A for Arbite Opens at Aliwal Street (PLUS GIVEAWAY)

Maureen
Maureen
June 03, 2013

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A year ago, I visited Arbite at Serangoon Gardens and was very satisfied by their homemade pasta and huge breakfast portion.

Chef Marc Wee has been experimenting with food pairings and finessing their dishes in Arbite for the past few years. This has resulted in the opening of A for Arbite, their new outlet at Aliwal Street which features a specially crafted menu that is more creative and emphasizes on food pairings.

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The same philosophy of “the time is always right for good food” can be seen in this new menu, where brunch items are now offered all day as sharing portions. Some of these brunch items include Eggs En Cocotte ($14.90).

Scoop out the perfectly poached-baked eggs with crusty pieces of croutons and enjoy it with foie gras pate and spinach. The sharing plates have mostly been crafted with food pairing in mind and you’ll see beers and teas assigned to some of the plates.

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We know Kueh Pie Tee as a popular Peranakan dish filled with shredded Chinese turnips and carrots in thin and crispy pastry tart shell. But at Arbite, things are a little different. Their DIY Kueh Pie Tee ($7.90) was served with Japanese curried pulled chicken, lettuce, chopped nuts and apples julienne. It was a unique combination with the sweetness from Japanese curry, sourness from apples julienne and nutty flavour from the chopped nuts.

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We thought it would be a typical plate of truffle french fries but we were wrong. Then came aromatic Fingerling Truffle Potato ($10.90) served with sauteed fingerling potato tossed in white truffle oil, button mushrooms and truffle aioli. Truffle, truffle and more truffle! Love the rich truffle flavour but it became too oily till the end.

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Smoked Salmon with Rosti ($12.90) had buttery pan fried potato cake topped with smoked salmon, sesame cream cheese and apple julienne. To me, smoked salmon and rosti didn’t quite go together.

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Beef Onglet Tataki ($13.90) had beef marinated with shoyu and sesame oil, served with onion soil and salsa verde. The meat was quite tender.

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Arbite’s handmade pastas is also another highlight. They are continuing their tradition of making pastas fresh each day from scratch. Smoked Duck and Porcini Fettuccine ($25.90) came with slices of smoked duck breast, porcini mushrooms and baby spinach in a cream sauce. The soft pasta soaked up the cream sauce which is very rich in flavour.

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My favourite that night was Pan Seared Australian Barramundi ($28.90). It was done with a miso, honey and oat crust, served with tomato jam and condiments of the day. The combination of the fish and seasoning was rich and filling, especially the unique crust. It was crispy on the outside and tender inside.

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Lemon Tart ($8) served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. My tolerance for sour foods is remarkably low, so I didn’t enjoy this as much as my partner. I wished the tart base was more buttery and flaky.

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The Banana and Chocolate Parcel ($11) was great, with banana, peanut butter and chocolate wrapped in filo pastry, baked and served with a caramel sauce. The soft, sweet bananas balance the bitterness from the chocolate. I have to stress that the pastry is thin, light and fluffy.

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Young and talented chef cum owner is hard to come by. Chef Marc is such a rare gem who has so much passion when it comes to his food and restaurant. Chef Marc’s unique creations will bear his trademark culinary style and be complemented by a selection of Belgian brews  or teas.

I will definitely be back to try more of their brunch items. They have breakfast till 5pm daily and all day on Sunday! Did I mention, I love the 3 big tagboards in the restaurant: Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much. It speaks so much about life and the three things we always forget to do.

A for Arbite
Address: 28 Aliwal St #01-01
Tel: 8321 2252 (available for takeaway)
Opening hours: Tue – Fri 11.30 am – 11 pm; Sat, 11 am – 11 pm; Sun, 9 am- 9 pm, Closed on Mondays.
Website: http://www.arbite.com.sg

Blend

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If you are intrigued by the food from A for Arbite, here’s your chance! Thanks to A for Arbite, I am giving away FIVE $40 dining vouchers. NO minimum spending is required. All you have to do is answer a simple question:

Question: Name a dish you would like to try at A for Arbite.

Giveaway ends on 7 June 2013 (Friday) 2359. A random generator will be used, everyone has an equal chance of winning. Winners will be notified by email. Good luck!