Private Affairs

After the blogging fracas last year, I thought that I should steer clear of Private Affairs for a while until the media hooha had died down. It was not until I chanced upon a post by M that I was reminded of this restaurant for our weekly lunch "date", since it was just around the corner from my parents' place.

Situated at a very unlikely location for a fine-dining restaurant in Joo Chiat, the restaurant decor was no doubt intended to be opulent but unfortunately reminded me a little of a nightclub (think glittery chandelier lights, black and red furnishings, wine counter, liquor bottles on display). The set lunch was priced very reasonably, at SGD$28 / $38 for 3/4 courses.

My choice of starter was foie gras with granny smith compote and apple tea emulsion (+SGD$10 supplement). This was a generous lobe of liver, beautifully seared (although E felt that it could have been more crisped on the outside) and made a very satisfying starter, although the pairing with apple threw up no surprises.

E's starter of corn soup with truffle popcorn was, I felt, rather rich and too liberally salted. But the disclaimer is that I've never liked thick western style cream soups in the first place, and neither do I like corn!

My main course of pork belly with plum salt in pork jus was highly enjoyable - crispy crackling skin, lightly salty meat interspersed with slivers of fat. Yum's the word! The foam felt too gimmicky though and added nothing to the dish.

E's choice of Wagyu beef parmentier with brussel sprout puree, caramelised shallots and port jus (SGD$10 supplement) was also good in a comforting down-to-earth manner.

Our dessert of basil sorbet with marinated strawberries, rosemary icing and onion gel was somewhat of a mish-mash. While I liked the flavour of the basil sorbet (which unfortunately melted too fast), the onion gel did not go at all with the dish, and the rosemary icing likewise seemed a strange afterthought.

Despite the miss with the dessert, my overall impression of Private Affairs was nevertheless favourable. The food is more than decent and I appreciated the level of effort and meticulousness that the chef put into the cooking and plating, although veering at times towards gimmickry. Hopefully the restaurant has more business at other times, for there were only two tables during the Saturday lunch that we were there. Perhaps the Sunday brunch is a more popular option, for the menu did look extremely tempting (I am working on E to agree to having brunch!).

Private Affairs
45 Joo Chiat Place
www.privateaffairs.com.sg