Dinner At Keystone

Having had some decent lunches at Keystone Restaurant, we decided to take Mommy out for a birthday dinner there, knowing that she would enjoy the fish offered on the menu.

The restaurant serves up a fair range of single malts, but none that I care for to go with the meal. The man took a glass of red instead since nobody was keen on sharing a bottle. They've an extensive, rather well-curated wine list. I spied quite a number of pricey, but beautiful wines that I wouldn't mind trying with the right group of friends another night.

Other than a 40-minute wait (tempered with amuse bouche) for our appetizers, everything else went smoothly. I wasn't sure what to make of one server's response to my query of why the kitchen took so long to prepare our food. He said it was because there was a large group next door. Hello...why should I care? At least after they cleared our appetizers, the mains arrived in 15 minutes flat.

Food was good. Head Chef Mark Richards is clearly dabbling in progressive cuisines. I'm not exactly keen on that, but at this current stage of the evolution of his food, I don't mind it. (Read other reviews here, and here.) Our appetizers were interesting, but not quite to my taste. I'm of the opinion that its mainstay lies in its fish and meats because they taste more familiar. It's like how I'm not a fan of El Bulli or The Fat Duck. Tonight, the men took fancy chicken and beef done up beautifully. But I wasn't really paying attention to it. The tomato gum that came with the beef tasted weird. I loved the Norwegian golden trout encrusted with coriander and pinenuts, with escabeche of king crab and blue lip mussels, as well as the sous vide olive-roasted wild monkfish with langoustines and crustacean bisque.

There were 2 dessert platters, one of which was a slice of birthday cake. I took a bite of that and no more. I was stuffed, and wouldn't mind to adjourn for whisky with the friends. The man's parents headed off to chill out at some hotel lounge with soothing jazz. They're way more happening than we are. Plenty of late nights spent at exciting joints all the time!