Brasserie Astoria Singapore

I was looking for a place to buy my nephew lunch for his birthday, and this set lunch reel popped into my view. Serving a 3-course set lunch at SGD 58 (non-inclusive of tax) per person seems like a rather good deal in a nice restaurant, so I made a reservation for 2

Located inside Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, the restaurant is created by Chef Björn Frantzén (the team behind the 3-Michelin-starred Zén in Singapore and Frantzén in Stockholm). It is officially recognised as a Michelin Guide Restaurant, even though the restaurant has no stars under its belt

The front of the house leads to a nice corridor full of atmosphere lightings and leads to the bar counter, which reminds me of an old school hotel bar counter. Flanked on both sides are dining tables and booth spaces for either individual or group customers

We started the meal with some bread, which would go well if you selected the soup as the first course. We ordered an additional à la carte serving of escargot with garlic butter and herbs, and bread came in handy, soaking up some of the sauces. The snails were tender and plump and not too dry, while the sauce paired well with the snails, taking out any funky taste

Next, as part of our set, we both had the toast Astoria, which had cold water shrimps, Japanese snow crabs, shoyu-brined trout roe, pickled red onions, and wasabi aioli on top of a lightly buttered toast. Served with a wedge of lime, the tangy spritz helps to bring out the sweet flavours of the seafood, making the dish very enjoyable. The toast was, however, slightly soft but not soggy; it would be perfect if it were crispy

They do change their menu, so when we visited, the only non-beef option for our mains was the vongole linguine, with the exception of the chicken Caesar salad. We both went for the pasta as we wanted hot food. The pasta came served in a chrome pan with a generous serving of clams topped with cheese shavings and parsley flakes. The linguine was cooked al dente and was just nice for the vongole. The sauce was limited, so it was a rather dry dish with the flavours locked mostly into the sauce, so it would have been better with more sauce to accompany the noodles

For desserts, we chose 2 different items, a scoop of ice cream with candied hazelnut shavings and creme brulee. The desserts were a nice end to the meal and were also executed perfectly

Overall, while the servings did not look a lot, it was quite filling by the time we finished the desserts. It was a pity they changed the menu before we visited, as we wanted to try their pork dish, which was the dish which caught our eye in the social media post. The dishes were generally delicious and did not disappoint, but I would not say they left a big impression on me. It is still a nice first date lunch place with a pretty environment

Address: 11 Empress Pl, Located inside Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall, Singapore 179558

Opening hours: 12 pm to 2.30 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm ( 6 pm to 10 pm on Sat and closed on Sun)