I know I complain about work a lot but there are days when I am truly glad that I have this job. Today was one of those days.

It was a day of two lunches.

I had a media lunch at 11.30am at Otto Ristorante. It served hearty Italian fare but alas, we arrived late and could barely devour two starters between the four of us before we had to rush off to another restaurant. This time, I was glad that I had the time to sit down and enjoy my meal at leisure.

Cassis (7, Rochester Park) had been kind enough to host us and as we sat down in the room that was filled with sunny, gorgeous natural light, it was clear that the restaurant is run by meticulous people (as evident in our conversation with the witty CEO of the company later). From the damask chair linen to the unique chandeliers, every detail was done to perfection. Plus, I realised later that its executive chef, Eric Guilbert, had earned a Michelin star when he was working the kitchens in Spain. Ah, that explains everything.

One of the tricks that I had learnt from foodies is that you always, always ask the wait staff for recommendations. I did, and came away fuller and much fatter. First up was the roasted pigeon served with mixed salad greens ($32). Never tasted pigeon before, but I decided that I need to be adventurous sometimes. Now, I don’t think I can go back to eating duck because the pigeon was AMAZING. The skin was lightly crisp while the meat was soft and full of its natural sweetness. Mayhap I should catch one of those fat suckers one day and roast them myself.

The lovely PR lady then told me that I had to have the beef tenderloin ($58) and really, who was I to argue against that? And while I don’t normally go for medium-rare beef, preferring medium-well instead, I decided to trust what the wait staff was telling me and go for the kill.

It’s not a huge slab of beef, just a tad bigger than my tiny palm. But well, whatever they tell you about the best things coming in small packages, it’s all true. I was too busy stuffing my face to take note of the flavours that were exploding in my mouth but man, was the beef done to perfection. Chewy and full of bite but oh so tender and juicy. It was ringed by the sauce and a circle of pureed celery. I usually hate celery and I actually liked the puree! Go figure.

A small molten Valrhona dark chocolate cake (first picture) and a cuppa English Breakfast tea completed my extremely satisfying meal. Somehow, glee (and probably sugar) was rushing through me as I dug unglamorously into my cake, allowing to molten chocolate to flow out. I took a bite and went to heaven.

And then I came back to blog.

Cassis
7 Rochester Park
Tel: 6872-9366

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