Fine European dining at prices that won’t burn a hole in your pocket
By Samantha Francis
Five Nines has a posh yet laid-back ambience with bar seats and warm lighting.
Keong Saik Road is a foodie’s treasure trove, lined with hip bars and new restaurants popping up faster than your appetite can catch up.
How does a dining establishment stand out then? With quality food at irresistible prices, of course.
Modern European with a Touch of Japanese
The Burrata and Tomato Salad is colourful in presentation and vibrant in flavour.
Fine European dining and affordability rarely go hand in hand but 999.99 (Five Nines) proves that you can have your cake and eat it too. This newly-opened restaurant, whose enigmatic name is a reference to the purest form of gold, offers a five-course set dinner that’s available for just $59 per person.
Led by Chef Masanao Saito, the cuisine at 999.99 is modern European with an unmistakable Japanese influence.
With the chef’s experience in Japanese kaiseki (traditional multi-course Japanese dinner), it’s unsurprising that astute attention to detail is reflected in the dishes.
A good example is the Burrata and Tomato Salad ($14), a soft blob of mozzarella cheese encircled by tangy cubes of tomato jelly, cherry tomatoes, dried tomatoes and pesto sauce. Colourful in presentation and vibrant in flavours, it was a wonderful palette cleanser.
Lobster and Lamb
At Five Nines, you can enjoy the signature Lobster Gratin for just $29.
Similarly impressive is the Grilled Swordfish & Spring Onion ($15). The swordfish is nicely grilled, with the fillet gaining a crisp skin that contrasts with its moist and slightly sweet flesh. The spring onion sauce and miso shitake furikake (dry Japanese seasoning) that it sits on adds a dose of umami that elevates the dish’s flavours.
Remember when lobster-everything, from rolls to pastas, was taking Singapore by storm? At 999.99, you can enjoy the signature Lobster Gratin for just $29.
The dish uses a whole Boston lobster served in the shell and only 20 are available each day. Talk about exclusive! While the flesh is succulent, the lobster’s natural flavour was barely discernible after being smothered by the creamy béchamel sauce and topped with melted cheese.
A Treat for the Sight and Appetite
The Smokey Lamb & Eggplant is a treat for both sight and appetite.
Served in a glass cloche (bell-shaped glass cover), the Smokey Lamb & Eggplant ($22) is a treat for sight and appetite. Ready your cameras as dramatic swirls of smoke waft as the cloche is removed.
Cooked with apple and sakura wood chips, the lamb cutlets were tender and aromatic. It’s best enjoyed with mouthfuls of the accompanying pear wedges — the sweetness counterbalances the rich flavours of the lamb.
If you need dessert, the Peach Melba ($9), a blend of mascarpone cheese layered with zesty raspberry ice cream and raspberry coulis, is a good choice.
With its value-for-money offerings, I’d say 999.99, or Five Nines, is as good as gold.
999.99 (Five Nines), 29 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089136, Tel: 6221 7098
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of Weekender, Issue 150, April 15 – April 28, 2016, with the headline ‘Food that’s good as gold’.
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