Having had a stellar meal just a few months back, Yv had massive cravings for the lovely Chateaubriand we had before. Since she was going back to Malaysia, we decided to pay a visit. Coming in for our reservation at 8.30pm, our seats were still occupied but we decided that we were not that hungry and could wait. However, the noise in the establishment was just atrocious which would probably be a Friday night norm. Nonetheless, we were not any quieter anyways haha. We ordered a whole lot of food to share with the Chateaubriand the centerpiece of our meal.
First up the table were 3 serves each of the liver parfait and tuna steak tartare.
The parfait was OK, but with the relatively strong contention in the parfait category around town I could barely praise the offerings on the table. It was creamy as, but somehow the accompaniments did not feel as strong as the ones I get from Cantina 663 or Old Crow. So for me, it did not leave the best impression for sure. And while I was expecting huge flavors from the fish tartare, it turned out OK but nothing much to rave about. The highlight was probably the unique addition of the sorbet which was rather nice but other than that it did not quite hit the sweet spot.
Next up was the shiitake and prawn linguine. The appearance was rustic with the ingredients all chopped up into random odds and sods but hmmm. In my first bite, it struck me that the flavors were rather bland. If anything at all brought this dish to life, it was the parsley which was extremely refreshing as well as the occasional burst of shitake juices which have soaked up all the flavors of the pasta sauce.
We also called another beef pasta which was significantly better than the prawn one but still lacked an impact big enough to change the course of the night. What exactly do I mean? Well read up my meal at No.4 Blake Street where I had one of the best pasta courses which totally set my horrendous meal on a road to recovery. See my review on No.4 Blake Street here.
We also called another beef pasta which was significantly better than the prawn one but still lacked an impact big enough to change the course of the night. What exactly do I mean? Well read up my meal at No.4 Blake Street where I had one of the best pasta courses which totally set my horrendous meal on a road to recovery. See my review on No.4 Blake Street here.Last main for the night were two humungous serves of Chateaubriand. It came in two large trays looking as glorious as it did before. But, does it taste as good? While I would love to say yes, I could not. The beef in terms of cooking came out perfect. The middle was still red and moist while the outside has some really beautiful charred marks. But something about the beef today.. it felt quite bland. I am not sure whether Trustee usually dry age their beef slightly before cooking, but it just did not taste as good as it did before. Some even found the middle to be a little mushy. Is that even possible?
Then comes the sides of bread and marrow. The bread were quite nice little things to eat but it just did not go well with the beef. The marry my old favourite were plenty this time but tasted horribly raw this time. All those who came with me to the Trustee before remembered it to be very nice, with all the crumbs and herbs stuff onto it. This time, it was just appalling.
Then comes the sides of bread and marrow. The bread were quite nice little things to eat but it just did not go well with the beef. The marry my old favourite were plenty this time but tasted horribly raw this time. All those who came with me to the Trustee before remembered it to be very nice, with all the crumbs and herbs stuff onto it. This time, it was just appalling. By the end of the night we had ordered 6 appetizers, 4 pastas, 2 chateaubriands and a bill of large numbers for this table of 8. Satisfied we were not. In fact, while many have lamented the service, it was pretty good as we only came in at 8.30pm and by 9.30pm, most had already left by then. But the food, oh boy! I really wished it could be better. If I had to choose the star for the night, it would be a little bit of everything. Some parts of the beef were stellar, but the whole cube was not. I love the shitakes in the linguine as well as the prawns bits but not the mildly bitter leaves which I forgot to mention earlier. The sorbet on the tuna tartare was nice, but the seasoning was plain. In the end, it was hard to really say and to be honest with everything so half-baked, the night ended in a mess. But was it as good of an eat as it was a few months back? Definitely NO. A big NO. Thankfully as always, the company was awesome! Which brings me to the ultimate question of my visit to the Trustee Bar & Bistro, am I still loving it? While it will be too hard to write them off completely, I am high skeptical about a place when I have to pay top dollar to roll the dice, and hence, I will feel less interested to pay a visit in the future. This meal was totally different compared to my stellar meal back in May.
WenY
