My Humble House, Esplanade

I've been wanting to try this restaurant for the longest time. My Humble House can be considered the most high-end restaurant under the Tung Lok Group, serving modern Cantonese cuisine. While the prices are somewhat "cha-ching" and portions miniscule (each dish is really only meant for one person so you'll have to order multiples of every dish according to the number of diners), the attention to the tiniest of details and the way the dishes are executed with such finesse makes the food here worth every cent. Also, every dish is masterfully presented as a work of art, and named in poetic and lyrical Chinese descriptions, which is so apt, seeing that it is housed in the Esplanade, the arts hub of our little island. Don't worry, there are comprehensive English descriptions of every dish so you know what you're ordering.

If we really had to whine, it would be about the freezing temperatures, our piping hot food turned cold in minutes and Lips and I were sorely missing our sweaters and shawls. We had to keep topping up our hot teas and downing it just so stay barely warm.

I also didn't appreciate the layout and design of the restaurant. The avant garde, artsy fartsy feel of the place was just too pretentious and failed in its functionality. The restaurant is split into 2 levels, the lower one is a mish-mash of a modern twist on traditionally Qing dynasty furniture, which is really quite ugly, in my opinion. The furniture also dwarfed in comparison to the dining area, so it looks "swallowed up" by the enormity of the space. When making reservations, bear in mind to book the upper stage area, much more cosy and more like a dining space.

We started off on a fantastic note with 2 soups. We gals couldn't decide on which soup to get so we got both and shared. The Dance of the Wind ($18), a double-boiled seafood consomme in young coconut is an absolute must-try here. The soup was intensely flavoured with the richness of the scallops and prawns and the sweetness of the wolfberries but still delicate, with spinach grounding the soup in its characteristic metallic elements. Although I couldn't smell it, Lips said that there was a very fragrant scent of coconut wafting through the soup.


Velvet Memories ($18) was a well, velvety braised fish maw and mushroom in shark's cartilage broth. This was silky, and so flavoursome and rich, but still balanced. I liked that this didn't leave a yucky milky film on the tongue.Loved the spongy bamboo pith.


The best part about the Beckoning of Blossoms ($16), a crispy boneless sakura chicken marinated with "mao tai" wine, was the sweetish chutney-like sauce smeared between the 2 baby asparagus.


If we really had to choose, the Dusk, Twilight & Perhaps Stars ($8) would be our least favourite. We really didn't take to the old tofu, with its airy, sponge-like texture. I suppose the texture was designed to soak up the roasted garlic infused superlative chicken broth, lightly accented with crisp-fried conpoy and shimeiji mushrooms.


We had another meat dish, Sauntering Among The Golden Leaves ($14) crispy spiced juicy kurobuta pork rib in a tangy sun-dried tomato reduction.


We loved the Heart of Soul ($12) braised bai ling mushrooms, smooth as silk, in a thick black truffle jus with sauteed spinach. Best dish of the meal, hands down.


This was Lips' favourite, In the Heart of Gold Fever ($8) crisp-fried soft and sweet pumpkin glazed with salted egg yolk and baby snow pea tempura.


This was my next favourite dish, From the Earth, Sea & Heart ($22) fleshy marble goby fillet simmered in winter black truffle jus, chunked up with chopped mushrooms and layered on a bed of spinach.


We couldn't quite taste the truffle in the hand-made noodles, but unlike its namesake, Unforgettable, The Last Kiss ($12) was quite forgettable. We were just underwhelmed because of the promise of warm truffle noodles with fried sliced fish in salted beans. But, this was still delicious. Noodles were soft and silky, and the battered fish was fresh and mild, with a capsicum salsa topping over the tart black and soya beans-based gravy.



My Humble House
8 Raffles Avenue
#02-27/29 Esplanade Mall
Tel: 6423 1881
Open from 11.45am to 3pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 10.30pm for dinner
Website: www.myhumblehouse.com.sg

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