Poisson should have let their seafood take centre stage

Our second stop for the autumn edition of Singapore Restaurant Week was lunch at Poisson. The name is unambiguous and leaves no doubt as to its specialty. It was similar in concept to its sister restaurant, Boeuf, which serves all things beef.

The marine theme begins even before you step through the doors, with an ancient diving suit holding up their one page menu. It reminded me of the Nintendo Game & Watch Octopus game, which was all the rage during olden times.

Aquamarine and Tiffany blue feature prominently in the narrow interior. Cute little wooden fishes pepper the entire length of one wall, with black and white photos of various sea creatures adorning the opposite side.

The restaurant adopts an open kitchen concept, and you’re able to see the chefs in action throughout the entire meal. It was eerily quiet though, even though there were three cooking staff working side-by-side in the narrow space.

It was unlike the noisy atmosphere at Boeuf, where crew members were constantly communicating with each other. The mood was decidedly more sombre, which didn’t quite gel with the bright and breezy décor.

As expected, the lunch menu was seafood-focused, with one prawn and two fish courses. It would have been fascinating if they stuck with the same theme throughout, but I’m not sure how I’d react if a fishy dessert was actually served.

Our waiter came by to confirm that we were having the set menu, and told us to feel free to order additional items from the ala carte menu. He also asked if we were ordering any wines to go with our meal. We declined on both counts and could sense his disappointment as he whisked away the menus.

He did return fairly quickly with a bread basket and a small bowl of salmon rillettes. We’re fans of duck rillettes, and were pleasantly surprised by how nice this salmon version tasted.

It was smooth and creamy with just the right amount of pleasant oiliness, with pomegranate seeds imparting a contrasting sour pop. We happily smothered it on the crunchy brioche toast and chewy olive rolls.

I remember thinking to myself that if the amuse bouche was this good, then the rest of the meal would probably be quite amazing.

The official first course was an appetiser of Salmon Crudo with Ginger Miso Vinaigrette. Serving back-to-back dishes with the same main ingredient seemed odd to me, and they could have mixed things up a bit.

It was decent enough dish, although the sauce completely overpowered the fish. I expected the vinaigrette to be light with vibrant acidity, but this was really rich. Perhaps they could have doused the salmon less and cut down on the miso for a lighter touch.

The Poached Tiger Prawn in Coconut Lime Vinaigrette that followed also suffered from the same heavy hand. Coconut milk has a strong and unmistakable flavour, which is why it goes so well in robust dishes like laksa.

Again, calling this a vinaigrette was a misnomer. If anything, it was closer to a very lemak stew. The flavours were interesting though, but it completely overwhelmed the two pieces of prawn.

When we gave our feedback to the restaurant manager and he replied that many customers actually asked for extra coconut sauce. So maybe the kitchen decided to pre-empt future requests by serving a generous amount.

Our Sailor’s Catch main course was a Pan-seared Threadfin that was served on top of mushroom spelt risotto, with garlic emulsion and some nai bai vegetables on the side.

As it was served, our waiter again asked if we wanted to order any additional items from the ala carte menu. Which came across as a sales pressure tactic and kind of put us off somewhat.

I can understand the practical objective of pushing for more revenue, especially after spending marketing budget to participate in events like Restaurant Week. But most other restaurants we’ve been to have chosen to play the long game, offering a menu that showcases their strengths, and through that, entice customers back for return visits.

The fish was quite delicious though, with better balanced flavours that allowed the nicely-cooked fillet to shine through. Though they could have seared the skin a bit longer though, to make it more crispy.

I particularly enjoyed the spelt risotto, which was cooked with morel and chanterelle mushrooms. It was softer than usual risottos made with rice and was pleasantly chewy.

Rounding out the meal was a deconstructed Apple Crumble, made with a apple sorbet, cinnamon crumble and batons of fresh apple and blobs of salted caramel. Using green apple instead of red was a good choice, as it lent a nice and refreshing tartness to the dessert.

Overall, it was a decent meal. But compared with those that we’ve had at other Restaurant Week places, it was somewhat disappointing. With a name like Poisson, we expected the seafood to take centre stage, but instead, the accompanying sauces were more dominant.

To be fair, we only had a few dishes and their other items could be much better. But we use Restaurant Week to try out new restaurants, and decide if we should go back again or even recommend it to our friends.

Unfortunately, Poisson didn’t quite make the mark and we won’t be making a return visit. Which is a pity, given that it’s under the same holding company as Boeuf, where we had a delightfully beefy meal and even made return visits with friends.

Well, I guess you win some and lose some. So far, we’re one for two during this Restaurant Week season, with two more to go. Hopefully we’ll end up with more hits than misses. Fingers crossed.