The Black Swan

The Black Swan is all about the 1920s sophistication. Think fine European classic dishes served in an equally classy and Art Deco building (The Quadrant) at Cecil Street. What i hear is that the bar is rather spectacular for an after work drink but don't miss out on their food! 

The Black Swan recently updated their menu and it now features classics such as Chicken Velouté, Steak Tartare, and Duck Leg Confit We hear that the Head Chef watches his team like a hawk to ensure the traditional preparation of these dishes are adhered to. 

Starting with the Raw Bar, the Black Swan Seafood Platter ($148) is a good starter to go with the selection of martinis and cocktails with its mix of Alaskan king crab, oysters, Maine lobster, Obsiblue prawns, Uni, and clam ceviche.

If hot is more your thing, then pick some from the Small Plates selection. I highly recommend the Chicken Velouté ($18), a comforting and luscious soup of poached chicken chunks, fried maitake mushroom, and Pain de aisses.

The Steak Tartare ($26) uses coarsely chopped beef from USDA 365-day grain-fed cows and is served in a tangy bbq/ketchup and mustard marinate. This is more American than European i think but yummy nonetheless. Great with the toasted bread! 

Alaskan Snow Crab Salad ($24) features generous chunks of briny snow crab. This was a refreshing dish with the avocado, mango, orange, grapefruit, and citrus vinaigrette mix.

Bigger plates will fill you up. If you're coming in a big group, i'd highly recommend that you make an 2 days advanced booking for the Roasted Suckling Pig ($148). Only baby  Spanish  pigs are used here and the tender meat is brined for 24 hours, marinated with herbs and then sous-vide for 6 to 8 hours before being roasted to crisp perfection. Love love love this and the tangy pickled vegetables that accompanies it.

The Black Swan also has daily specials, which give you more reasons to come back every day of the week. 

Monday Special is the Tournedos Rossini ($50) which is a glorious 150g tenderloin topped with seared foie gras. Real truffle sauce with shaved truffles accompanies this decadent dish. We thought this dish tasted quite Asian due to the use of peppers as part of the bed of sautéed vegetables. 

I wouldn't miss the Thursday Special, which is the Lobster Thermidor ($65). Yummiest whole Maine lobster, flesh removed and diced, then mixed with Mornay sauce, gruyère cheese, and baked in the shell. Comes with fries too. Apparently you can switch it to truffle fries without extra charge. I may have been drunk by then so i can't be exactly sure if i heard it right. HAHA.

Desserts are a must! The Black Swan Fireball ($22) is set ablaze tableside with Grand Marnier, the decadent chocolate sphere melts to reveal a tempting centre of vanilla ice cream sitting atop a tangy berries compote and crunchy chocolate pearls. Full of theatrics i must say but it was fun and tasty too.

If you're for a more standard dessert, the Dark Chocolate Dome ($16) of Valrhona Guanaja, Vanilla crème, and seasonal berries would suffice.

Back to drinks. Wine and Dine with with Bar Manager Gerardo Callipo, who will come around with his martini trolley. Cocktails are prepared tableside and we had more smoke and fire to round up the night. Don't miss the interesting The Black Cow cocktail which is a vodka made from milk. This is served with an English Cheddar cheese that is also produced from the same milk.

Powder My Nose ($19) is a lady pleaser. Yummy mix of salted caramel vodka and apple juice, passion fruit and hints of mint. Sweet dreams are made of this!

B.B.King ($19) is a spicy banana-infused whisky with smoked maple syrup, barbecue bitters and a little sorbet made from banana that has been soaked in the whisky! This was kinda spicy for me though. 

Playing With Fire ($21). More fiery drinks.

Coffee lovers would dig the Café Royale ($19). I can't say no to espresso, especially when paired with a salted caramel vodka. The vanilla and cinnamon foam was turned into ice cream with the liquid nitrogen. Woot woot!

The current Happy Hour Menu is available from 5-8pm on weekdays, with the offer of $21 for a glass of champagne and a pair of freshly-shucked oysters. Coming up in December, the Happy Hour Menu will be replaced with a $2 menu for oysters, and $11 for selected beer, wine and house-pours. More reasons to come back to The Black Swan!

The Black Swan

19 Cecil Street, Singapore 049704
Tel: +65 8181 3305