 Senso's elegant dining area |
Senso is a relatively recent addition to the burgeoning
food and entertainment scene along Club Street, having taken over
premises which were previously occupied by a short-lived Club cum
Bistro, unfortunately but perhaps appropriately named 'No Idea', a
little over a year ago.
Upon stepping into Senso, it immediately becomes apparent that little effort was spared in making each of the four distinct dining and entertainment areas - namely, the bar, two separate private dining rooms, a courtyard and the main dining area - as tastefully appointed as possible. However, as Senso is housed in a conservation building, no structural modifications can be carried out to raise the relatively low ceiling in the main dining area, resulting in the restaurant getting a bit noisy if it is crowded. |
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| The tastefully appointed Bar at Senso |
Having taken in the elegant surroundings of the restaurant, my wife and I looked forward in eager anticipation to the main highlight of any restaurant: the food.
As Senso's menu is relatively extensive, we decided to leave the choice of dishes in the good hands of Senso's resident Chef, Diego Chiarini, whose impressive resume includes having worked in the hallowed kitchens of one of the world's foremost chefs, Alain Ducasse.
The first course which was served was Spada ($18), which consists of thin slivers of home-made smoked swordfish served with its own roe and lightly drizzled with vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil of superb quality.
The Spada turned out to be a smashing success, with the piquant tang of the vinegar perfectly counterbalanced by the briny flavour of the swordfish roe, without masking the mildly smoky flavour of the swordfish itself.
The Spada was in turn followed by a further appetizer which turned out to be the perennial Italian antipasti of beef Carpaccio ($18), but with the Chef's own special twist. In the Senso incarnation of Carpaccio, thin slices of raw beef tenderloin are accompanied with a puree of black summer truffles and garnished with parboiled zucchini slices, all of which are again lightly drizzled with Senso's superb extra-virgin olive oil. By itself, the beef tenderloin, whilst perfectly fresh, was slightly bland and could perhaps have benefited from a light sprinkling of sea salt. However, the slight blandness of the beef tenderloin was counteracted when eaten together with the black truffle puree, which tasted exactly as a good black truffle puree should - earthy, rich and extremely decadent.
In
true Italian style, the next course was a pasta dish called Tagliolini ($18 as a
starter portion), which consists of home-made spinach pasta with a garlic,
chilli and sea scallop ragout. Whilst the freshness of the sea scallops could
not be faulted, however, we felt that the dish was on the whole slightly
unexciting as the flavours of the garlic, chilli and olive oil did not penetrate
the spinach pasta sufficiently. We felt that the dish would have benefited from
the use of a thinner-gauge pasta, such as capellini or spaghettini.
The slightly disappointing experience with the Tagliolini was, however,
quickly forgotten with the arrival of the first main course, which was
introduced as Tonno ($28) or Grilled Tuna and Orange with tomatoes in vintage
balsamic sauce. Tuna can be tough and unpalatable if overcooked. But Senso's
Tonno turned out to be superb.
A fillet of tuna was garnished with a thin slice of orange before being seared
on one side, leaving that side cooked and the other side still pink and raw. The
seared tuna was then placed on a bed of extremely flavoursome sliced roma
tomatoes which had been boiled, skinned and seeded before being marinated in
balsamic vinegar. To top off the Tonno with just the right hint of sweetness and
sourness, a generous dose of costly vintage balsamic vinegar was drizzled over
the tuna and tomatoes.
A second main course of Anatra ($29) or Pan-fried Duck Breast Scaloppine with fig and mustard sauce followed. After the enlightening experience with the Tonno, we were expecting the same of the Anatra. Although the medallions of duck breast were extremely tender to the extent where they could have been mistaken for a thick duck pate, however, we found the dish to be too salty and the mustard sauce lacked richness and depth of flavour.
For dessert, we were served the Crostata di Cioccolato ($12) or Hot Dark Chocolate Tart with milk ice cream. This turned out to be a thin but light open-top pastry shell, filled with velvety smooth and rich, melted dark chocolate, topped off with a dollop of creamy milk ice cream. Despite being extremely full by this time, upon tasting the first mouthful of the Crostata di Cioccolato, my wife and I could not help but polish off the entire dessert with immense gusto.
To cap off the entire meal, coffee and grappa were served.
All in all, the food at Senso turned out to be slightly uneven but satisfying on the whole, with the highly successful dishes outnumbering the mildly disappointing ones. However, the quality of the food - whilst being the most important factor in judging the standard of any restaurant - is only one determinant.
The quality of the service at Senso is superb, with the waiters being discreet yet constantly available when you need them, and the surroundings of the restaurant are extremely tastefully appointed. Also, the oenophiles out there will be pleased to know that Senso has a lengthy wine list which comprises wines from every conceivable wine region in Italy as well as a smaller assortment of fine wines from France, Australia and California.
Taking all the various determinants into consideration, Senso undoubtedly has the ability to leave most patrons amply satisfied. Certainly, my wife and I were more than pleased with the overall quality of our dining experience at Senso.
Senso is open for lunch and dinner from Mondays to Saturdays, except for lunch on Saturdays. As a final tip, instead of trying to find parking at the open-air public car park directly opposite Senso, parking at Far East Square is far more readily available.
Paul Ng Wei-Chern
Khattar Wong & Partners