Heard about the Gordon Grill at Goodwoodpark Hotel? I've heard many praises of Gordon Grill, and so I finally visited Gordon Grill expecting to be thrilled! The first thing which caught my attention was the quaint, cosy and european dining interior, setting a rather romantic ambience for diners. They pampered us with cushioned chairs and sofas, followed by friendly and attentive waitresses who attended to our orders and needs.
The complimentary bread was nicely roasted, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and most importantly, it was served hot. I specially liked it because they served me focacia bread - my all-time favorite, but don't forget to request for olive oil and vinegar, the perfect complement for focacia. Yet that was when the first disppointment was felt, the olive oil that was served didn't taste like extra-virgin oil, and lacked that distinct fragrant of olive.
The lobster bisque, S$15 a bowl, even though it seemed faultless, failed to score any extra points as it simply tasted like any other restaurants. Ordinary.
Duo Foie Gras as the appetiser: The delight of Frenchmen just as Kimchi is to Koreans, turned out quite a disappointment unless you like it thick and rather raw. I found the cut a bit too thick, thence even though it was pan-fried crisp on the outside, the inner meat was a bit too raw and gluey for my liking.
The main dish I had was the Pork Chop, served together with (optional) red wine "Boleigse" sauce. I must praise that the grilling was very well done. Without any marination, the meat was cooked at the "tipping" point, whereby the juiciness of the meat was left intact, the meat was white in color, unburnt and not a tinge of blood. Yet on the overall, the sauce that went together with the unmarinated pork chop grill just wasn't really delicious, and tasted rather blend. I felt something was lacking... perhaps I was still, afterall, looking for the traditional Singaporean Pork Chop Taste.
The small messy thing above in the left corner was the King Crab Salad... sounded great, but tasted ordinary, a dish you could jolly well skip.
The Limelight of Gordon Grill would undeniably be the Steak! The first impressive impression was made when the water pushed out their wooden cart, allowing you to choose the type, size and thickness of the meat you want. One might be reminded of the Larrys... however, I must emphasize that the gordon grill did a much better job. At Larrys, the meat was pre-cooked, pushed out on a cart and sliced out for you... which robbed the feeling of customisation and dedication. At Gordon's, the raw meat was cut before you, weighed before you, and of course, paid by the grams. The picture above, is a piece of corn-fed "golden" grade beef @$4.60 per gram... totalled to be about S$98.
Taste? In spite of the hoo-ha, the taste was actually only average. I wasn't thrilled. I would think the beef was rather tender, and the grill was fine... BUT, it's just another grill with a pretty fresh meat. There was nothing that made it taste unique, nothing that made you miss and keep you coming back for more... Yet to be fair, in my humble opinion, it was definitely better than the Larrys!
Would I return again? Not anytime soon... hoping that they would be much better the next time I visit!
Would I recommend it to friends? Probably only for the romantic European ambience.
Rate: 7/10
