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| - William T. brought me here for my birthday dinner as a surprise as he had remembered I wanted to check this place out! So thoughtful :)
We arrived fashionably on time, but let the restaurant know ahead of time that we were going to be arriving on celebrity time. The restaurant was still relatively empty when we arrived so it wasn't a big deal. A part of me loves the restaurant decor, and a part of me wants to call it eclectic. If it were up to me, I would shy away from the table with the snarly roosters gawking at its guests. I remember when we were kids and we'd go to Chinese restaurants where they insist on presenting chicken in its entirety - the adults used to joke that if the chicken head pointed to you it meant you were having good luck. Somehow, I don't think these intimidating cluckers give off the same vibe. The dim lighting made them seem even meaner - Angry Birds?
We were promptly seated and a breadbasket was brought along with a scant serving of goat cheese spread. Loved the bread sticks, the one dinner roll they brought for our party of 2 was cold and hard. From the Summerlicious menu I ordered the Bay Scallop Escabeche to start which was served with chickpeas two ways, pickled onions, cumin, olive oil and a Belgian endive for presentation. It was cooked just right and there was a generous pile of bay scallops on the plate. The roasted chickpeas were also quite savoury.
William T. had the Watermelon & Fennel Gazpacho with cilantro, toasted goat's cheese and jalapeno. For those of you who are intimidated by spicy food, you can order this cold soup worry-free as I didn't feel the heat and the soup was quite mild and refreshing. However, I am not a fan of cold soups, and this one was more like a watermelon purée as I tasted none of the other ingredients. For mains I ordered the Chili-Rubbed Boneless Short Rib with a root vegetable purée, and a goat-cheese-stuffed-deep-fried-tomato. Now there's a mouthful! Unlike the gazpacho, there was heat in this tomato. The batter was light but crisp, the tomato moist, and the goat's cheese was creamy. Yummy! The short rib was on the dry side, and I felt that the dish itself was rather bland. Even the root vegetable purée and a dab of the barbecue sauce could not save this dish. I personally prefer boned cuts of meat as the bones add natural flavour.
The Masala Chicken Supreme was definitely the better of the 2 mains although still lacking in any real flavour. The chicken breast however, was relatively tender. This was served with dahl (lentils), pickled cauliflower, sultanas and a cucumber raita. It seems the chef likes to incorporate Indian spices into his dishes. I've got a "bone" to pick with Ultra's chef, as I would've served a boneless chicken and a boned short rib, rather than the other way around.
For desserts we ordered the Chocolate Mousse and the Vanilla Panna Cotta. The mousse was a mousse cake sprinkled with Maltesers and Ovaltine ice cream. Maltesers and Ovaltine - the 2 foods that every Chinese kid has had! That coupled with the Indian spices evoked images in my head that the chef must be Hakka! I have nothing bad to say about this dessert - it was divine!
The Panna Cotta however was disappointing. It was served in a cocktail glass with some semblance of a hybrid between strawberry fruit leather and wafer cookie. This made the dish quite unique. However, when I think of panna cotta, I envision a molded, firm but giggly dessert. Ultra's take was more like a yogurt cup in my humble opinion. It was not firm, and was more fluid-like. I didn't taste much vanilla flavour. The fruits that accompanied the dish were quite fresh (blue/strawberries - they're in season now!).
Verdict:
After 10PM, Ultra takes on a whole new personality in the form of a club. The tables are moved to create a dance floor. I would personally not come back for dinner, but would maybe return to check out the club vibe after dark in the near future. Their bar is quite chic and if you ignore the draped images of roosters, the decor is quite trendy. I felt the lighting was a tad on the dim side. The wait staff are quite amateur, as even when there were only a grand total of 3 tables they managed to mix up our orders. I can only imagine what happens when this place gets packed - those with food allergies may want to avoid the switch-a-roo? I also found the wait staff to be rather snooty. All in all, a cool place to hang out and sip a few cocktails - but definitely not a place to go for good food.
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