Splurge!

Finally got down to trying Restaurant Ember for lunch today with Jon G, a friend from camp. Ember is located along Keong Saik street, just next to the trendy 1929 hotel. Blew a whopping 40 dollars on the three-course set lunch. The soft-shell crab with wasabi aioli was tasty, but the portion was meagre. I had their famed lambshank as my main course. It looked deceiving small, but was actually quite filling. The meat must have been seasoned really long for each morsel burst with sweetness. Very well done. Had warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean icecream as dessert. Exactly like the one in Bakerzin, except a miniature version. All in all, a good meal but not worth the money it cost.

Two funny incidents happened that are worth mentioning. A couple sat themselves at the table next to us as we were eating and started browsing the menu. Jon G directed my attention to the centre of their table, where the butter dish was. I noticed the cube of butter was not there. It was then that I realized the cube of butter was stuck on the back of the menu that the man was reading! And it remained there for the longest time before the couple finally realized it. It was quite hilarious.

The second incident is only funny on hindsight. When it happened I was a little taken aback. I had asked for the lambshank bones to be doggiebagged for Russell. The waitress obliged, but returned with a most unglam red plastic bag, those you get from the market and those that I invariably use to pick up Russell's poop. "Sorry, this is the only bag we've got," she said apologetically. I was a little startled since I was expecting the bones to be packed in a box and contained in a bag with Restaurant Ember printed all over it in a artistic font. The last thing I was expecting was the kind of bag I usually associate with my pet's excrements. But I didn't fuss over it, smiled, replied that it was fine and proceeded to put the bag on the floor at my feet. It must have looked like I just picked up my dog's poop and decided to bring it into the restaurant. Real embarassing. As we got up to leave, I deftly covered the bag with my Life! and I.S. magazine.