Not quite over the moon at Eclipse

NEW RESTAURANT

Eclipse 70 Eu Tong Sen Street #06-01 Yue Hwa Building Singapore 059805 Tel: 6908 0880 Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sun: 12pm to 2pm; 6pm to 10.30pm

A NAME like Eclipse invites a lot of lunar aphorisms - you know, shoot for the moon, land among the stars; promise the moon, get an earth rabbit instead... okay, we made that up, but generally, you're talking aspirations. And aspirations is something that the restaurant Eclipse has a lot of. Reality, on the other hand - not so much.

At face value, Eclipse is a well-meaning restaurant that aims for the moon and lands on the rooftop of Yue Hwa building in Chinatown - which is incidentally a fascinating 5-floor repository of all things Oriental and edible.

It's worth a browse if you're in the mood for a bit of humiliation by your own kind. After all, Yue Hwa, is staffed by reticent emissaries of a culture we should be more well-versed in, who make it clear you are not worthy of the pearls of knowledge that they so fiercely protect and you are so eager to learn, such as, "Do you sell lap cheong?"

In contrast, with its personable, ever-helpful staff, Eclipse feels like another planet. Sitting on the 6th floor with its cloudy ceiling, red velvet upholstery and a supper club feel, it serves self-described contemporary dining featuring the culinary artistry of its accomplished chef-founder Samuel Quan.

Mea culpa for not recognising the chef's name, nor the previous kitchens he has worked in, though we admire the verve with which he prices his 5-course dinner menu at S$198, which is just shy of, or even more expensive than, the tasting menus of other accomplished chefs we are more familiar with.

There are cheaper options though - a 4-course menu at S$178, S$88 set lunch and a compact a la carte menu.

Chinese food seems like a more natural fit given the location and especially after browsing through a never ending variety of preserved vegetables in the fourth floor supermarket. But that doesn't seem to be the objective of Eclipse, which prefers to go the fine dining route, with the occasional Asian twist when the mood strikes.

It's high-minded, but loosely executed with an awkward storyline that doesn't follow a clear narrative.

From its Christmas-themed (until Jan 2) 4-course menu, a quartet of snacks is straight out of the 90s - like someone just discovering fusion when everyone else has gone on to other genres.

There's a mini charcoal cone, which swaps out the usual tuna tartare filling with a tomato-something that showcases its shape-shifting abilities, so you can't tell if it's a paste, puree or leathery jelly. A crisp puffed shell is filled with a shy Asian salsa; a crunchy cracker topped with avocado puree and deep-fried prawn head is tried and true; and a cube of salmon tries on a coat of green apple foam that's sharp for no reason.

While we've always been happy with kombu pasta's simple combo of angel hair, truffle oil and minced kelp, Eclipse decides to go rogue with a la carte version (S$28), by replacing fragrance with vinegar. And if you ask why mess up a perfectly good original recipe with a tart salad dressing, an army of similarly pickled shimeji mushrooms rise up to tell you to evolve your tastebuds or die never understanding the concept of being different.

Meanwhile, back to the set menu, where we're also taught that seasoning is relative, which is why the cold seared Hokkaido scallops and accompanying pearl barley are designed to test your imagination. So your initial reaction may be, why is this tasteless, but look up into the stars and you'll realise there's more to this universe than salt and pepper.

Next, our inner infants are evoked in both the set menu's Jerusalem artichoke soup and the a la carte pumpkin laksa soup.

The artichoke soup/puree comes with a tender lobster medallion and salted egg yolk crisp that keeps it nice, grownup and easy enough on the palate. The pumpkin puree in turn is matched with a laksa spice mix that has been trained in diplomatic relations and therefore thinks it is tomyum, so we have an intellectually stimulating time trying to speak Thai, Malay and baby talk.

We're almost ashamed to say we're happier when we are less mentally challenged by the familiarity of roast lamb rack (S$45) - a massive portion of three spice crusted chops, charred pumpkin and cabbage slaw. Tender, meaty and done without fuss and muss, we even contemplate, how nice if Eclipse did more of dishes they know, rather than conjure up things they don't?

Same for the set menu's pigeon - already a difficult bird to master, but here deftly executed as pink juicy flesh paired with earthy mushroom duxelles.

We lose patience by dessert. After a winning roselle granita and fizzy grapes, we're left to pick through orh nee mille feuille (S$15) - aka taro mousse sandwiched with airy cream crackers and served with coconut ice cream. But it's the petit fours of boozy eggnog tart and fruitcake financiers that show where Eclipse's strength lies.

Whichever way you say it, Eclipse aspires to a level it isn't ready for yet. Dial down the rhetoric, lower the pricing and win over diners first with substance before style. And then maybe, we'll journey with them to the moon and back.

Rating: 6

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average

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