So it was only when I was googling Moonbow the restaurant at Dempsey did I realise that the name is used to refer to a rare rainbow that appears at night. Pretty AND cool! This new restaurant popped up in 2021 like a wild pokemon as well, situated right next to Blu Kouzina which I blogged about recently. I had made a reservation here for my birthday dinner with my bestie after hearing some buzz about it from fellow foodies. TL:DR, nice but too pricey. Read on for what.
The dining place seems quite small - but I realised they probably open up the alfresco area at the back for brunch or afternoon service.
I like the "open" kitchen concept behind glass - you get all the action and none of the smell! The decor's pretty too - very pastel, rounded corners, velvet, bronze accents and all that jazz. I'm sure there's a design name for it, I just don't know what it is. Google said art deco. Perhaps!
Anyways, here's the menu. We had opted for the 5-course weekday set at $99 with +$10 for the escargot and wagyu carpaccio, got the beef short ribs +$10 and added on another main to share between 2 of us. So the funniest thing was.. prices seemed quite ok, but it started to add up after everything such that it became about S$113 after service and GST, each!
Here's the regular menu. The restaurant's described as modern European, Asian influence. So perhaps they are trying to avoid the 'f' word, which I totally get. And the modern European with Asian influence descriptor does seem to fit the myriad of dishes which definitely draws from French and Spanish
This is the mains page, which shows which are the European and more Asian dishes. Unfortunately we weren't super adventurous that night to try out the Asian dishes like the fermented red yeast wine barramundi or the "Teochew" schnitzel.
I also had a classic Negroni from their cocktail/wine menu which was about $20. Their house wine selection was pretty decent but I thought I'll try something that matches the decor of the place.
We were given some complimentary bread with butter (plain and tomato) to start with! Then came the small plates. The wagyu carpaccio (S$28) was interesting with the truffle shoyu and that yellow poppy thing (can't remember what it was now). However, the beef slices themselves tasted kind of bland and was not satisfying at all. For the ala carte price too, does not seem worth it. 2/5
The escargots (S$23) were more interesting in comparison, though I wished there was more than 3 of them between the 2 of us. The menu described it as having fresh micro greens, truffle gelato, fruity pearls (more poppy stuff! this time it's lychee yogurt...?), mushroom soil and 3 mounds of mashed edamame. Sigh. I wish the dish was less complicated. This felt like too much everywhere - it was difficult to get everything in a bite (recommended way to eat) - and even if so, the flavours didn't really seem to connect. Props only for effort. 3/5
As part of the set we also got the Crustacean Bisque (S$27) which had some chunks of crab meat in there, and a couple of clams. But honestly the bowl was gigantic and the soup was only 1/20th of the depth, which made it cool down very quickly! Flavours were rich and seafood-y of course, with that particularly "red" shellfish type of taste. But I don't think I'm feeling it at all. 2.5/5
For mains, we got the Angus beef short ribs (S$68) braised 100-day grain fed angus beef short ribs, smoked on a bed of mashed beets and potatoes (?). This is probably one of the highlights of the meal - the beef was so soft it literally fell apart when I tried to cut it. It tasted rich, fatty and just overall carefully thought through. I like that!
Next, the ala carte main I added on - Hokkaido Scallops Orzo (S$38) which was before the orzo paella. I thought it was going to be similar, but it turned out more risotto than anything with the champignon mushrooms and grated parmigiano-reggiano on a super cheesy grain. The scallops cut through well and overall this is a great dish, but needs to be shared or it might get gerlak very quickly. 4/5
I felt the Asian influence from the dessert! The Oolong Tea-ramisu (S$16) was delicate with the fragrance of the oolong tea (also sprinkled on as tea powder). What got us a bit puzzled was the rose flavoured or perfumed ice cream beside. It was a bit icy like a sorbet, and not exactly nice. I wish it was just a classic vanilla, or even an avocado flavour. Something creamy? Oh well. 3.5/5
That concluded our meal at Moonbow! I have to say, I am super ambivalent about the place due to the pricing versus what we managed to taste and its quality. I know times are not super good, but restaurants should also think about how to keep people coming back. With this kinda pricing, I won't really go back, but if I have to recommend something, it will be the short ribs and scallop orzo!
🙅 Thank you, next
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MOONBOW
10 Dempsey Road, #10-21, Singapore 247700
Mondays to Fridays 11.30am to 3pm, 6-10.30pm
Saturdays and Sundays 10am-3pm, 6-10.30pm
Reserve on Quandoo
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