news & events

Taratata - 1^st Aug 2013

The name Taratata reminds me of a spider species called Tarantula. I imagine thousands of Tarantulas and other spiders creeping all over the restaurant and even onto the dining table!

Taratata at 35A Keong Saik Road

We arrived minutes before 6 and getting a parking lot was a breeze. We were greeted by an immaculately dressed wait staff who wore her hair neatly pulled back into a bun. I was disappointed to hear from her that the King Prawn Salad with Avocado was not available and so our menu for the day was: a Lobster Bisque, Crab Meat with Mayonnaise and Pomelo, Crispy Oven-baked Pork Trotter with Mushroom Fricassée and Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Ratatouille.

Lobster bisque with lobster bits

Lobster bisque: My dining partner, Colin, and I both agreed that the Lobster Bisque here is one of the best we have had in Singapore. Its seafood flavour was piquant and consistency was perfect for me (anything creamier would make me feel bloated and leave no room for the main course). We also noticed that the soup was slightly "sandy" at the bottom of the bowl. I understand that lobster shells are grinded to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup - that might have been the one giving the soup its fine sandy feel at the bottom of the bowl. Apart from that, the soup also came with some lobster bits to keep you going while waiting for the main course!

Crab meat with mayonnaise and pomelo

Crispy oven-baked pork trotter

The Crab Meat with Mayonnaise and Pomelo with lots of greens was extremely easy to eat and light on the belly. Next up was the Crispy Oven-baked Pork Trotter and Grilled Lamb Cutlet. Lying on a bed of mashed potato with elegant stewed mushrooms around it, the trotter was a picture of pride. Just as its name suggests, the pork trotter was indeed crispy on the outside with a rasher of bacon wrapped all around. Break it open and you will see pulled meat in there. I am guessing that the trotter was probably seasoned, cooked and its meat pulled apart. Then seasoned, shaped and wrapped with bacon before going into the oven. How the chef gets the crispiness on the outside is a mystery. 

The lamb cutlet was well charred on the outside and cooked to medium-rare doneness on the inside as we have requested. "Expertly grilled", Colin says. The ratatouille that came with the lamb was big and sharp on flavour with herbs. While Colin likes it better this way, I like it better with a rounder and gentler flavour, more specifically, the way Mr Huber does it! We thought it would have been great if there were a couple more cutlets.

Taratata has a rather decent selection of desserts to choose from. Colin asked for the Crème brûlée while I asked for the chocolate mousse. The chocolate mousse was perfect because you taste the slightly bitter chocolate more than the sugar. Needless to say, both Colin and I cleaned the bowl.