Appetizers set the tone for a meal, but only a few places know how to get them right.
The best ones not only kick things off but also raise your expectations for what’s to come.
Here is our list of places that we think serve fantastic appetizers. So good, in fact, that some could easily pass off as mains, in the best way possible.
All these places had us hooked from the first bite, long before the mains had arrived.
Santorini by Iktchen
Our Mediterranean feast began with the chef's special buffalo mozzarella salad. From the first bite, the freshness was unmistakable. The mozzarella delivered a thick, creamy texture, with a distinctive sweet flavour that was mindboggling.
Next, we had the royal Santorini scallops. The pan seared scallops were soft yet meaty, seasoned well, although we thought they err on the side of being a touch too salty. A gorgeous pea puree came along with the scallops right at the centre, the sauce itself was sweet and subtle, and went exceptionally well with the scallops.
For the last of our starters, we had the shrimp saganaki, which featured two king prawns over a thick house-made tomato saganaki sauce complete with olives, feta cheese, and jalapenos. The sauce was well seasoned, but it was just short of having a spicy kick to it. The king prawns itself was well-cooked and tender.
The prawns immersed in the sauce made for a boisterous flavour explosion on our palate, while maintaining the balance between the umami sweetness of the shrimp and the seasoned, flavourful sauce.
Baan Busaba
We began our East-Asian meal with Namtok chicken salad, and it has been a while since we have had this good of a Namtok salad.
The combination of the toasted rice, ground dried chillies, moist chicken strips, and the spicy, tart dressing of the salad was superb.
It was well-balanced between being tangy and savoury, the chicken was moist, and the spice cut right through just mildly. To say this authentic version of the salad hit the spot would be an understatement.
Tudo
We began our scrumptious meal with their spinach rolls topped with black bean sauce. The fresh spinach envelopes delicious shrimp on the inside while the black bean sauce steals the show. This savoury-spicy touch makes the rolls both unique and robust with big flavours.
Their chilli crab and mantou buns are standouts. The Singaporean chilli crab is a fantastically flavourful spicy, salty and savoury concoction.
The tomato sauce and tempered shrimp paste and the perpetual aroma of garlic and ginger give off a warm depth without overwhelming our palate. It is supremely satisfying.
The crab is plump, tender and succulent with some sweet delicate meat that holds its own against the thick fiery sauce, while the tangy tomato and tamarind add a refreshing zesty edge.
The complex thick sauce clings to the shell and the meat, enveloping it in a lushious spicy and savoury layer as well as a faint sweetness that lingers on your tongue creating a boisterous mouthful of flavours.
The delectable crab pairs wonderfully with the mantou bun that truthfully can be eaten all on its own as it is savoury, extremely fluffy and has got a slight crunch to it on the edges.
It is also perfect for soaking up the addictive crab sauce, not just for the heat but for the right balance the buns and the crab sauce create, making the bites bold, vibrant and thoroughly memorable and taking indulgence to the next level.
Manzo
The first dish was an amuse-bouche, a little appetizer customarily served before dinner to whet the appetite. We were served pao bread and miso butter made in-house. The bun was airy, slightly sweet and nutty, but the butter is the show's real star, with a rich, savoury flavour and a little sweet-salty bite that you'll love until it's gone.
Another appetizer was the Burrata, a fresh Italian cheese consisting of mozzarella and cream with a hard, glossy surface.
This classic dish comes with sun-dried tomato pesto, basil pesto, balsamic pearls, heirloom tomatoes, and rockets to produce the creamiest sweet-sour and tangy bites that will have you wanting more as soon as you put your fork down.
The dish has a mild, milky flavour that is rich and delicious at the same time. The idea is to cut it open and let the cheese seep out and melt onto the matched vegetables and the rest of the ingredients; the somewhat salty flavour of the mozzarella on the outside is a lovely contrast to the creamy
Brew Buddies
We began our meal with a plate of chicken alfredo bread for appetizers. The creamy chicken alfredo atop a well-toasted garlic bread tasted like a dream.
The thickened alfredo sauce made with heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and parsley, combined with cheese, was the comfort food of an appetizer that we did not know we needed.
The dominant creamy yet cheesy fragrant layers of the alfredo combined with the toasted bread worked like a charm and thoroughly whetted our appetite for what was to come.
