Fine dining in private at First Class Cuisine
Unlike in the late-1990s, Mohamed Sultan Road is now a quiet stretch dotted with classy eateries instead of hopping pubs.
First Class Cuisine, located at the foot of CP Residences, is one such establishment.
Opened last September, the restaurant offers a private dining concept paired with fine dining – making it a perfect spot to host C-suite gatherings.
"As entrepreneurs across a portfolio of businesses, we went through the difficulties of finding conducive environment with good food for business conversations," said one of the restaurant founders, which include entrepreneur Kym Sit.
First Class Cuisine consists of nine private dining rooms, with two of them big enough to accommodate 10 guests each or joined to host 20. Each room has a television screen that can be used for presentations or even a karaoke session.
The food was as impressive as the restaurant layout.
Egg white served as a bed for the succulent lobster topped with caviar and gold flakes. The layers of delicate flavours needed no gold flakes to dress them up but I admit it would be hard to make the dish aesthetically convincing without them.
When I was served sea cucumber, I immediately killed all my expectations. I never cared much for sea cucumber – which by the way is an animal despite its name – and never saw the point of including it in a menu.
But I was surprised by the textures and flavours of the crispy Australian sea cucumber wrapped with seafood paste and served with chef's recipe sauce.
There was a good bite to the sea cucumber, which contrasted with the crispy batter and the oozing seafood paste. The little pearls burst and released tangy sauce that completed the five basic tastes in the dish.
Although I do not have dietary restrictions, I prefer not to see shark's fin included in any menu, regardless of how it is prepared. But this is something that can be addressed easily at First Class Cuisine – diners can have a menu tailored to their preferences and budget.
After all the delicate flavours of the dishes, the braised giant garoupa fillet with smooth beancurd in home-made spicy sauce was quite a shock to the system. The fiery mala was definitely out of harmony with the rest of the meal.
Good thing the salt-baked chicken with sand ginger brought the meal back down a notch.
And the braised giant freshwater prawn and ocean egg with ee fu noodles in superior brother was delicious, even for a non-fan of ee fu like me.
With the palate calmed and the belly filled, the chilled fresh avocado cream topped with ice cream was the perfect, understated end to the meal.
Food at First Class Cuisine may not all be a total hit for me, but the flexibility to have the menu tailored beforehand is definitely a big plus – just like the privacy the restaurant offers.
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