A Lunch Steal @ Chef Daniel's Kitchen

12th May 2010. Written by Xin Li.

Having read Memoirs of Food’s post about Chef Daniel’s Kitchen and their $10.50 nett Set Lunch. I finally convinced Wei Liang and Ciera our colleague to head down to Iluma for lunch.

The sight of two closed F&B outlets on the 6th floor left me guessing whether I am the right place, Iluma is so quiet. The food stores on the 5th floor were pretty deserted too.

I went to the seventh floor, and there Chef Daniel’s Kitchen was, like a greenhouse on the top of Iluma, where one can get a glimpse of the scenery on the top of Iluma, really pity that you can’t see from the interiors of the building, wasted indeed.

The restaurant is interior decoration is simple with a Muji/ Ikea feel to it. The high ceilings create an illusion of space and the natural light gives the place a relaxing atmosphere. Despite being at the busy Bugis area, the environment is a stark contrast to the crowded Bugis market, which I like because it is serene and makes me feel relaxed.

The waitress here does not have a good command of English but her service was good as she tried her best to explain what is the dessert of the day and soup of the day. Service was quite friendly here.

The kitchen is actually located outside the dining area in another glass structure where you could observe the chefs preparing the food.

Unsurprisingly we decided to have the Set Lunch for $10.50 nett. There are quite a lot of choices for the main course, ranging mostly Japanese and Western. Wei Liang and I had the Sirloin Steak and Ciera had the Teriyaki Chicken.

The Soup of the Day was a Cream of Cabbage soup. It was quite fluid and it does not have the powdery texture that I encountered in a few cream soups. Basically the cream soup was decent and the warm herb and garlic bread that was served to us was a plus point. The cabbage flavour is subtle so don’t expect a heavy-tasting soup.

The Grilled Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce served with Fries was normal, Wei Liang commented that the sauce tasted like those you could get from supermarkets and the chicken carries a slight frozen meat taste.

Grilled Sirloin Steak with Red Wine Sauce (Medium Rare) was much better than the Grilled Chicken dish. Both Wei Liang and I enjoyed the sauce and the meat wasn’t too tough, it was quite tender. The only thing about this dish is the inconsistency, Wei Liang felt that despite both our steaks were medium rare, mine was slightly more rare than his. Nonetheless, both of us enjoyed our steaks.

Our dessert of the day was a Chocolate Cake served with Whipped Cream. This cake did not fare well with Ciera and Wei Liang. I find it okay. The cake is more like a brownie or crumble. It was a crumbly chocolate dessert with a biscuit like base.

Finally, a cup of tea to end the meal, the jar contains some sweet syrup not milk.

For this lunch, I thought $10.50nett is really a steal for this 3-course meal + drink of your choice). The location and ambience was good. The service was decent too. The food was alright with me and when I asked Wei Liang the magic question, “Will You Come Back Again?” He answered “Maybe.”

They also have an ala carte menu which, desserts are priced around $7.50. The mains are around $20-$40. Appetizers around $10-$20.

Set Dinners go for $28nett which includes their signature Wok-Charred Salmon dish and Grilled Rib-eye Steak.

We thought it would be quick one but gosh! Time flies and we actually spent more than an hour there! Have to rush back to office when we found out we were late!

Total Bill (3 pax) : $31.50 (GST and Service Charge Inclusive)

Address:
201 Victoria Street
Iluma, #07-04/05/06
Singapore 188067

Mondays to Sundays
11.30am to 10.30pm

Chef Daniel's Kitchen