Palais Renaissance might’ve been perceived as one of the more quiet malls along the Orchard Road strip, but it’s swiftly becoming one of our favourite dining haunts in town. Newly opened seafood restaurant Estuary joins its panel of restaurants – alongside fine-dining heavyweights like Shatoburian and Sushi Kimura, as well as casual French diners like Merci Marcel and French Fold.
As the name goes, Estuary melds seafood and freshwater produce. The menu’s a myriad of seafood, with fresh classics like a bigeye tuna tartare ($23) to a grilled marine lobster ($34 for half). But interestingly, there’s also a selection of aged fish. It’s a culinary technique used to coax stronger and more intense flavours – as the fillet breaks down and the moisture seeps out, we’re also left with a firmer texture. Case in point: the barramundi fish and chips ($42 as part of the set lunch). As a three-day aged fish that’s coated in a light batter, it had just the right amount of bite – all while remaining equal parts flaky and tender.
Perhaps it’s an ideal spot for work lunches or a mid-week splurge, since the lunch menu does stand at a relatively higher price point. But bear in mind that it’s a full-fledged three-course set lunch, and comes with an appetiser and dessert. To start, choose between the likes of a Jerusalem artichoke purée with pecorino, a creamy burrata, or even a crispy stingray.
Continuing down the track of dry-aged fish, the set lunch menu also offers pan-seared fish like a seven-day aged hamachi ($52) and a five-day aged Scottish halibut ($55). While the fish is undoubtedly the star of the show at this seafood restaurant, do give the Wagyu hanging steak ($53) a try though, since it comes served with an ideal medium-rare sear and a classic bordelaise. There is a generously-filled lobster roll ($55), but the chunks of fresh lobster meat was lost amidst an overdose of shaved onion.
Not many will order desserts for lunch, but as a three-course lunch, end off on a sweet note with either a date pudding, 85% dark chocolate cake, or a crème caramel.
Head Chef Polo Seah brings with him seafood expertise from his past years at Humpback and it isn’t by any means restaurateur Daniel Ong’s first venture into the food scene. Admittedly, Estuary is a new restaurant, so it’s unsurprising that certain elements were more of a “miss” than a “hit”. For now though, make sure to try the fish and chips – a unanimous favourite.
