Its been quite awhile, folks – I am finally back from Ipoh (praise God my granny is OK despite a bad fall). Clearly, the purpose of my trip was not for leisure…but I did manage to steal some time to indulge in some Ipoh favorites (will post soon)!

Some weeks back, I visited Gunther’s upon recommendation from a fellow foodie (thanks, TheHungryMan1970!). The restaurant is located among the rows of shop houses along Purvis Street.

The interior of the restaurant is modern, simplistic and dimly-lit – with French music playing softly in the background (Ediff Piaf, according to my lunch partner, V). The dining area we were in holds around 6 tables or 20 pax – I was told by a waiter that the restaurant has a total capacity of 20 tables and can hold ~60 pax.

V and I went with the intention of trying the Set Lunch ($38++) – however, we soon succumbed to what the Degustation Menu ($128++) has to offer. Knowing that many restaurants require all patrons on the same table to opt for the Degustation Menu if one decides to go for it – V and I decided to push our luck anyway…and to our utmost delight, the Chef De Rang (Mageswaran) said it was fine for us to share one Degustation Menu and one Set Lunch between the both of us – oh, happiness!

BREAD – warm, hard crusted and soft on the inside…exactly how I like it! I ended up eating 2 of these heavenly doughs while waiting for the Amuse Bouche – which never came (At Gunther’s, they apparently do not serve Amuse Bouche…).

From the Degustation Menu, we had —

COLD ANGEL HAIR PASTA, Oscietra caviar – Served cold, it is refreshing and leaves you wanting more. Definitely signature dish-worthy and gives every reason to revisit Gunther’s just for a plate of this goodness.

GRILLED SCALLOP, Provencale style – I enjoyed the distinct smoky taste of this dish which is quite unusual given that I usually have my scallops seared. The sweetness of the tomatoes complimented the scallops very well.

EGG FONDANT, grilled seasonal mushrooms, Spanish ham – One of the more creative dishes of the day – all the flavors married well together.

GRILLED LAMB RACK, natural jus – instantly reminded me of the lamb racks I had at La Folie (BEST EVER!). These lamb racks convinced me that I should not write off lamb racks over beef steaks so quickly in future!

FINE APPLE TART “a la dragees”, Havana rum raisin ice-cream – officially my favourite apple tart in town.

From the Set Lunch, we had —

POULTRY CONSOMME, ROAST FOIE GRAS – Foie gras was OK but we found the consomme too light for our liking.

PAN FRIED THREADFIN, mash potatoes – the fish skin seems to be overdone and the fish overall failed to impress. We did enjoy how smooth and creamy the mash potato was though.

PANNA COTTA IN TEA – was never a panna cotta fan…but this one good tea-infused panna cotta definitely left an impression in me!

PETIT FOURS – nothing worth special mentioning except that the outer shell of the canele was simply too tough for me (not sure if its intended that way?)

Overall, Gunther’s exceeded my expectation – food in the degustation menu was top-notch (I would recommend to skip the Set Lunch) and of good value, too. The service was also quite remarkable – Mageswaran was attentive throughout and was patient enough to explain the details of each dish to us.

Reasons to go back to Gunther’s for more – 1) unforgettable signature dishes 2) wonderful service 3) great value.

Gunther’s
Tel: +65 6338 8955 (Reservations Recommended)
Add: 36 Purvis Street #01-03 Singapore 188613
Opening Hours: Daily, 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm (closed on Sundays)
Spend: $111 Per Pax (Sharing of one Set Lunch, one Degustation Menu and one wine)