A hot new restaurant opening in Tanjong Pagar is Venue by Sebastian at Downtown Gallery. This casual modern European restaurant with a touch of Asian flavors is helmed by Chef-Owner Sebastian Ng, former Chef-Owner of the now defunct Restaurant Ember, and Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Lee, former Head Chef of Artichoke.
The sharing plates menu highlights some of Chef Sebastian's signatures from Ember across eight dish categories including, ‘Toast’, ‘Fritti & Greens’, ‘Pasta’, ‘Raw, Cured & Smoked’, ‘Pan, Coal & Roast’, ‘Sides’ and ‘Sweets’.
From the toast section, I enjoyed the toast with the foie gras mousse ($12) the most. Who doesn't like a creamy pate on fresh crunchy bread? The chopped seasonal mushrooms with truffle oil ($8) could have been given a creamier texture, or at least something to bind the finely chopped pieces. Or do what we did and the foie gras with the mushrooms before spreading it on the toast.
Under the Fritti & Greens, highlights for us include the cauliflower fritti with spicy mint aioli ($10), grilled Spanish gem lettuce with burrata and mentaiko vinaigrette ($19) and the lovely seasonal Jerusalem artichoke soup with crispy duck ($8). Cauliflowers are such great snacks and i swear you wouldn't be able to stop popping these crunchy bites of florets that have been lightly coated and deep-fried.