Marguerite Restaurant @ Gardens by the Bay · Flower Dome Singapore 🌼 European Fine Dining

✍️ 21 Oct 2023. Happy to be at Marguerite at Gardens by the Bay again 😊 Four hands dinner with Marguerite owner chef Michael Wilson and his special guest chef Prateek Sadhu, former owner chef of renowned Masque in Mumbai.

Chef Michael presented four and chef Prateek the other four of the eight course dinner trans European-Indian culinary adventure.

Unicorn pani puri.

One bite into this and I was stunned and lost for words. I mean, the other nine guests at the table paused and were looking in my direction with big round eyes, waiting to hear my reaction 😂 (That's how I felt lah.)

I said "I thought I just stepped into an incense shop". It's so full of fragrance from whatever was in my mouth.

Well, when I arrived at Marguerite, chef Michael did primed me that I will be having "a lot of spices" tonight 😄

The unicorn pani puri was an instant introduction to the world of flavours and aromas of India.

Aged kingfish chaat.

Carrot and marigold tart.

Smoked trout, pine nut milk.

Smokey savoury, soft-chewy smoked trout with nutty sweet creamy pine nut milk dressed with a little spicy heat from chili oil.

Lettuce gazpacho, Alaskan king crab, celtuce piment d'Espelette (chili pepper from France).

Milk brined lamb's brain, roast masala, sweet idli.

Serene wouldn't eat it at first, so I described it for her. "It's like mild cheese, and crab roe mixed together." Really.

Nice right?

One of my favourite dishes of tonight.

Preparing our next dish.

King scallop in jus gras topped with mushroom custard and Himalayan truffle.

These Himalayan truffles (never heard of it till now) epitomise chef Prateek Sadhu's wilderness-to-table philosophy in his culinary creations.

Obsiblue prawn noodles in "Konkan" sauce.

Where's the prawn? They shelled the crustacean, mashed and flatten the meat then sliced it into thick broad flat noodles (tagliolini). There's no flour, no egg, just 100% prawn. Like that also can ah? It's nice 😋

One of chef Michael's hallmark dishes.

Toothfish, sukhti (dried fish) broth and pickled bamboo shoots.

Chef Prateek searched the highest mountains (e.g. Himalayan truffle) to the deepest oceans (like this toothfish) to delight his guests at the table.

The toothfish was paired with katlam bread and honey butter. Flaky layered slightly savoury flatbread with sweet savoury honey butter. Perfect match.

Smoked pork on black sesame paste.

The inside was juicy and rich with smokey, savoury and porcine flavours.

Paired with Goan sausage pulao.

Sea buckthorn, malai ice cream, aam papad.

Tropical fruit vacherin of mango, coconut sorbet of coconut water and flesh, dressed with coriander cress served in a collar of white chocolate. Love this.

Rounding up with hot beverages and assorted mignardises.

Another enjoyable dinner at Marguerite and great company too.

The four hands with chef Prateek was for two days only. Do come anytime to Marguerite to experience chef Michael's creations.

Below is my post from my previous visit two years ago in 2021.

✍ 22 Nov 2021. Occasional fine dining indulgence tonight at Marguerite at the Flower Dome in Gardens by the Bay. We enjoyed the flavours of the exquisite French inspired, modern European tasting menu by executive chef / owner Michael Wilson and chef de cuisine Herman Lim. Service was impeccable. We also like the herb garden themed ambiance. Price was $228++ per pax.

Restaurant name: Marguerite 

Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, #01-09 Flower Dome, Singapore 018953 (co-located with Hortus Cafe which is at the level above)

Nearest MRT: Bayfront station

Tel: +65 6604 9988 (call for buggy pick up from Gardens by the Bay taxi stand)

Hours: 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon & Tues off)

Marguerite is located at the beautiful Flower Dome of Gardens by the Bay.

Entrance was somewhat understated, set in a little mound at the rim of the Flower Dome. I took a picturesque 15 minute stroll from Bayfront MRT station to here though Marguerite provide a complimentary buggy service from the taxi stand of Gardens by the Bay. Just call 📞 6604 9988.

The main entrance set inside a mound of greenery. (This space was previously occupied by Pollen, and now Marguerite since two weeks ago.) 

Stepping inside Marguerite, I was greeted by colours and fragrance from the herb garden. There's a pretty clutch of daisies (which is marguerite in French 🌼 ).

Fire crackers 🌶️

Some of the herbs for our dinner came straight from the garden.

Chef Wilson hails from Melbourne, Australia where he was sous chef at Cutler & Co. Marguerite is French for daisy - the name Marguerite restaurant is inspired by the field of daisies behind Wilson's home in Melbourne.

Chef Wilson was at the One Michelin Star PHÉNIX restaurant in The Puli Hotel in Shanghai for nearly a decade before coming to Singapore two years ago.

Chef de cuisine Herman Lim previously at Pollen has a rich, diverse culinary background and is a master of French / Mediterranean cuisine.

Much of the food preparation is done at the work tops in full view of the dining room. Chef Wilson emphasises craftsmanship in his art hence he supports fellow artisans and craftsmen. Many of the furnishings around the restaurant were procured from craftsmen - from handmade candle holders to the boulder shaped bar counter and, dining tables and chairs.

Settled into my comfortable chair. The room soon filled out.

OK let's eat!

These looked like cornetto chocolate ice cream, so I was wowed by the unexpected layers of assertive savoury flavours.

I normally avoid looking at the menu before tasting to allow myself to be surprised 😄 These were actually Foie Gras Cornetto made with a blend of duck and chicken liver for layered savoury flavours.

Love it.

Soft Hokkaido scallop and sea urchin custard in a crisp potato cup. Topped with refreshing herbs picked minutes ago from Marguerite's own garden.

Black Trumpet Cigar was all savoury mushroom and no tobacco 😁 I was wondering what buddy was smoking when I saw pictures of him at Marguerite's opening two weeks ago 🤔

I enjoyed everything in the starter set but this little red purses (faggotini) blew me away. I was delighted with the refreshing sweetness of the tender, candy jelly-like, slightly gummy mouthfeel of the purse which was balanced with robust savouriness and pungent aroma from goat cheese inside. The faggotini skin was made with watermelon puree and seaweed jelly. Bits of pistachio inside added light nutty crunch.

Warm freshly baked sourdough bread encrusted with black and white sesame seed. Served with fragrant virgin olive oil and house made super smooth hand churned butter.

Sticks of smoked eel topped with oyster leaf and horseradish ice cream crowned with amur (sturgeon) caviar.

I moved the topping a little, so you can better see the smoked eel underneath.

Crunchy sweet heirloom carrot with marigold, and Marcona almond and yeast crisps.

The refreshing sauce pooled at the bottom of the plate was delightful - it made the carrots delicious (otherwise why would anyone I eat carrots, right 😜 ?). The sauce was a sweet zesty blend of carrot and orange juice with balsamic vinegar. 

Langoustine faggotini, kohlrabi and consomme.

The Langoustine faggotini was like a distant, more dainty cousin of prawn wanton in a clean tasting savoury umami prawn broth.

Soft tender, well marbled, juicy Ora King salmon from New Zealand dry aged 14 days in house. Characteristic salmon taste from the omega rich oil. Complemented by a comforting taste of finger lime and fumet. The soft salmon flesh contrasted interestingly with crisp toasted green topping. 

When I first stepped into Marguerite, one of the first things that caught my eye was the dry aging cabinet and collection of Ora King salmon inside. 

Black Angus beef, salsify, fermented shallot, chanterelle mushroom jus.

After a succession of novel but very interesting and tasty dishes, this Angus beef was almost a relief, like coming back to earth for a comforting breather from the non stop exhilarating ride. The soft tender beefy chunk was dressed in a sweet tangy mushroomy sauce with umami undertones. The soft tender, tissue thin beef tongue added another layer of savoury beefiness over the more chewy juicy Angus.

Tropical Fruit Vacherin with a daisy of fruity zest from passionfruit sorbet, and coconutty sweetness from coconut meringue. Set on yogurt bavarois with pineapple, young coconut flesh, ginger flower, etc. The palate delights seemed never to end at Marguerite 🌼

Sunchoke, Piedmont hazelnut ice cream, coffee, aged balsamic.

I enjoyed the rich sweet, nutty, tangy flavours with caramel filled stroopwafel.

The pampering continued with coffee and sweets. My flat white brewed at Hortus Cafe upstairs had good round body, nice coffee aroma and robust savoury bitter Arabica taste moderated with milk. 

Asking me what would I like from Marguerite's mignardise dolly was like letting the child in me loose in a candy shop.

I indulged myself with one each of all the pretty petit mignardises in the dolly. All have a different sweet taste and every one was perfect with coffee. 

After dinner, we walked to Raffles MRT station. The star lit night was cool and breezy, and the views around Marina Bay were breathtaking, so the distance melted away before we knew it.

    

       

                     

             

             

               

               

             

           

           

           

                         

           

             

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            A post shared by Tony Boey Johor Kaki (@johorkaki)          

       

     

            

Written by Tony Boey on 23 Nov 2021