Buko Nero

I was pleasantly surprised that its a small cosy restaurant. You wont notice the restaurant, unless you take a closer look.

The food was pleasant. We were given this so called Sorbet that was said to be palete cleansing. The dissapointment came when the 2 of us, my friend and i were called to leave our table and move to the back sofa or to quickly finish up our meal when i was half-way through my main course. It was around 9pm and we were told that someone else reserved the paticular table at 9:15pm. Our reservation was at 7:30pm, my friend got there earlier at 7:15pm, and i got there at 7:45pm. I was told because i was late.... So...

Abit ridiculous i know... Its my ist time, that i was asked to leave a restaurant. Friend saw that i was a little upset remind me that well they only have 6 tables.. But persoanally, i do not think its a right way of chasing and hurrying your diners who have booked at least 1 month in advance.

So in a rush, not too sure of how, i quickly ended my main course of cod fish in mango without even having enough time to savour the food, neither did i finish up the main course eventually.

My frend ordered the set dinner, so he havent even have his dessert of milo gelato. So both of us just moved to the back. Ordered our desert to be ready to serve.

 

When we have our desert

Buko Nero needs no introduction from those who love to try out restaurants, they are notorious for their month-long waiting lists, as well as the fantastic quality of food - all served with attention and love.

Sitting just over 20 people in the restaurant, Chef Oscar prepares every dish with attention, consistancy and cooked to perfection. My favourite starter is the Crostino - so simple and so good - ham, cheese and tomatoes on a mini toast, with a dash of truffle oil... the carpaccio is fantastic as well, but unfortunately, I can only choose one starter..

I always go for the Cod Fish, sometimes prepared with pistachio, sometimes with laksa, always cooked to perfection.. Another dish I particularly like is the seafood pasta, where I always polish it off without effort..

As for the dessert, whenever I am in luck, they will have the organic chocolate cake, which is the best I have ever tried, and I have been to enough restaurants to know this is good...

Buko Nero is one of a kind, definitely a must try for those who love food. I think it is possibly the best italian in Singapore, in spite of all the fusion food influences. What is a month's wait for a really exceptional experience?�

Buko Nero is one of the doyennes of fusion food on the local food scene.  Run by a hospitable husband-and-wife team, Oscar (the chef) and Tracy (who handles everything else), it's one restaurant that should be on every foodie's must-try list.  Reservations are a must here, and if you're sticky about the date you are visiting, be sure to make reservations at least 4-5 weeks in advance.

The restaurant is tucked along Tanjong Pagar Road, amidst the bridal boutiques and photo studios. The first time we went there, we walked past the restaurant twice before finding it. The exterior is unassuming to the extent of being plain, and the restaurant's name discreetly printed on the glass facade. The inside is decorated simply but made cosy because of the low lighting.

It was (as usual) filled to the brim. With only space for twenty customers, it's no wonder that there's (at least) a long waiting list for reservations.

The menu had changed slightly since our last visit. Tracy informed us that in addition to the offerings on the menu and the set dinner on the dinner board, porcini mushrooms were in season and we could have them with pasta or tenderloin.

Choosing what to eat is always difficult.  After some extensive pondering, the then-boyfriend eventually settled on the signature Tau Kwa Tower for his starter while I decided on the cous cous with crab meat in strawberry sauce. The Tau Kwa Tower was interesting, a tottering stack of fresh vegetables on warm tau kwa.  And although he isn't a fan of cous cous (that's quite an understatement, actually), even he conceded that my starter was a good choice: the cous cous was almost blended together with fresh crab meat. The combination was deliciously rich and savoury, and was the perfect counterpoint to the strawberry sauce.

In between courses, we were served home made lychee and citrus sorbets to cleanse our palates. These were served in chilled metal egg cups, and had just the right mix of sweet and tangy.

For the main course, I made a beeline for the beef tenderloin wrapped with bacom and topped with fresh porcini mushrooms. Bacon was wrapped around the tenderloin medallion, which gave the beef a slightly smoky flavour.

He went for the crusted mungfish, another of the specials available that night. I'm not familiar with this particular fish. It arrived looking very much like cod, but when I tasted it, I was pleasantly surprised that the fish had a chewy texture similar to scallops. Yum. Given the quality of the food, we polished both the main courses rather quickly.

We weren't in much of a dessert mood that night. As such, we opted for the cheese platter (gorgonzola, parmesan and brie served with seedless grapes, crusty shortbread and a sprig of spring onion). The cheese went perfectly with the house muscato - an Italian dessert wine that had the honey scent of muscat but with a lighter and slightly bubbly texture. Although the cheeses were good, I think the cheese platter available at The Moomba is just a bit better.

The last item on our menu was orange curd tarte, a light custard tart with slices of Mandarin oranges and sitting in a light buttery biscuit base. This was enjoyable, although I think we were much too full to really appreciate the textures and flavours of the dessert.

An excellent choice for a date (provided you can take the wait).