Sunday, September 16, 2007

Brown Sugar: Wagyu Burger with Foie Gras!

BrownSugar is in the midst of relocating to a new address. Stay tuned

With Big MOG, PowerMOG and introducing UK Chef MiniMOG

Wagyu Burger with Truffled Mushroom Sauce $28

The Big MOG has found himself a cosy little cafe bistro which serves really nice food and wanted to let you all know about it. This time round, he is joined by his wife and son who have just arrived from the UK. Incidentally, MiniMOG is a chef who had spent some time in Gordon Ramsey's kitchen as well as some of the poshest restaurants in the UK and it was a real eye opener to listen to him comment on the food.

The thing that captured my attention at first was the mention of a Wagyu Burger. Do you all remember the $101 Wagyu burger from Uberburger that made headlines not so long ago? Well, compared to that, this $28 Wagyu Burger sounded like a real bargain. Plus, you could even add Foie Gras onto your burger for an extra $7.

Brown Sugar's owner, fondly known as Sugar Daddy, tells us that the Wagyu Pattie is made from Wagyu Beef which is chopped by hand. The whole pattie is only lightly seasoned with chopped onions, salt and pepper so that you get the full flavour of the Wagyu. Instead of the usual burger bun, it is served with homemade Ciabatta and laced with a Truffle Mushroom sauce to add that extra kick. OK, so you've got "Wagyu", "Foie Gras" and "Truffle", three of the most enticing words in the culinary vocabulary all combined in one burger! Does it sound enticing or what?

I really liked the chunky, tender pieces of Wagyu which had excellent texture and nicely flavoured. Whilest US beef is characteristically more robust and beefy, the flavour of Wagyu is more delicate. If US beef is a Karate chop, Wagyu would be more like a firm massage. Chef MiniMog felt that the onions overpowered the flavour of the beef and would have preferred the beef without. I, on the other hand, quite enjoyed it.

However, the Ciabatta was a little dense for me and I would have preferred a softer bread. The truffle mushroom sauce, as you can expect, was quite shiok. I would have liked a little bit of relish to balance off the otherwise very savoury flavours of the burger. 4.25/5


Pan Fried Foie Gras, Caramelised Pineapples and Croutons $25

If you like Foie Gras, then you should make a beeline down to this Bistro because this is one of the most generous portions of Foie Gras I have come across for $25. There were altogether five chunks of delectable Duck Liver beautifully seared and dressed in veal jus with caramelised pineapple. The pineapple was a little too tart for me. A little more sweeter would have been good for me. MiniMog, on the other hand, felt that the tartness was alright. 4.25/5


Spaghetti with Organic Mushrooms in Cream Sauce with Sliced Parma Ham $18

Sugar Daddy aka Yuan, is yet another young entrepreneur who left a lucrative banking job in pursuit of a passion. The self taught chef started his career by being a "chef for hire", cooking for private functions before settling down run his own restaurant. That being the case, the menu is basically made up of all the stuff that he loves to eat. If you have been following the blog from the start, you would remember how I would add Sio Bak onto my Hokkien Mee to give it that extra oooomph! Well Yuan is of kindred spirits except maybe in a Ang Mo fashion. Just look at what he did to the basic Spaghetti Al Funghi (Mushroom Sauce). Oh yes, a generous handful of Shaved Parma Ham. A man after my own heart (and stomach) indeed! 4.25/5

The mushroom dishes here are all very very good. The mushrooms are sourced from Mycofarm which are grown right here in Singapore and they had that excellent earthy flavour. Even the super fastidious MiniMOG gave his stamp of approval. The mushroom soup is a must try. Made from button, oyster, abalone and shitake mushrooms and drizzled with Truffle oil, it is one of the best mushroom soups I have come across. 4.5/5


Sticky Date Pudding with Brown Sugar Butterscotch $10

Brown Sugar wouldn't live up to its name if it didn't serve up a few tantalizing desserts would it? And I am glad to report that they did not disappoint. The the Sticky Date pudding got the stamp of approval from both our Dessert Desperados viz Big MOG and iwatch_ueat. If you have a sweet tooth, this one is guaranteed to hit the spot! 4.5/5


Tarte Tatin of Pears with Honey and Fig Ice Cream $12

The other item that was really impressive was the Tarte Tatin of Pears. This is the personal favourite of Sugar Daddy who first ate it in the UK and felt that he just had to have it in the restaurant. The pastry is delightfully light and puffy and provided a good contrast to the beautifully caramelised pears and ice cream. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Delightful little cafe bistro to drop in for a casual bite. The food is prepared with passion and some of the items are really good value. Just make sure you leave some room for desserts!







Brown Sugar Cafe Bistro
277 River Valley Road
#01-04 Stardus Clubhouse
63336612
www.brownsugar.com.sg

9 comments:

mimosa.shy said...

Brownsugar..sounds familiar..think he was featured in the Straits Times a couple of weeks ago ya?

Alicia said...

The brie, apple and walnut salad is really delish as well. It's light and refreshing and a must for cheese and fruit fans.

Blur Ting said...

You've given me some ideas on what to do with the truffle oil I brought back from France. It's been lolling in the fridge for a couple of months now.

Esther said...

I was also pleasantly surprised but the amount of foie gras served and how well it was cooked... forgot to take a picture of the sticky date pudding and meant to go back there again coz I loved it so much but haven't got round to it!

Jim said...

You had me at "Wagyu burger."

DannyWatt said...

OMG OMG OMG!

i've always wanted to try foie gras, but i never knew where to find it. thanks so much!!!!

lindium said...

I went to Brown Sugar today and had a most pleasant lunch of foie gras, duck confit, and bread and butter pudding. However, my guest's aglio olio was quite a disappointment. It was drenched in oil and very heavy on pesto, rather than garlic.

Sumosumo said...

went to try the wagyu burger at brown sugar this morning for a lazy sunday lunch.

i have to say its one of the best burgers i have eaten in a long long time.. the truffle mushroom sauce reduction....reduced to a sticky savory sauce coated the patty and the bun and held the whole burger together very well by infusing its flavors into the burger - a combination of a traditional burger with high quality wagyu minced beef and the extra added gourmet kick of truffle sauce.

the starter of grilled squid on arugula with tapanade and pine nut dressing was a revelation - a warm salad with the grilled squid having that elusive wok-hei taste giving a new dimension to a traditionally bland run of the mill ang-moh salad.

all in all an excellent lunch, liked it so much, i booked seats for lunch next week.

Anonymous said...

As of 25 Jan 2009, Brown Sugar moved out of StarDuS, due to the government repossessing the land.

Unfortunately, they have not announced their new location yet (Hopefully it'll be in a easily accessible place! :) )

I guess I'll have to temporarily look else where for my fixes of Foie Gras and the Sticky Date Pudding.

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