Bedrock Bar & Grill is another Keith Loh’s brainchild that tries to share the pie among the better steak houses in Singapore. The name, Bedrock, would let many connect with the cartoon Flintstone and I expected a cliché Stone Age theme restaurant. However, the whole time I was in the restaurant, I did not feel like Flintstone inside a cave home at all. The place is warm, casual and comfortably spacious.
As I stepped into the restaurant, the bar tender was quick to usher me to a bar stool as soon as he knew that the rest of my party had not arrive. The waiters were quick in getting me to order a pre-dinner drink just to kill my waiting time, however, HY arrived in time to “rescue” me before I start ordering my drink. But don’t get me wrong, they were not pushy and I think I’ll really have a “kill-time” drink if I would have arrived 10 minutes earlier. I’ll rather have a drink at the cool, yet cozy bar then to wait alone at the dinner table.
A short narrow passage opens up into the dining area where you’ll be welcomed by the open worktable where the chefs were busy preparing and arranging our dinner. The dining area was adorned with dim cozy light and the chefs’ worktable was lighted up with more intensity for obvious reasons. What caught my eye on the worktable was the leg of ham, reddish and laced with fats. I recognized it as the Jamon Iberico. It’s the “revered” Spanish ham that is mentioned by Peter Kaminsky in his book, “Perfect Pig”. The interior décor is not as Stone Age as I expected. The only hint of anything cave-like is the 3 intentionally created “enclaves” that are use as private dining areas.
Our Complimentary Pre-dinner Carbo - The complimentary pre-dinner carbo needs a mention. This baked dough looked like roti prata disguising as a naan. It tasted well with the butter, but especially appetizing with garlic immersed in olive oil. We asked for another serving which took some time because everyone’s asking for more
Garlic immerse in olive oil
Roma Tomato Soup - All of us had the Roma Tomato Soup, which I think was pretty good. Although I must admit that my friend’s comment about the soup tasting a bit like BBQ sauce quite true.
Our Starter
'Ham & Cheese' Our Way (S$45), Shaved Jamon Iberico, aged manchego, quince paste. – As you would expect, this dish was on my table. The Jamon Iberico is widely revered because in Spain ham makers still believe in the traditional process of curing the ham for 3~4 years with corn fed hogs. This “pedigree” hog, Iberico, is a much fatter species that enables the curing process to last that long. Many big ham names have reduced curing to 6 months curing just to get the ham out to the market as soon as possible. This ham having been subjected to a longer curing period, resulted in a more complex taste than some other hams that I had!
The Mains
Twice Cooked Duck (S$36), Crispy duck leg, parsnip puree, poached black mission figs - The duck skin is crispy and the meat inside still tender and sweet. The manager recommends this dish for the non-steak mains.
US Striploin (S$68), meyer angus dry aged striploin 250g – For the leaner cut, striploin is the best, apart from the more expensive tenderloin. Expect be dry as there’s lesser fats in the meat. For big portions, the striploin can feel dryer as you work on your steak.
Australian Ribeye (S$42) 250g – The tenderloin from Australia is much juicier than the US striploin (photo is blurred so nothing to show here).
The French red that we order off the winelist goes well with our food. From my observation of us folks that ordered steaks, we’ll definitely pay Morton’s a visit soon for a benchmarking.
Our Dessert
Apple crumble with ice cream – This is indeed a good recommendation by the manager. The apple crumble was worth the 20mins wait. Buttery crust and soft, but not overly sweet apple filling.
The Dark Side, Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cake – Another good dessert but the apple crumble outshines this chocolate cake.
Cafe Latte and Cappuccinos – Our dinner ends with some café latte and cappuccinos. I'm glad we ordered them. I came to know only later that these must be among the best gourmet coffees in Singapore. the No. 1 and 2 barrista that emerge from the Singapore Barrista Championship 2009, are John Ting and Keith Loh. John Ting is the assistant manager at Oriole Cafe (right beside Bedrock) and Keith Loh is the owner of Bedrock. The thick creamy milk tasted real good with the espresso. I’m glad that to have good café lattes in F&B places that I’ve visited recently.
I'm quite glad that the interior decor wasn't pushed right to the edge just to fit the name Bedrock. Otherwise, I'll be expecting exotic dinosaur steak?
Cost : About S$115 per person including wine
Address : #01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites 96 Somerset Road
Tel : 6238 0054
Country : Singapore
