With it's entrance behind off Gemmill Lane, no one would expect that you would find a stylish New York-style fine dining restaurant with rare wines, caviar topped xiao long baos and a Picasso original in its bathroom just behind its ugly steel door.
Corduroy Palace, which is the brainchild of Gibran Baydoun and the team behind the famous Lucali BYGB, is a restaurant you really need to take in layer by layer. With a Picasso in the bathroom and caviar bumps, prepare yourself for a restaurant experience that will truly assault all your senses and leave you wanting more
When you first open the door under the maroon awning, you will initially find yourself in the cramped and rustic Proper Slice BYGB which is a New York-styled pizza-by-the-slice joint.
If you trust the process and keep moving forward, you will go through a Prouvé-inspired pocket door that will bring you face to face with a glass block wall that leads down a narrow cherry wood-panelled hallway and straight into the dark embrace of the restaurant.
The restaurant claims to line the floor with over 21 different vintage rugs, while famed contemporary art pieces, including a Picasso original, help dress the fabric-lined walls. But some of the richness in details are lost in the dramatically dim lighting.
Take a seat at one of its seven large, oversized banquettes that have all been draped in original Pontoglio corduroy fabric and get ready for a gastronomic experience that you will be hard-pressed to forget easily.
The menu, which was created by executive chef Ariana Flores, was crafted first with wine and design in mind. Its menu begins with fresh oysters from Normandy and dumplings from a much-loved hawker stall, You Peng Noodle Dumpling House, which worked with the team to create an authentic, delicious xiao long bao that features an elegant touch of caviar on top.
Its menu also features steak tartare that is made on a trolly next to your table, a crisp Waldorf salad with spinach, apples, grapes and egg as well as canned fish from Portugal and Spain.
Or maybe you might prefer the delicious chicken cordon bleu ($34), surprisingly tender meat enrobes slices of ham and cheese of parmesan and provolone, served with a side of green peas. During the meal, a trolley might be wheeled by the table to offer bumps of caviar ($20) – a true sign of opulence.
a. 110 Amoy Street, #01-02, Singapore 069930 (Entrance behind off Gemmill Lane)
