Mad For Garlic is a classic Italian restaurant with a Korean twist. Yes, a Korean twist! I was surprised when I heard about this place originated from Korea, and also voted as the best Italian restaurant concept, due to its garlic-themed dishes. With such kind of fusion, we couldn't stop ourselves from getting into this restaurant. As the name probably suggests, every dish has garlic. Well, would that be good or bad you ask? Well, it's an acquired taste. Every dish has its own garlic-y twos, which makes this restaurant stand out from the rest. Mad for Garlic has two outlets: one here in Suntec City, and one in the picturesque area of Clarke Quay.
Yuzu-Ade and Wine-Ade
The Yuzu-Ade and Wine-Ade were the two drinks we had ordered on that night. Yuzu is a citrus fruit found mainly in East Asia, and is becoming more popular among Western cultures, with this fruit even being used in some beers. The drink itself was wonderful, bringing out the citrus-y kick from the yuzu, complemented by the fizz in the drink. The Yuzu itself has a subdued sweetness compared to a lemon or an orange, and the natural sweetness of it elevated this drink beautifully. The Wine-Ade was no different. The bitter-sweet wine combined nicely with the sweetness of the drink, and probably made it more child-friendly, and more likeable. Don't worry, I had no more than a sip!
Rating- 4/5
The Dracula Killer ($15.80) is basically soft bread served with roasted garlic and anchovies in olive oil. As strange as it may sound, the whole combination was fabulous! The bread was soft therefore allowing the olive oil to be easily absorbed. The olive oil imbedded fruity flavours in the bread. People may think eating garlic solely is strange, but once you taste the roasted garlic in this dish, it is sure to change your mind. It gave out smoky flavours that contrasted well with the chewy, salty nature of the anchovies. However, I feel this dish is slightly overpriced. Overall, let me just say the Dracula killed me with its flavours!
The Cheese-Baked Bolognese Pasta ($23.50) is probably a dish everybody has heard of, and probably eaten it at least once. When I go to a restaurant, the main criteria I look for in this dish is whether the balance between the cheese and the tomato sauce is spot on. In Mad for Garlic, this balance was perfect. The salty, heavy and creamy baked cheese was balanced perfectly with the traditional tomato sauce that was sweet, vibrant and fresh. Another feature I observed is that there were no tomato bits in the tomato suace, which in my opinion, is wonderful, as I like my tomato sauce to be smooth and silky. On the negative side, the pasta (spaghetti) was overcooked, making them mush causing them to stick to each other. Overall, a good dish.
Rating- 4/5
The Garlic Steak ($37.80) was that one dish that Mad for Garlic had specialized on, and of course, like the rest of the night, few more cloves of garlic were to be digested down. However, I was quite disappointed with this dish. The picture says it all; there is so mnuch garlic that the steak is barely visible! The garlic in this dish was made into some sort of paste, that did not work well in delivering quality flavours with the meat. This paste was unbelievably overpowering, the meat itself, and was a pity as the meat was perfectly cooked medium-rare. This dish greatly needs to be redone and executed a whole lot better if they want to call this dish their signature dish. I wouldn't mind trying this dish again, hopefully to find an improvement.
Rating- 2.8/5
Dracula Killer
The Dracula Killer ($15.80) is basically soft bread served with roasted garlic and anchovies in olive oil. As strange as it may sound, the whole combination was fabulous! The bread was soft therefore allowing the olive oil to be easily absorbed. The olive oil imbedded fruity flavours in the bread. People may think eating garlic solely is strange, but once you taste the roasted garlic in this dish, it is sure to change your mind. It gave out smoky flavours that contrasted well with the chewy, salty nature of the anchovies. However, I feel this dish is slightly overpriced. Overall, let me just say the Dracula killed me with its flavours!
Rating- 4.2/5
Garlicholic Rice
The Garlicholic Rice ($17.90) is another dish in which garlic is incorporated (clearly made out by the name). This dish included pickled garlic, shrimps and anchovies alongside some chillies for the heat. The whole combination was decent, the pickled garlic and the chillies providing heat and spice, and on the contrary the shrimp and anchovies giving a salty flavour. However, I found the vegetables rather bland, and the rice slightly over-seasoned. This dish in my opinion, could be worked upon, making a boring, plain fried rice into something delicious and vibrant.
Rating- 3.8/5
Rating- 3.8/5
Cheese-Baked Bolognese Pasta
The Cheese-Baked Bolognese Pasta ($23.50) is probably a dish everybody has heard of, and probably eaten it at least once. When I go to a restaurant, the main criteria I look for in this dish is whether the balance between the cheese and the tomato sauce is spot on. In Mad for Garlic, this balance was perfect. The salty, heavy and creamy baked cheese was balanced perfectly with the traditional tomato sauce that was sweet, vibrant and fresh. Another feature I observed is that there were no tomato bits in the tomato suace, which in my opinion, is wonderful, as I like my tomato sauce to be smooth and silky. On the negative side, the pasta (spaghetti) was overcooked, making them mush causing them to stick to each other. Overall, a good dish.
Rating- 4/5
Garlic Steak
The Garlic Steak ($37.80) was that one dish that Mad for Garlic had specialized on, and of course, like the rest of the night, few more cloves of garlic were to be digested down. However, I was quite disappointed with this dish. The picture says it all; there is so mnuch garlic that the steak is barely visible! The garlic in this dish was made into some sort of paste, that did not work well in delivering quality flavours with the meat. This paste was unbelievably overpowering, the meat itself, and was a pity as the meat was perfectly cooked medium-rare. This dish greatly needs to be redone and executed a whole lot better if they want to call this dish their signature dish. I wouldn't mind trying this dish again, hopefully to find an improvement.
Rating- 2.8/5
The service at Mad For Garlic was good, with servers giving us frequent recommendations and also with food coming out in good time. Apart from the minor mis-communications, service at Mad For Garlic was worthy enough of a fine dining restaurant.
Service- 4/5
Service- 4/5
Overall Rating- 7.8/10
Mad For Garlic
3 Temasek Boulevard, #02-300/301, Suntec City
Singapore- 038983
Opening Hours
Sun-Thu: 11:30 am- 10 pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30 am- 11 pm
Tel: +65 6238 1930
Web: www.madforgarlic.com.sg
Nearest MRT- Promenade (CC4, DT15)
Sun-Thu: 11:30 am- 10 pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30 am- 11 pm
Tel: +65 6238 1930
Web: www.madforgarlic.com.sg
Nearest MRT- Promenade (CC4, DT15)
Dracula Killer: Garlic repels vampires, so the dish's name reflects its garlic quantity.
ReplyDeleteBest post so far.