Pollen

One of the most striking things about Singapore is the abundance of greenery throughout the city. The high number of trees means that there is usually intermittent shade to help shield you from the piercing tropical sun as you stroll through the city. Singaporean government policy is focused on making the city as green as possible to enhance the quality of life. Gardens on the Bay is one of Singapore’s newest attractions and is on land adjacent to the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The garden has been opened in phases since 2011; with Bay East and Bay South garden already open and Bay Central garden still to follow. 

The best places to be on a scorching hot afternoon are either of the two conservatories on the shore of the Marina. The focus in each conservatory is plants in temperate environments so they are cooled to very pleasant temperatures. They were designed and built to be as energy efficient as possible. The taller of the two greenhouses but with the smaller footprint is the Cloud Forest replicating the cool moist environment of tropical mountains conditions with orchids and insectivorous plants among the highlights. Best of all, the first thing you see is an artificial waterfall as you step into the greenhouse from the 90 degree  high humidity weather outside that is blissfully cool. The second greenhouse is the Flower Dome with a succulent garden, baobab trees and flowers and plants from selected regions around the world. England was well represented with roses, foxgloves and sweet peas amongst others. 

Strolling through the Flower Dome was timed to be just ahead of my dinner reservation at Pollen, Jason Atherton’s latest venture in Asia that opened on June 29th. There is an entrance from the Dome to the restaurant that leads to an upstairs cocktail bar but it was not active on the day of my visit. Whatever the problem was, no cocktails were available and the ladies toilet below it on the main restaurant floor was out of action. The restaurant itself is a large area with tall windows looking onto the marina. There is an entrance from outside the Flower Dome and there seemed to be some confusion over its purpose because there was a constant trickle of people strolling through the restaurant into the flower dome as we ate. It looked like the exit to the dome was there for the purpose of diners but other people had figured out how to take advantage of it.

The menu is currently designed to feature some of the classics from Pollen Street Social. For instance, I was tempted to go for the Full English breakfast but decided to go for different options instead. The kitchen is headed by Colin Clague ex-Caprice whilst Colin Buchan who previously worked with Angela Hartnett at York & Albany has also recently joined. Based on the pedigree of the chefs, I was looking forward to this meal. I opted to go for the a la carte menu rather than the dinner tasting menu.

With no cocktails available, I went for pineapple juice to kick things off. I gave the sommelier a heads up that I would want a glass of the Priorat on the list but it took forever to turn up. Generally, the dining room service needed some tuning particularly compared to the machine that operates at Pollen Street Social. Some of this may be down to the fact that the restaurant was still finding its feet but lengthy delays in bringing a menu other than the cocktail list, asking for my order or bringing a requested glass of wine should be fixable.

Once the order was placed, a pat of butter on a wooden spatula, a bowl of Sicilian green olives and a bowl of cod brandade based on potato, garlic and cod were placed on the table. House-baked bread followed shortly after with a choice of French or Sourdough. I seldom eat olives but the cod brandade is wonderful. One good thing was that the staff were happy to offer more when the first portion was finished.

Starter was rock oysters. Six fresh oysters served in their shell on ice and topped with lemon, dashi and pickled shallots with additional garnish of lemon balm and chives. The oysters were plump and delicious and combined with the topping for a refreshing mouthful with added crunch from the acidic onions.

The main course was line caught John Dory. This was listed as being served with minestrone cabaneros, coco beans and baby courgette. The dished was garnished with a langoustine head and the reason became obvious when langoustine bisque was poured into the bowl at the table. John Dory is a lovely fish so any dish based round it is always off to a good start. The coco beans added earthy contrast that worked well with the fish. The dish also included good contributions from shrimp, orzo and a herby kick from marjoram. This lovely, rich fish dish was the highlight of the meal.

Pre-dessert was described as an apricot dessert and was a light, tart taste sensation. An apricot brandy, lime and barley water blend was the base with an apricot espuma and a fizzy vanilla topping.

Dessert itself was a bit of a mixed bag. Lemon meringue was billed as crispy and burnt lemon meringue with cucumber sorbet. The high points were the crispy meringue with hint of lemon, the mango purée and the cucumber sorbet that all combined nicely. Two or three of burnt meringue swirls dotted round the bowl would have been plenty but there were so many swirls that it became a sickly overload. The black olive crumbs didn’t work for me but I don’t like black olives. Ultimately the overload of burnt meringue killed the dish.

Overall verdict.
Maybe I went too soon after opening but Pollen seemed like a restaurant still trying to find its identity. Service was poor but that should be fixable. Food was decent but not outstanding.

Would I revisit Pollen?
I’ve loved Jason Atherton’s food at Maze (London & New York) and Pollen Street Social so put some of the issues down to Pollen just opening. It would be interesting to see how the menu evolves in the hands of very capable chefs (I was a big fan of Colin Buchan’s food at York & Albany). I’d like to try Pollen again only after has settled into a groove.


Overall Rating - 2.5/5