed mushroom duxelle with vegetal earthy salty flavour, and a blanket of soft spinach leaves with vegetal earthy sweet flavour. The beef tenderloin fillet is tender with a light chew, but is cooked inconsistently throughout. The majority of the beef was medium rare, but one end was well done, and the other end was rare. Likely a result of inconsistent heat or lack of turning in the oven. Could be improved.

Beef En Croute

Beef En Croute

Beef En Croute

Yes, I know Coffee Ice Cream isn't a festive dish, but it's presented with Christmas decorations! Part of the 2019 Christmas specials, the creamy smooth coffee ice cream has good notes of milky toasty sweet flavour, and the butter shortbread biscuits are properly buttery sweet with a crunchy crumble to texture. A few dark chocolate stars complete the look.

Coffee Ice Cream

Coffee Ice Cream

.....


The Beer Archipelago Belgian Wit (SGD $12) is a Belgian Witbier, brewed by the Archipelago Brewery in Singapore. It has a bright pale golden colour, with aromas of wheat, corn, lemon, and barley. The body is light, rounded, and crisp, with tastes of cereal, orange, cinnamon, and bread. Has a bright grainy sweet citrus sour flavour, with a hazy carbonation, and a short dry finish.

Beer Archipelago Belgian Wit (SGD $12)

The Beer Archipelago Summer IPA (SGD $12) is an India pale ale, brewed by the Archipelago Brewery in Singapore. It has a hazy amber orange colour, with aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, malts, and lemon. The body is light, medium, and smooth, with tastes of blood orange, hops, steel, and rock melon. Has a bold fruity citrus sweet sour bitter flavour, with a hazy carbonation, and a light lingering finish.

Beer Archipelago Summer IPA (SGD $12)

The Cocktail Mojito (SGD $9) is a traditional Cuban beverage, made from a blend of white rum, sugar syrup, lime juice, soda water, and mint leaves. It has a bright and refreshing feel, with sour sweet herbal flavours. Perfect for warm days.

Cocktail Mojito (SGD $9)

A blackboard special beverage (meaning, it's a limited-time only drink, written on a board), the Sangria (SGD $14) has mellow earthy fruity sweet flavours that are so enticing. This popular Spanish beverage is usually made from a blend of red wine, orange juice, and seasonal chopped fruit (red apple, orange, pear, peach).

Sangria (SGD $14)

The Seared Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $5 per piece) feature a bouncy juicy piece of scallop in the shell, with bright natural sweet savoury flavour. It's usually garnished with mint, basil, parsley, and anchovies, but they've changed it to pineapple juice, ikura / salmon roe, tobiko / flying fish roe, pineapple cubes, and parsley. This gives it a bright fruity sweet sour briny salty flavour, very nice.

Seared Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $5 per piece)

Seared Hokkaido Scallops

The Foie Gras (SGD $12) has succulent pieces of tender moist foie gras duck liver, with fatty oily salty savoury flavour, plated over a thick creamy apricot puree with bright fruity sweet notes. Garnished with a slice of chewy dried apricot, crushed peanuts, and spring onions, accompanied by a side of soft prunes with earthy sweet flavour.

Foie Gras (SGD $12)

Foie Gras

The Saveur Pasta (SGD $9) is as good as before. This Italian French Japanese fusion dish features al-dente angel hair / capellini pasta noodles, topped with chopped chives, pork sauce, tiny sakura ebi shrimp, shallots, and truffle oil (which replaced the prior chili oil version). Served chilled, this has refreshingly clean sweet savoury earthy flavours.

Saveur Pasta (SGD $9)

Saveur Pasta

Not too keen on the underwhelming Stuffed Squid (SGD $18). This features a whole squid, with bouncy chewy texture and delicate sweet savoury flavour, stuffed with French onion infused white rice. The rice lends an earthy savoury salty sweet flavour to the dish, but overall, it's rather muted and one-note.

Stuffed Squid (SGD $18)

Stuffed Squid

The Garlic Prawns (SGD $12) feature small but bouncy juicy deshelled shrimp / prawns, with decent freshness and natural sweet savoury flavour. Served in a piquant gravy of crushed garlic, butter, chili oil, chili flakes, and parsley, which lends a bold vegetal buttery milky sweet herbal spicy flavour. A slice of crisp pourous toasted baguette bread accompanies, having an enticing smoky buttery bready sweet flavour on its own.

Garlic Prawns (SGD $12)

Garlic Prawns

The Truffle Potato Croquette (SGD $7 for 2 pieces) is fairly straightforward, with creamy smooth mashed potato infused with black truffle paste, enveloped in a crisp croquette crumb batter, dressed with rich black truffle infused mayonnaise. Bite in and you get a big hit of bold earthy sweet flavour, followed by mild milky starchy potato notes to finish.

Truffle Potato Croquette (SGD $7 for 2 pieces)

Truffle Potato Croquette

Loved the Crab Croquette (SGD $9 for 2 pieces). These delicious nuggets are made from a blend of deshelled crab meat, fennel, cucumber, coconut, mayonnaise, spring onions, and red chili. Coated in a crisp croquette crumb batter, this snack has bright vegetal earthy sweet savoury salty spice flavours. Would order again.

Crab Croquette (SGD $9 for 2 pieces)

Crab Croquette

Crab Croquette

A refreshing shared salad, the Burrata Tomato (SGD $8) has juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp red radish, crisp baby spinach leaves, crunchy pine nuts, and soft burrata buffalo cheese, tossed in a bright pesto sauce. With robust vegetal sweet sour herbal cheesy flavours, this opens the palate nicely. If the rich pesto gravy could be turned down a notch, it would be great.

Burrata Tomato (SGD $8)

Burrata Tomato

The Octopus Leg (SGD $15) from our return visit was served in a rich, thick tomato and pimento puree with deep vegetal sweet herbal flavour, alongside bright mesclun salad (baby spinach, chard, mizuna) with fresh vegetal bitter sweet herbal flavour. The octopus leg has a lovely smoky aroma, with good sweet salty savoury flavour, but the texture is a little softer and less bouncy than what I'm used to. Still, it's pretty good.

Octopus Leg (SGD $15)

Octopus Leg

Octopus Leg

Love the Seafood Bouillabaisse (SGD $16) during our return visit, with its rich seafood broth / soup that holds good sweet savoury crustacean flavour. The seafood within is fresh with sweet savoury flavour, and includes plump blue mussels (but no white clams), bouncy squid, flaky tender sea bass fish fillets, and a single juicy succulent tiger prawn. Completed with tender baby potatoes with earthy starchy flavour, crunchy fennel with vegetal herbal flavour, lemon juice, and a crisp pourous slice of toasted baguette bread with bready sweet smoky flavour. Good!

Seafood Bouillabaisse (SGD $16)

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Seafood Bouillabaisse

The Duck Breast (SGD $19) features bouncy moist slices of pan-seared French duck breast, which has a light tender chew and bold salty savoury smoky flavour. Served with tender roasted baby potatoes with smoky starchy potato flavour, and a bright mesclun salad (baby spinach, chard, mizuna) with fresh vegetal bitter sweet herbal flavour. The portion is large enough to share, and is sufficiently filling. Completed with a classic French bigarade sour orange sauce, normally used in the duck à l'orange dish.

Duck Breast (SGD $19)

Duck Breast

The Orange Blossom Chocolate Cake (SGD $10), ordered on a return visit, can almost pass for a festive dessert. While the moist, soft, chocolate fudge coated chocolate sponge cake has deep chocolatey bitter sweet flavour, the star is the fresh slice of juicy crunchy orange brulee / caramelised orange on top, which bursts with fruity sweet flavour. Paired with thick orange gel with sharp sour sweet citrus flavour, crumbly butter biscuits with buttery grainy sweet flavour, soft mint leaves with sharp minty herbal flavour, and a creamy smooth scoop of vanilla ice cream with floral earthy sweet flavour. Yum. Highly recommended!

Orange Blossom Chocolate Cake (SGD $10)

Orange Blossom Chocolate Cake

Orange Blossom Chocolate Cake

Generally, FrapasBar By Saveur is a safe dining option if you're in the area. The food is usually good enough, the ambience lively, and the service is passable. Will return to FrapasBar By Saveur for their regular menu!


.....







.....