oso good

One thing I learnt from our dinner at Oso - people in Singapore do eat quite late.

I'd popped into the restaurant at about 740, 10 minutes later than the scheduled time. Eps and J were already browsing the menu, and there was a couple at the bar, but that was about it.

But about 45 minutes later, the place was about 3/4 full, with more streaming in after 9.

And there I was wondering why they needed so many waiters when it looked like it was going to be a quiet Thursday night....

Onto the food!

We decided to skip the appetisers and share a beef ravioli in a creamy mushroom sauce. Quite tasty. The kitchen was nice enough to divide the pasta into three plates instead of us three attacking one plate hawker centre style.

But first an amuse-bouche of cherry tomato with pesto sauce.

We lingered over the wine list, unsure of whether to drink anything. (Eps muttering about liver damage but at the same time, not having drank enough during her recent trip to Margaret River)

So it was to hell with it, let's get a bottle as usual. The waiter, in his very nice low voice, suggested a Chianti Classico 2001, promising a wine with a lingering character. And it did sort of grow on you and went well with the food. (As you see I fully absorbed every detail of wine tasting discussed in the two wine masterclasses I covered at my previous job)

Anyway, I had the pan-fried venison with a berry sauce and roasted pumpkin on the side. Cooked just right with a lovely pinkish red centre. And the sauce was a nice accompaniment.

J's 8-hour rack of lamb had a lovely crust of fat, just a little crispy and soft and having that with the meat was heavenly. (although the crisscrossed fat makes the rack of lamb resemble a pineapple somewhat). No wonder it's one of the restaurant's most popular dishes.

Eps' stewed duck leg was pretty good as well and a large portion.

The chef had arranged the dishes in an attempted artistic manner, which surprised me. On my square plate, the edges were lined with bits of cilantro and what I'm guessing is a sauce made of cilantro. The slices of venison were arranged in a line on the left side of the plate, separated by a drizzle of the berry sauce. The right hand side of the plate was lined with the slices of pumpkin.

All that left us very full but how could we leave without trying the dessert?

The place is known for tiramisu but I somehow don't like ordering tiramisu at restaurants....

Then there were two desserts which seemed to have an involvement of cinnamon.

I don't like cinnamon much, which shocked my two dining companions.

But yes, I'm really not fond of it, so please don't sprinkle it onto my cappucino.

Upon asking the waiter for a recommendation, we decided to try the warm pumpkin and chestnut cake with a roasemary caramel.

It didn't look too appetising as it was grey with a sprinkling of icing sugar and a faint amber sauce on the side.

But it did taste good with the rosemary caramel. And unlike other desserts, like I suppose the chocolate tart or the tiramisu, it didn't leave me feeling overwhelmed.

I like Oso, the service was warm and welcoming, the restaurant itself was tastefully done up - elegant yet cosy - and the food was good.

Of course, the company's always the best! It was as usual, a fun time with the girls.

And so concludes my big dinner for the month.

Now what will next month bring?

Oso
27 Tanjong Pagar Road