UsQuBa Scottish Restaurant & Bar at One Fullerton

UsQuBa Scottish Restaurant & Bar opens at One Fullerton today. The name is derived from the Gaelic Usquebaugh, meaning Water of Life, or simply, whisky.

The full table service restaurant will serve New Scottish cuisine handcrafted by Executive Chef Guven Uyanik who has worked with a stellar cast of famous chefs who helm award-winning restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay (one Michelin-starred Maze, and the former Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s) and Thomas Keller (three Michelin-starred The French Laundry).

Armed with an impressive sharpness to the smallest of details, and having lived in Asia for at least six years, chef Guven brings his award- winning French cooking techniques to present New Scottish cuisine in a “deformalised fine dining” setting. Chef Guven brings in natural produce from Scotland regularly, such as fish, langoustine and beef into the Singapore kitchen. These fine seafood and meats are reworked into familiar dishes with touches of Asian influence that make up the menu.

Orkney Islands Scallop Ceviche ($25) is a perfect appetizer. It’s light and refreshing. I love this unconventional combination of compressed cucumber and apple. The horseradish snow and sea urchin adds a level of elegance. Suggested Wine Pairing: Raventos Silencis 2014

Chef makes his own pasta. The tedious process takes 2 days and no water is added into the recipe. That’s why his Ravioli of Pork Cheeks ($21) is remarkable. The soft and flavourful pork cheek is braised for 26 hours before wrapping in the pasta skin. Its stand alone is good with a lovely internal texture, but when served with porcini sauce, confit onion, port wine reduction and red radish, it becomes an elegant dinner not lacking in any flavour. Suggested Wine Pairing: Chianti 2014

Making full use of the small and tender bird, Baked Pigeon (half for $32 or whole for $46) is served with calamari, peas and drizzled with squid ink sauce. The meat retains the moisture and are eaten simply for the enjoyment of their slightly gamey, faintly salty taste. Suggested Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir, Australia, 2014

Inspired from the butter-poached lobster dish at the French Laundry by Chef Thomas Keller, Butter Poached Lobster ($58) at UsQuBa was a hot favourite for dinner that night. Chef has clearly find a way to cook lobster gently. The lobster is loaded with buttery flavour and it emerges glistening and lush-textured from its butter bath, with the flesh remains exquisitely tender. The sauce is rich with the essence from lobster head, balanced with the sweetness from the peaches. Pickled beetroot and fennel salad lift the acidity of the dishes. Suggested Wine Pairing: Montrachet 2013

We ended the night with Tastings of Strawberry ($15) featuring smooth pistachio cream sandwiched between pistachio biscuit and served with strawberry juice and strawberry sorbet. For a local touch, try the Peanut Butter Bread Pudding with homemade kaya ice-cream and Chocolate Delice with Baileys ice-cream.

There are a variety of Scottish cheeses available here, including Caboc (Scotland’s oldest cheese), Connage Clava Brie (Award Winning brie-style cheese), Dunsyre Blue (handmade cheese from H.J. Errington farms in Lanarkshire, Scotland), Dunlop (mild cheese or ‘sweet-milk cheese’ from Dunlop in East Ayrshire, Scotland) and Arran Cheddar Cheese (fine medium Cheddar Cheese comes from the beautiful Isle of Arran).

The restaurant also has a 40-seater bar and adjacent den which serves a curated whisky list satisfying both the novice and the aficionado with familiar favourites of up to 30 reworked classic cocktails as well as rare and exclusive whiskies. We had a flight of whisky during dinner – Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whisky, Balvenie 17 Year Old Doublewood Malt Whisky and Balvenie 21 Year Old PortWood Finish Whisky. I like the The DoubleWood 17 most because it is incredibly smooth and easy drinking.

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