Having recently completed four years of pain and suffering at the Singapore Management University, we decided to indulge ourselves and made our way down to the ever so chi-chi One-Ninety for its semi-buffet lunch.

Finding its flair in modern European cuisine, One Ninety is the home of chef Frank Ruidavet, who graduated with honours from the Ecole Hoteliere De Nice and honed his culinary skills in New York at some of the best restaurants in New York City. These included The Ritz-Carlton's Raoul Restaurant, Top of the Park, The Ambassador Grill, Chez Josephine, and Restaurant Bertrand.

Stepping into One Ninety, one cannot help but feel totally comfortable, unlike most other chi-chi diners. The European decor was sophisticated and chic while casual at the same time. And unlike similar restaurants, whose staff are almost always condescending, the staff at One-Ninety were informative and polite. Most importantly, every time you leave your seat to get extra helpings, you will always return to find your plate cleared.

The croissant-brioche type bread was extremely light and buttery.

From the Bottom Left:

Blueberry Pancake topped with Shredded Chicken, Chickem Peppercorn Shooter, Cod Terrine, Dried Apricot with Black Olive and Cheese on a Skewer

Ben: One-Ninety is named One-Ninety for its 109 seater restaurant. I really enjoyed the delightful morsels of Sezchuan Peppercorn Chicken that provided a hint of Thailand. The Cod Terrine was an acquired taste and it was a real palate cleanser except that the alfafa sprouts overpowered the subtle cod flavours. The buffalo mozarella and tomatoes that Lorraine spoke about was divine. There's nothing so much more comforting than a thick, fresh, creamy piece of mozarella cheese sandwiched between sweet juicy tomatos. There was also a platter of marinated seafood in which you could find morsels of sweet shrimps, white fish, tender squid and baby oysters.

As for the salad dressings, I have to recommend the Truffles Vinegrette that went oh-so-well with my pine-nut, walnut, baby spinach and crouton salad. Also, unlike the plump juicy Australian oysters that you get from the standard run-of-mill buffets, Four Seasons plates up French Normandy oysters. Delightfully sweet and a touch of lemon juice brings out the flavours of the sea. French oysters are characterised by their elongated shells and are naturally smaller than the usual Aussie oysters. Lip-smacking! No sashimi here at the Four Seasons. Just fresh oysters and juicy prawns served with home-made cocktail sauce.

For my main, I ordered Tourondel's Smoked Sea Salt Skirt Steaks served with pan seared fois gois, morel mushrooms, mashed potatoes and red wine sauce. Trust me, I've never had better. The steak was excellently done - tender, almost rare and still oozing with red juices. The slightly charred fois gois complemented the beef so well and was rich, soft, and free of any gamey odour. It almost melts in your mouth and it absolutely wonderful to occasionally bite down onto grains of sea salt which enhanced its flavor even more. And don't get me started on the mashed potatoes! It was like smooth like cream and oozing with the flavor of butter - absolutely marvelous!

Smoked Sea Salt Skirt Steak with Char Grilled Fois Gois,

Morel Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes

Another dish to try is perhaps Tourondel's Braised Short Beef Ribs which was served with gnocchi. With a touch of the fork, the meat fell away from the bone and was incredibly tasty. I am sure David was more than pleased.

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Gnocchi

Crispy Duck Leg Confit on Frisee Salad, Green Beans,

Foie Gras and Warm Shallot Dressing

Ben: While Lorraine, Thomas and David opted for Tourondel's creations, I opted for One-Ninety's staple: Duck Leg Confit with a sinfully decadent portion of foie gras on a bed of Frisee Salad. While on a slightly sweeter side, the duck complemented the foie perfectly, with the crunchy bitterness of the Frisee salad as a perfect foil to the richness of the dish. I would have preferred the duck slightly rarer (*pinkier*) and a bit more tender, but it was overall, excellently executed.

Tourondel's creations did not deviate from One-Ninety's philosophy to food. The flavours were so rich you'd suspect it was soaking in marinade for days. David's Beef Ribs were perfumed with a rich red wine and it was a truly melt-in-the mouth experience.

For desserts, we were spoiled for choice. Again, we had at least 10 different desserts to choose from. The rose and strawberry macaroons were light and would melt in you mouth almost instantly. Although a bit too firm for my liking, the cream caramel was neither too sweet nor eggy and was served with a single black berry, which gave the dessert some tang. If you love chocolate, you must try the Hazelnut Royaltine. No words can describe how wonderful it was. All I can say that the mousse was bitter sweet and absolutely rich and sinful.

From the Bottom Left:

Dark Cherry Crumble, Floating Islands ( Meringue soaked in caramel), Hazelnut Royaltine, Caramelized Passion Fruit Crepe

Cherry Compote and Cream Caramel

Despite these, what I really enjoyed most were the extremely refreshing lime ice-cream and the Caramalized Passion Fruit Crepes, which really was a light, fluffy twinky filled with passion fruit cream. If not for the fact that I was already so full, I would have let the passion fruit sauce soak into the latter and savour every sweet tangy bit of it.

Ben: The dessert spread at One-Ninety wasn't huge but it was a selection of well prepared desserts with the occassional hits-and-misses. The rose macaroons were like little surprises you find in Enid Blyton's fairytales (The Wishing Tree); as the macaroons melted in your mouth, you would taste strawberries but towards the end, filled your palate with bursts of fragrant rose blossom scent. The creme brulee tasted like a creme caramel instead, providing delightful hints of vanilla in the egg-custard. I pampered myself with a Cherry Compote served with Vanilla Cream, indulging in tangy bursts of cherries smothered in fresh cream. It was however, on a slightly sour side. The Opera was pleasant, delivering a subtle coffee flavour through its mousse-like texture. The Strawberry Cheesecake simply lacked the oomph. While Vanilla Bean, Hazelnut and Chocolate ice-cream was available, I opted for the lime sorbet which had hints of bitterness merged in its tartness. The refreshing sorbet was a perfect ending to a wonderful lunch.

Overall, the meal was divine. With such rich flavors and excellent service, I'm definitely a convert from Au Jardin and Mezza9. I'll definitely return to try their Champagne Sunday Brunch and I certainly am sure that it would not disappoint. For foodies out there, One-Ninety definitely is a stop you cannot miss!

Total Bill per person: $47 per person for the semi-buffet consisting of one main-course and unlimited servings of appertisers, salads and desserts.