Preparazzi Bar Gourmet
Preparazzi is a new restaurant that's opened up along Boon Tat Street. Apparently, the head chef used to be a private caterer who won some competition and got this one-year-rent-free restaurant space as a result.
Preparazzi's food is "mod Sin", i.e. modern Singaporean. This is really just cool-speak for fusion fare - an Asian twist on western classics. In their attempt to be innovatively cool, it seems that they've fallen flat. We found the main courses generally pedestrian, forgettable and average, but the cupcakes were really quite yummy. Service was great - friendly and warm, though not enough to save the lackluster dining experience. I don't think any of us will be back anytime soon.
That's the thing. I don't like try-hards (this applies to people as well btw). Just be damn good at the simple, straightforward stuff, instead of being the CMI amateurish player in the big leagues.
We didn't expect the Warm Duck Confit Salad ($12.90) to be this huge! This definitely makes for a meal in itself. Romaine, cherry tomato, beetroot, cucumber, and carrots were laden with strips of duck breast and drizzled with a spiced curry honey mustard dressing. The duck had a hint of gameiness and even with the generous portion, I didn't think this was worth its pricetag. Fresh+ does much better greens with much more competitive price edges.
The Miso Cod ($15.90), with calrose rice, honshimeiji, asparagus, stacked in a pool of ginger miso broth, is really just standard, run-of-the-mill, Asian "mui fan" with a western plating style. Alright but not memorably so.
The XO Crumb Salmon ($14.90) with avocado, potato mash, corn, tomato salsa, and grilled lemon, was uneven. Despite its enticing description, it was devoid of any XO taste, and the salmon was less than sparkling fresh.
The Spicy Prawn Spaghetti ($13.90), with sambal chilli, tomato sauce, garlic and white wine, looked and tasted like a Pastamania dish, which, by the way, isn't a compliment. At least Pastamania's prices are in line with the quality of their food. The spaghetti was overcooked and the sauce was generic.
The 48 Hours Beef Ragu Spaghetti ($13.90), with minced beef, tomato, pinto beans, and parmesan shaving didn't fare much better. Equally forgettable and amateurish.
The Mushroom Aglio Olio Spaghetti ($12.90) with cherry tomato confit, garlic, spicy bean paste, and button mushroom, was marginally better than the other 2 saucey pastas. At least this was simple straightforward fare. Pasta was still overcooked though.
The Truffle Fries ($9.90) were possibly the best dish of all that we had. Crisp, flavoursome and aromatic, these were snapped up in seconds. Once again, my theory that truffle makes anything better holds true!
The Cupcakes ($4 each) were really quite good, dense, moist and rich, even if they weren't super pretty. Remember to let the staff know, when ordering, if it's someone's birthday or celebrating any special occasion, you'll get a personalized complimentary dessert. Clockwise from top left: Chocolate and caramel (we loved the kitschy caramel-filled syringe!); strawberry; raspberry and white chocolate.
Preparazzi Bar Gourmet
29 Boon Tat Street
Tel: 6220 0629
Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 11pm
Website: preparazzi.sg
Preparazzi's food is "mod Sin", i.e. modern Singaporean. This is really just cool-speak for fusion fare - an Asian twist on western classics. In their attempt to be innovatively cool, it seems that they've fallen flat. We found the main courses generally pedestrian, forgettable and average, but the cupcakes were really quite yummy. Service was great - friendly and warm, though not enough to save the lackluster dining experience. I don't think any of us will be back anytime soon.
That's the thing. I don't like try-hards (this applies to people as well btw). Just be damn good at the simple, straightforward stuff, instead of being the CMI amateurish player in the big leagues.
We didn't expect the Warm Duck Confit Salad ($12.90) to be this huge! This definitely makes for a meal in itself. Romaine, cherry tomato, beetroot, cucumber, and carrots were laden with strips of duck breast and drizzled with a spiced curry honey mustard dressing. The duck had a hint of gameiness and even with the generous portion, I didn't think this was worth its pricetag. Fresh+ does much better greens with much more competitive price edges.
The Miso Cod ($15.90), with calrose rice, honshimeiji, asparagus, stacked in a pool of ginger miso broth, is really just standard, run-of-the-mill, Asian "mui fan" with a western plating style. Alright but not memorably so.
The XO Crumb Salmon ($14.90) with avocado, potato mash, corn, tomato salsa, and grilled lemon, was uneven. Despite its enticing description, it was devoid of any XO taste, and the salmon was less than sparkling fresh.
The Spicy Prawn Spaghetti ($13.90), with sambal chilli, tomato sauce, garlic and white wine, looked and tasted like a Pastamania dish, which, by the way, isn't a compliment. At least Pastamania's prices are in line with the quality of their food. The spaghetti was overcooked and the sauce was generic.
The 48 Hours Beef Ragu Spaghetti ($13.90), with minced beef, tomato, pinto beans, and parmesan shaving didn't fare much better. Equally forgettable and amateurish.
The Mushroom Aglio Olio Spaghetti ($12.90) with cherry tomato confit, garlic, spicy bean paste, and button mushroom, was marginally better than the other 2 saucey pastas. At least this was simple straightforward fare. Pasta was still overcooked though.
The Truffle Fries ($9.90) were possibly the best dish of all that we had. Crisp, flavoursome and aromatic, these were snapped up in seconds. Once again, my theory that truffle makes anything better holds true!
The Cupcakes ($4 each) were really quite good, dense, moist and rich, even if they weren't super pretty. Remember to let the staff know, when ordering, if it's someone's birthday or celebrating any special occasion, you'll get a personalized complimentary dessert. Clockwise from top left: Chocolate and caramel (we loved the kitschy caramel-filled syringe!); strawberry; raspberry and white chocolate.
Preparazzi Bar Gourmet
29 Boon Tat Street
Tel: 6220 0629
Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 11pm
Website: preparazzi.sg
Comments
In any case, add in tax and service charge (applicable at Preparazzi), and the cod costs more than the lasagna at SPRMRKT.