Ku De Ta | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — Thanks to its spectacular location at the top of Marina Bay Sands, Ku De Ta is a popular destination. People generally head there to enjoy a drink and take in the breathtaking view, but the food has never been exceptional enough to establish it as a dining hot spot.

But its new executive chef Frederic Faucheux is changing all that.

Before coming to Singapore, the 37-year-old Frenchman was the executive chef of Nobu in Cape Town, South Africa. By bringing his expertise in American-inflected Japanese cuisine, he has refined and vastly improved the clumsy modern Asian fare that Ku De Ta had been serving since its inception.

The menu now has dishes such as sushi rolls and dressed raw fish, Asian-style meats and, yes, that signature — not to mention ubiquitous — Nobu favourite: Roasted miso black cod (S$56). When we tried it here, the miso flavour was barely discernible in the fish and only kicked in after the fourth bite. Better to train your attention on more delicious things like the seared Black Angus beef tataki (S$19).

A take on Italian beef carpaccio, the dish is amped up with pickled radish, a soy-sesame dressing and a crown of chopped spring onions and fried shallots. Its sharp, piquant flavours really opened up the palate, while the myriad textures made each bite compelling.

In keeping with the current trend for small plates, the food here is designed for sharing. The portions here are hearty enough for two or more to share, and even in the S$158 tasting menu, some dishes — like the beef tataki — are served at the centre of the table.

Though the tasting menu comprises only four courses, each is made up of three or four small dishes that add up to quite a lot of food. Our third course, for example, featured a tiger prawn tempura drizzled with yellow curry (S$32), a nugget of the roasted miso black cod, two thick slices of roasted kurobuta pork belly with miso mustard (S$34) and beautifully grilled US Prime “Brandt” beef rib eye with braised red onion (S$34).

Most of these dishes were well balanced and easy to appreciate, which makes this the sort of fare that would appeal to many different palates. This is a shrewd move, given the diverse crowd that comes here. Tourists schlep here for the view — why pay S$20 to stand empty-handed at the Observation Deck, when you can pay the same for a seat and a drink, right? — while evenings attract a dressier, affluent clientele.

Chef Faucheux’s food straddles the gastronomic needs of this gamut effortlessly, while retaining both elegance and unpretentiousness. With any luck, diners might soon decide that the food finally lives up to the view. ANNETTE TAN

Where: SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands, Tower 3

Telephone: 6688 7688

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday: noon to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm

Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 3.30pm, 6pm to 11pm