Prive: Welcome to Fantasy Island!

With Amagada - Happy Anniversary Dinner


Now if I told you that there was a private island in Singapore where you can nibble on finger food while having a drink by the sea, under the stars, it would catch your attention wouldn't it? It certainly got mine.

Touted as the only privately owned island in Singapore, this little piece of rock sandwiched between Sentosa and Mount Faber has been transformed into a Marina cum Restaurant cum Bar cum Bakery Cafe. It's so small that one wonders whether it will still be above water years from now when the polar ice caps melt due to global warming.

But Singaporeans being people who go for whatever is new and cutting edge have already discovered this latest hangout haunt so much so that the restaurant is fully booked on a weeknight just barely two months after its opening.



The guy behind the restaurant/gastrobar/bakery cafe is none other than Yuan Oeij from Brown Sugar. If you remember, Yuan is the guy who gave up his job in finance to pursue his passion in food. So when it comes to something as simple (or so I thought) as a good steak, the guy really goes into a lot of details to get it right.

So what is so complicated about popping a piece of meat on a Barbie, I hear you ask. Well, I asked him the same question. I have always assumed that it all broils sic down to the quality of the piece of meat. But nooooo, its more than that. Aside from the fact that you source only USDA Prime grade beef, the aging and storage process also needs attention. Then, you need a charcoal grill, but not just any charcoal will do. It's got to be a special kind of charcoal which has been carbon dated (kidding). You then need a Chef who knows how to grill it till it is smoky and charred on the outside but still nice and pink all the way through the middle. And finally, just when you think that that is that, you need to have a very special steak knife so that you get the right texture just before popping it into your mouth. Yuan selected a non-serrated knife so that the surface of the meat comes out smooth when cut. It takes a bit more effort to maintain these knives as they need to be sharpened but heck this is supposed to be a five star steak yeah?

I must admit that the USDA Prime Striploin (350gm $58++) is one of the best steaks I have had this year. Alright, since we are still only in January, I shall say that it is one of the best steaks I have had last year AND this year. US Beef still has that beefy taste that makes you want to yell "Yeee Ha!". It has just the right amount of chewability that makes for merry mastication and the piece of meat is really so tasty that it would be sinful to add any sauce it (especially that incorrigible Singaporean habit of adding chilli sauce to everything including a good steak!) 4.5/5

Conclusion

If you have never been to Keppel Island, I think you would be quite fascinated as you are crossing the specially built bridge to the island itself. Quite unexpected to find a great steak in a restaurant that basically serves modern (Frenchish) cuisine. But I think steak lovers would be quite pleased with they way they handle their piece of meat here.

Prive
No.2 Keppel Bay Vista Marina
Keppel Bay
67760777
www.prive.com.sg