Dining Out: Poppi

I love dim sum. I love that it's bite-sized, and that you can sample a good variety without being overly stuffed.
I love dim sum for brunch. I love dim sum for supper. I love dim sum in Hong Kong.
I love dim sum in pushcarts.
I love dim sum. But probably not as much as Dim Sum Dolly

And for the first time on Sunday, I had western dim sum. But I don't think this anomaly was a successful one.

That is, western food served somewhat bite sized and with several servings per order.
This is the Sunday brunch special at Poppi at Fort Canning. Innovative, cute maybe, has potential, but which was unfortunately not achieved.

Here's what we had:
Smoked salmon with eggs benedict on an English muffin - sounds good but turned out lukewarm, with an English muffin which tasted and cut like it'd been sitting in the kitchen for too long.
Shellfish bisque with lobster tortellini - good, hearty soup with a yummy wanton stuffed with lobster and served in a coffee cup
Yorkshire pudding stuffed with roast beef and horseraddish. Not too bad either, although the beef was a bit more done than I'd like it
Mini Wagyu burger with fries. Unfortunately I liked the fries more than the burger, which wasn't juicy enough - is it because the burger's smaller than my palm? Is it easier to keep a patty juicy when it's large?
Truffle risotto with grilled scallop. I quite liked this one. The taste of truffles was quite strong and the rice was al dente. And with risotto, a whole bowlful is always too much for me, no matter how good it is.
We'd ordered a croque monsieur but that never came...

The dessert platter wasn't too bad but the five desserts would've done better if the plate had some sort of partitions, so that the various creamy runoffs would not spill over into the others.

I did like the cold lime souffle and that chocolate/raspberry cake thing. The pavlova was a small meringue tower with some cream and a strawberry on top. There was also a panna cotta and some prune/armagnac thing. But nothing really blew me away.

Poppi also has a Sunday brunch set, as well as a full menu. But the seafood capellini ordered wasn't too impressive and the duck confit wasn't that great either, according to those who ate them. (I'd been stuffed with some hari raya goodies on a mini visit prior to brunch so wasn't that hungry)

What I'd remember from this brunch is not the food but rather the beautifully-lit verandah that we sat at, the light streaming in and making everything sunny and happy and relaxed. The inside was a bit gloomier, suitable perhaps for a romantic dinner or somewhat. Too bad there wasn't a view to look out onto as the blinds were drawn to soften the light.
I'd also remember the way the food was presented. Bite-sized on white platters does look so appealing.
I just wish I'd want to remember the way the food tasted. Seeing is believing? The taste first needs to pass muster.


Poppi
Level 2,
The Legends Fort Canning Park,
11 Canning Walk,
Tel: 6339-8977