Cassis - Lunch

I've never been to Rochester Park before, even though it's pretty nearby and has been there for quiet long already. It's the backyard syndrome again. When I went there for lunch, I felt super lost after parking my car. The carpark is some distance from the restaurants, (the carpark costs 50cents per half hour if you're wondering) and you'll have to walk up a slope to go to the restaurants.
We had the Cassis Tradition lunch set, which is a 3 course lunch for $30++ (it's $35 nett after all the plus-es)My starter was the Asparagus "Vichyssoise" with vegeterian Caviar and smoked home made salmon tataki. Actually, I thought mine was a salad - I didn't know that "Vichyssoise" is the fancy name for a French-style soup. The main draw for me was the vegeterian caviar - I wanted to see what it tasted like (it just tastes like salty roe).

The soup is served cold, and it's the thin kind of soup. If you're ordering this soup for the Salmon Tataki, I would recommend that you order the smoked salmon salad instead. The smoked salmon tastes much better than the Salmon tataki.

House Smoked Salmon with Spinach Salad tossed in Honey Dressing

This was recommended by the waiter - next time I shouldn't be so adventurous and just stick to the normal stuff. The house smoked salmon was delicious - with a mild salty taste, slightly fatty and melt in the mouth.My main - Red Snapper Fish, potato puree, glazed vegetables and sweet yellow curry sauce.

The snapper had a lightly salted, crispy skin which I liked, and its flesh was moist and flakey. Not bad, since snapper is not my favourite fish (I ordered it cos I couldn't find another main which I really wanted to order). I didn't quite like the curry sauce - taste wise it's ok, but it caused my mashed potatoes to become a soppy mess.

Risotto Mushroom, Champignon and Parmesan Cheese

This was my friend's dish - it's really very delicious. The next time I come back I'll definitely order this. There are crispy fried slices of mushroom chips, and the risotto is creamy and tasty.

Baked Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Pastry Cream with Rhum Raisin and Caramel Cinnamon Ice Cream

This was a winning dessert - the caramel ice cream had the bitter taste of burnt caramel, and it went incredibly well with the sweet sauteed diced apples and raisins encased within the pastry parcel.

Honey Nougat and Layer of Chocolate in Terrine and Coffee Cream Sauce
I didn't like this dessert - it was a really thin layer of terrine which was very creamy, and I didn't like the chocolate layers. It tastes like the chocolate flakes that you find in ice cream (like the Vienneta ice cream). I think Vienneta ice cream tastes better than this. Also, the coffee cream sauce not even creamy - it's just gooey and was black and very bitter. In short, it was completely out-shined by the Baked Apple Dessert.

I think if I had ordered the dishes my friend ordered, I'll give it a higher rating, but I didn't find my dishes that fantastic. Service is average, and they serve iced water. Cassis has very nice decor, and the whole place has a relaxing vibe. Somehow, it feels like I'm not in Singapore and in some resort. The al fresco seating area looks really nice - there's even one under a tent and surrounded by a pond. There's also lots and lots of greenery - feels like I'm in botanic gardens (not that I've been there in a long while - I think the last time I went there was in primary sch).

Cassis is currently having a UOB promotion - a special 4 course lunch menu ( house smoked salmon & blinis, green salad with Japanese tomato, Mushroom risotto and Warm chocolate crepes with vanilla ice cream)for $68++ for 2 people, and a $128++ set dinner for 2 (poached kind prawn canneloni with port wine sauce, duck liver terrine with figs marmalade, duck leg confit, and strawberries papaya souffle).

Cassis

7 Rochester Park

(Off North Buona Vista Road, between ACJC and Buona Vista MRT)

Tel: 6872 9366