Estate @ The Intermark

Estate by BIG: Round Two. Earlier entry: November 29.

The most alluring aspect of Estate's menu: the starters list, flooded with intriguing ingredients. Say no to slipshod salads & try the Burrata cheese with tomatoes, edible flowers, beef bacon & basil-infused olive oil. If springtime in southern Italy carried a tangible taste, this might be it.

Grilled mackerel with avocado puree, cucumber confit, mustard & shiso dressing. One of the closest things to a Japanese recipe for The BIG Group. The fish is commendably juicy & not greasy at all, but the vegetarian accompaniments are what truly shine, so fresh AND refreshing.

Parmigiano-Reggiano croquette with egg yolk center, tartar sauce & micro greens. Devastatingly creamy comfort food that might haunt our dreams for weeks to come.

Crispy confit chicken wings & pan-seared scallops with cauliflower mousse, chopped chorizo & maple dressing. Bone-free, flavor-filled meat, coated with pleasurably brittle skin & partnered with components that would each taste terrific on its own but spark culinary synergy together.

More cauliflower, this time in the shape of a soup, again wedded with fowl: shredded duck confit. Endless variations on a theme, but every one can be equally enticing.

Mussels in Provencal white wine sauce. Satisfyingly plump mollusks cooked the French way, swimming in a savory broth that must be mopped up with garlic bread to the final drop.

Onion rings scented with rosemary, several notches above A&W's.

Need desserts? Estate has a sweet list, but if you're craving cakes, Acme Bar & Coffee (ABC at The Troika) is barely a 10-minute drive away from The Intermark. Acme's cempedak cake constitutes a nicely stinky substitute to the now-ubiquitous durian cake.