A Lovely Dinner

I had dinner with Kristin tonight. We had originally planned to catch Hot Fuzz, a UK indie film starring Bill Nighty (of Love Actually fame) and former James Bond Timothy Dalton, among others. Unfortunately, tickets had already sold out, due in a large part to my procrastination in booking them. I didn't have a chance to catch any of the movies for this year's Singapore European film festival (of which Hot Fuzz was featured), which was a shame.

One big positive of not getting tickets was that me and Kris had a chance to sit down to a long and unhurried dinner. She had read about Broth, a restaurant located in a redesigned chinese shophouse up on Duxton Hill , in IS magazine, where it received a favourable review, and it seemed likely a wonderful place to try. And so we went. The place took some finding, however. We wandered around the Tanjong Pagar area, past a series of shadier and shadier looking pubs and bars before we found the street leading up to Duxton Hill. The area on Duxton Hill (more akin to a mound if anything) was wonderfully quiet and rather secluded, rather incongruous compared to the neon signs and echoes of KTV singing emanating from the surroundings.

The restaurant itself was artfully designed and rather homely - I especially loved the way they had done up the lighting and how they kept a traditional feel with the high ceiling fans. The fare itself was excellent - my beef steak ordered medium rare was done just right with a sauce that was subtle and sides that complemented the dish both in terms of taste and aesthetics. The service was also excellent, although it helped that we were practically the only ones dining there that evening. Kristin ordered the pork chop which she found enjoyable indeed. The only slight downside was dessert - we ordered an apple pie with ice cream type thing, and I was rather surprised to find that it lacked any form of crust/pastry. The ice cream was lovely though.

I realised how much I enjoy a wonderful dinner like this, and I can only lament the fact, as mentioned on more than one occasion to Kris that I know very few people that enjoy fine dining. After all, as any aspiring connoisseur would know, it is the company as much as the food that makes a meal pleasant and often memorable. In that regard, I have Kristin to thank for such a wonderful evening. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Final Verdict: Given its quiet environment, cosy converted shophouse setting, and tempting menu, Broth is an excellent choice, particularly on a date for two.