Food review: Cure

SINGAPORE — Andrew Walsh may have left Esquina, where he served as head chef since its inception in 2011, but he can still be found in the Keong Saik Road enclave, as the proud chef-owner of Cure. As whitewashed on the outside as it is dark on the inside, this 40-seater restaurant represents Walsh’s culinary ethos of back-to-basics hospitality — the best food, good drinks and personable service in the most accessible way.

Sure, S$95 for a four-course tasting menu might not be everyone’s definition of accessibility, but that price tag is impressive value for the level of food that Walsh dishes out. Now that he is his own boss, Walsh serves seasonal fare that draws from his Irish background and experience in Michelin-starred kitchens that span Dublin, London and New York, as well as seasonal produce from as far away as Suffolk, England, to the local soil of Singapore.

When we visited late last month, the dinner tasting menu (five courses for S$118; six courses for S$135) featured bars of succulent Iberico pork loin, cooked to a lovely pink and arranged on the plate with smoked mussels, cauliflower puree, grapes and juniper caramel. Though each element was piped, placed and drizzled on the plate discretely, a mouthful of the pork with any one of those ingredients brought together a symphony of meaty, briny and smoky sweetness that teased the palate to the very end.

Earlier in the meal, a chicken liver parfait was light as air yet so deeply flavoured we felt compelled to scrape at every last streak of it. A kale chip and a sweet corn croquette that broke in the mouth with one sweet burst of golden puree made for especially delightful textural contrasts.

Juicy squares of cured salmon were served with a showering of vanilla snow and diced cucumbers, then covered in a cold almond soup that sung with the back heat of garlic. There was an invigorating pungent embrace from the garlic that elevated this dish from a cool, refreshing starter to a complex creation that showcased the chef’s originality 
and acumen.

Lunch is only available on Thursdays and Fridays, when two courses are priced at S$35, three courses at S$45 and five courses at S$65. There is also a small a la carte menu from which we ordered the beef tartare (S$22). Like the Iberico pork, the tartar had an exuberance of surf and turf flavours, as the seasoned raw minced beef paired beautifully with pickled onions, a deeply savoury smoked oyster mayo and a plump oyster leaf that imparted just the right amount of intriguing brininess.

It is striking and unexpected ingredient pairings such as these that truly set the food here apart, along with their excellent-value price tags that are already drawing the gourmet set in droves. Reservations, therefore, are highly recommended. ANNETTE TAN

Cure

Where: 21 Keong Saik Road. Telephone: 6221 2189. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 6.30pm; Thursday and Friday from noon.