db Bistro Moderne @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Heartbreak is hard to swallow...

I LOVE watching Asian Food Channel aka. AFC (and also the some food related shows on TLC).

Not all the shows, mind you, but some of them do heavily influence my choice on whether to go out or stay in so that I can watch my favourite chefs do their thing on TV... :)

Other than the exciting competition style Iron Chef and Top Chef, I like anything hosted by Anthony Bourdain (So wonderfully sarcastic! And he loves pork!) and Daniel Boulud (So charming and seemingly down to earth)... so knowing that Monsieur Boulud had opened a branch of his signature db Bistro in nearby Singapore?

Well, you could definitely say that I was REALLY looking forward to going there:
(Yay! I get to "save" an airplane flight ticket to New York and spend more on food, right?)
The facade of the db Bistro...
Located in the high end Marina Bay Sands (next to the also famous Pizzeria Mozza by Chef Mario Batali), the ambience in db Bistro was nice - warm, vibrant, modern reds contrasting well against the traditional wood and leather finishings:
Nice environment and friendly service...
We were sharing, so we asked to have to burgers evenly divided. That day we sampled the Yankee burger (beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato and onion on a sesame button) (SGD 26++) and their signature Original db Burger (Sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs and foie gras on a parmesan bun) (SGD 38++):
To each his own (quarter)...
Each quarter looked promising - plump and juicy, nestled between fluffy buns:
My share...
There was also enough (though not a lot) of the famed foie gras filling in the middle of the db burger:
Oozing rich foie gras...
With much anticipation, I bit into the burger thinking "Finally! I get to try Daniel Boulud's famous burger! YAY!" and then...
:(

Look, don't get me wrong: It wasn't bad lah. Both burger patties were tender and pretty tasty, just that it wasn't all that I thought it would be. I guess there is a danger in expecting too much? Since it did not completely knock my socks off, I found it underwhelming....
(Anyway, that aside, I think the high prices would have set similarly high expectations if I had walked in without knowing who Daniel Boulud is...)

The highlight of the meal for me was dessert - we shared the delicious French Toast with caramelized apples and fromage blanc (SGD 15++):
Simple but so delicious...
The french toast was fluffy yet crispy (yummy!) and went very well with the slightly tart apples and creamy cheese.

I really thank my dear, darling Sg friends for taking me there for lunch even when they knew the burgers were just ok, considering the hefty price tag....
(They said that the dinner menu there is a lot better. For lunch, they pretty much just serve the burgers, some salads and desserts... and despite having tried the burgers before, they knew how much I wanted to try it so took me there anyway...)

So, it's: Nice environment, famous chef's restaurant, famous burger BUT so expensive, and to be fair, although I found the food only ok, I only went there once so it could have been an "off" day - please take note of other reviews (mostly positive) or go there yourself to make up your mind....

Summary Information:
db Bistro Moderne @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Opening Hours: 11am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Phone: +65 6688 8528
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-48 The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands
Map: (Below)

NOT HALAL

MAP:


OTHER REVIEWS:
- Only Slightly Pretentious Food
- Hungry Go Where
- food.recentrunes.com
- chamorro chica
- the Hungry Epicurean
- Sparkling or Still


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Daniel Boulud, Marina Bay Sands, db Bistro Moderne, Singapore