We have started to settle in at the restaurant and our days are becoming more routine. I have finally had some time to refine some of the dishes, look at possible new ones and more or less get back to cooking everyday. My goal was always to keep the food fresh and exciting and by that I mean not only on a purely product level, but continuing to evolve and change dishes as we go in rhythm with the seasons or just from inspiration.
A few new ideas play around the concept of our burger. While we think the Spruce burger is great, we all know that burgers can be a wonderful canvas for supporting many different flavors. I have always wanted to reference some of the great burgers I have had from other places and as such will start tomorrow with the introduction of the "Fathers Office" Burger. A homage if you will to the now famous Los Angeles Institution serving its burger with a caramelized onion and bacon compote with blue cheese and garlic mayonnaise. Stop in and tell me what you think.
My team and I have also started to explore foods and flavors of our childhood to bring back and put a twist on, so this week for brunch we will be featuring Blueberry Waffles with Real Maple Syrup, Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Streusel and Warm Buttermilk Biscuits with Poached Eggs and our Homemade Sausage Gravy.
Please feel free to ask for me if you have been reading the blog. I always love to meet new guests. Cheers!
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About Me
- ChefTJM
- Thank you for your interest. I would like to welcome you to my blog. I am so grateful to be able to share with you my thoughts, inspirations and daily commentary. Many of you will recognize me from my time at WineGarage and now I am moving on to new and exciting projects here in Singapore. As always, please feel free to contact me, I would love to here your comments, questions and queries. Hopefully the second time around on this blog I will be able to write more frequently. All the best. Cheers!
10 comments:
hi, was there on sat evening for din and drinks, tried your main course - my friend had fish and chips, it will be better if fish is fresher, fishy taste wont be so strong.
i had chicken, feels like quite healthy dish.
we both shared a portion of blue berry with coconut tart, it's something different from the usual choc cakes i would order, quite refreshing - i must thank the Malay friendly waiter's recommendation.
overall feedback for improvements - food quality - tastiness must up.
if deserts are your strong point, should work on it further.
spruce needs to have a unique selling point, (ambience and services are granted) is it your main? or dessert? how far are you away from your good food - are you at 55%? or 65% to perfection?
how far away are you from your fabulous dessert? are you at 70% or 75% to perfection?
keep up your good work, never stop trying :)
SL
Hi, I've been to your restaurant twice in about 2 weeks. 1st time it was my friend's bday and we got the glass room, food was ok only but I went back again with a friend who felt like having burger and asked where we should go. Second time was more memorable because the service was warm, and I got to try your coffee. Thumbs up for coffee although without a handle and filled to the brim, it's really too hot to hold!
And I like how your staff were accomodating when I wanted my burger sliced in half etc. to share.
I've got the flu now but when I'm better I'm going to bring my parents there for brek or dinner, they always appreciate good coffee. It helps that I live just behind the Malaysian embassy..hehe maybe I can even ask for you to say hi? But I'm not sure, aren't chefs very busy in the kitchen during meal service?
hello! just thought i'd drop a note to say Hi after just finding your blog.
i was at Spruce last night, part of the group seated away from the crowd; with one of our group extremely afraid of the lizard that was near the painting.
anyway, just wanted to say that the Spruce burger's really yummy... and my tagliatelle was just fantastic. :)
can't wait to drop by one of these days for brunch!
Hello:
Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming. First a response to the first comment by anonymous. There is certainly a fair bit of subjectivity when it comesto food. For instance, some people love our burger while others only find it allright. This is something as a chef I have to think about everyday. In the end I can only serve something that I am proud of and stand behind 100%. The rest is up to the diner to decide. I think on the whole I cook food that I like to eat and that I think other people will enjoy as well, but I can't please everyones palate, but what I can promise is that everything I cook has been thought about and prepared with care. I think the pleasures of dining are multi-faceted in that food is only one part of the overall experience. It is my intention that the the service be generous and warm and that the atmosphere we created be welcoming and relaxing. If all of those things are working in unison than I believe we will have a great restaurant. At the moment I can say that we are working hard everyday to make your experience here great, from the greeting to the farewell. I hope that answers some of the questions posted above.
To cindy and nic, I thank you for your patronage and your comments. Please do introduce yourself the next time your in, I would love to come over and say hello. Please do join us for Brunch, I think you will really enjoy it. All the best. Take care. Cheers!
Arrrrggggghhhh. Travis, you need to put up a photo of the burger. Making me hungry.
Oh Father's Office. I used to go there all the time when I lived in Santa Monica! Could you do a veggie version of the burger - would be good with a portobello mushroom....just a request
Hey (:
Tried the European Burger last week, your version of the "Fathers' Office" Burger I suppose!
The concept was good, but the taste of blue cheese was personally too overpowering for me! It overpowered the taste of the beef patty and caramelised onions, which I thought would have blended really well if there was just a bit less of the blue cheese!
Just a little feedback (: It is partly based on personal taste too (what isn't!), hope it helps !
By the way, your Date Pudding is simply amazing! Best I've had anywhere so far !
Hello:
Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback. I actually agree that the bluecheese is quite strong, but the burger is not for the fainthearted, it is a full throttle flavor experience. Glad you enjoyed the pudding. Hope to hear from you again soon.
HI! I chanced about Spruce on a blog about a month back and I'm REALLY looking forward to heading down on 25 October, Sunday (Just made a reservation via email, hope I'll be able to get a place :P)
And yes, we could ask you out to say hi when we're there, Chef Travis??
oops, I mean I chanced UPON Spruce on a blog :)
also, I'm heading down on the 25 Oct to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday,is there anything special I can do at Spruce for him? :)
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