"Can we go to the Black Swan instead?" I messaged my high school bud Cherie. She wanted to check out a noodle place near her house near the Changi airport and I was horrified at the prospect of getting lost in the suburbs of Singapore. Plus The Black Swan was suggested by Miele Guide founder Su-Lyn Tan whose Singapore recommendations cannot be ignored.
"Come on, it's the Black Swan. You can be Mila Kunis and I can be Natalie Portman!" I joked, insistent. "Why am I Mila?!" she challenged. "Well ... she ends up with Ashton Kutcher!" I explained. "Ok, in that case I can be Mila," she concurred.
And so we set our lunch for 11.30 a.m. at the Black Swan on a Monday.
It was an easy walk from Chinatown. I was staying at Scarlet Hotel (more on that later) on Erskine. The lovely lady at the concierge desk showed me a shortcut. "Take the steps down to the park and you will see Amoy street. Two streets from that is Cecil Street (where The Black Swan is - if I remember her directions right! I may be wrong now but the point is, it was a walkable distance)."
The restaurant is across the huge bank by the bus stop.
The minute you step in you are transported into this retro world of teal (turqoise? cobalt? bleu de france?) and gold.
I don't know if the interior designers were influenced by this (hehehe! searched for "Gatsby blue" to find the perfect shade and stumbled across this instead ?!!!) ... Most likely NOT. But there is certainly a very Gatsby-esque feel to the place.
The first thing that caught my attention was the bar (how very me). And the writing on it. I could only read half of the entire phrase - "glasses of life" - from our table. But learned later on from the very alert maitre d' that it reads, "Here's to the rose-colored glasses of life." It is a toast to the spirits, a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby. But the line is from the book The Beautiful and the Damned.
We were there at lunch so the mood was very sober but I am guessing their homage to Fitzgerald's the Beautiful and the Damned is better replicated at night.
I am guessing, though, that these scenes take place in the "Powder Room" upstairs (there's a sign that says 'Powder Room and I really thought I was headed toward the loo! LMAO) that is in fact a cocktail lounge.
Kamil Foltan, the bar and beverage manager, was kind enough to tell us about their drinks. Cherie, who drinks tea, questioned him like a teacher: "So tell me, what's in a martini? And what's the best kind?" And then later, "Do you eat the olives or are they just there?" Smiling in bewilderment from this line of questioning that was too virginal even for me, I managed to explain, "She doesn't drink."
Kalil will soon be making a new beverage line up composed of "forgotten cocktails". (Yo Kalil, if you chance upon this blog, check these out. I would love to try The Fitzgerald! And while you're at it, how about adding a Margaux Salcedo to this list? Although I may have to write a groundbreaking novel first hahaha!)
Now some restaurants with fabulous interiors are all style and no substance. I am happy to share that we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.
The main courses were unfussy but spot on. Cherie had the duck, which was presented simply but perfectly. Crisp skin, juicy meat, not oily - thanks to its sous vide cooking. I had the burger which was juicy, with a crown of cheddar and sunny side up. It's a burger they can be proud of and it's no wonder they've stamped their name on it.
And they're not stingy.
But by the time we got to the burger I was honestly too full because, while Cherie had this healthy salad of hand-picked crab, avocado, mango, orange, grapefruit and toasted sunflower seeds for her starter ...
... I devoured foie gras and eggs. These starters are to die for. A real gustatory homage to the Beautiful and the Damned!
 |
| Truffled egg and bacon confit + crostini |
Foie gras. Spread on that lovely toasted brioche. Foie-mazing!
And then, a sweet ending. Melissa, part of The Black Swan team, was quick to pick up that it happened to be Cherie's birthday that day. So at the end of the meal, we were surprised with this chocolate cake and birthday song from the staff.
Hmmm ... maybe in line with theme, how about a jazz version by a waitress next time? Something like this?
Maybe for a private dinner downstairs? (The art deco building used to be a bank. The restaurant owners converted the vault to a private dining section.)
True to its name, this place was an unexpected delight (evening inebriation may be a completely different story, though!) ... a rekindling of the past without foregoing the best of the present.
Ok forget Natalie and Mila. We can go as Jordan and Daisy!
The Black Swan
19 Cecil St, Singapore 049704
Wheelchair accessible
Reservations recommended.
www.theblackswan.com.sg/
