Longstanding contemporary European restaurant FLUTES continues its signature culinary flair at its new venue in Midtown House.
In case you missed FLUTES at the National Museum of Singapore – parts of which are currently undergoing renovation – the 20-year old award-winning modern European dining establishment recently relocated to Midtown House along Beach Road, bringing along its culinary flair within the walls of what used to be the Beach Road Police Station but is now a conservation building.
It’s a beautiful space. The familiar colonnades of the National Museum that once framed the restaurant are no more, but this helps open up the space. Bay-like windows – with their pretty green latticed frames – line the sides of the restaurant, allowing natural sunlight to cheer up the interior during the day while retaining a cosy and intimate vibe come dusk. The decor has been freshened up too, an inviting mix of contemporary and country house chic that’s snazzy yet utilitarian.
It’s the same with the cuisine dished out by FLUTES executive chef Peter Rollinson. A glance through the menu will reveal dishes inflected with some Asian and Australian flavours that traverse the familiar yet hold promise of a modern flourish. The best way to experience FLUTES is through their degustation menu, which showcases the breadth of what the restaurant has to offer.
Which is what we did.
After a trio of starting snacks – comprising impressive ingredients such as South Australian abalone, Oscietra caviar, bafun uni, among others – you’re led to a Salad of Alaska King Crab. More roulade than an actual salad, this sees briny yet succulently sweet crab flesh – spiked with citrusy dill and the intoxicating hit of spicy horseradish – carefully wrapped in creamy avocado in a roll that altogether combine for a riot of flavours and textures.
Then there’s the Aquna Murray Cod, a hunk of pan-seared cod that sits on a bed of petit pois and dainty discs of asparagus amidst a sauce moat of smoked mussel butter. Or the Celeriac & Manjimup Truffle, which sees pieces of langoustine languidly dressing roasted and pureed celeriac and topped with truffle. Decadent.
Our main course of BBQ Zabuton Satsuma Gyu Skewer tasted as impressive as it sounded. Here this Japanese steak gets a kebab treatment, that bringing out the rich flavour of this fatty Denver cut that, in my opinion, is wholly underrated and under appreciated.
Wine lovers will be pleased to know that there’s an impressive wine programme running here. Pairing options are near limitless with over 300 labels to choose from, so it helps to check in with the sommelier.
The menu at FLUTES may not be as progressive as some of its contemporaries, but that’s not a bad thing. What it offers is great execution, consistency and dependability, and wholly reflective of the tenacity of a restaurant that’s lasted two decades in Singapore’s ultra competitive F&B landscape.
That it has found a new home in colonial Midtown House – a beautiful space that has its roots deep in Singapore history yet reimagined for the future – is the perfect metaphor of its impeccable cuisine.
[Photos courtesy of FLUTES]
FLUTES
Address 120 Beach Rd, #01-02 Guoco Midtown House, Singapore 189769 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 11.20am to 2pm and 6pm to 10.30pm on Mondays to Fridaysl 11am to 2pm and 6pm to 10.30pm on Saturdays; 11.30am to 2pm and 6pm to 10pm on Sundays
Tel (65) 63388770
Web flutes.com.sg
Facebook flutessg
Instagram @flutes_sg
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