VLV, 8 Million Dollar Stunning Makeover at Clarke Quay Contemporary Asian Restaurant

Look at this... just plain ol'grand opulence. Because dining is not just to fill up your stomachs, it's a lifestyle. Wherever you may be seated, just know that you're about to feel like royalty.

Every single corner is just a treat for the eyes and cameras!

What you are seeing is the upper-floors, where the more private, sophisticated dining area is. They have plenty of tables, but to ensure you have a space, call for reservations (Call VLV at 66610197).

If you fancy the riverside view, shift your party to the alfresco courtyard bar. It gave me major beach-resort vibes, what we needed was just the melody of waves lapping up the shore. Definitely a cool place to hang with your gang regardless whether you're going for pre-drinks, dinner or after-dinner drinks. Ooh yeah.

Some Charles Heidsieck champagne to kick start our dinner to come, lovely and smooth on the palate! (OK Amie rarely rejects alcohol) Now that you have a good feel of how the ambience is like, let's get on with the foooodcreated by the talented Executive Chef Martin Foo, one of the most celebrated chefs in Singapore.

We began with these crispy appetizers, the Golden Dragon Skin that comes with a fruity dip! I love crispy fish skin, and this is like an entire tray of them, so it's the ultimate indulgence for me! What's more, there's no fishy taste to it, but just savoury and very appetizing. Another point to note - I was surprised to find that it maintained its crispiness even though we took some time to snap some pictures of this dish! Balance the flavours with the fruity dip and the prawn roe that comes with this 'golden dragon skin'. This makes for a great start!

After the round of tasting done for the appetizer, I was looking forward to what's to come! Next up: Kagoshima Kurobuta Char Siew - just look at it glisten in the light, oh my god! It is roasted to a blend of char siew sauce sweetness and slightly smoky charred taste. For texture... there isn't many char siew in the world that actually melt in your mouth, but THIS IS ONE OF THOSE. There are many dishes in the VLV menu, and if I were to recommend one thing to order (please exclude desserts because I wish you would try them all - ok will elaborate later), this is it!

Can you tell what this is already? A quintessential in many Chinese restaurants, but this is Peking duck with a spin - VLV Peking Duck with the crispy duck skin that cracks wonderfully under only a tiny small pressure. You can try it with two different sauces, the classic peking duck sweet hoisin sauce and also with a contemporary style - black truffle sauce! What's more, other than the usual cucumber, you can even add avocado slices and savoury tofu skin to your wrap. It's innovative, and they are flavours that work. I was skeptical about the truffle and avocado but again, it truly surpassed my imagination of how it'll work with these classic tastes. Especially avocado, which added richness and smoothness to the whole peking duck wrap. If you like peking duck, and liked all those that you have tried it in all the famous restaurants like Tunglok, Wan Hao, Four Seasons etc... I think you'd equally, if not love this more.

For something really gentle on the stomach, the Poached Ocean Fish Broth will be perfect. The ultimate comfort soup of all soups, there is black fungus, pickle chilli, garlic and ginger in there, creating this thick and nourishing piece. The poached ocean fish had a very smooth bite too! Popped in the tofu skin rolls into the soup to soften it for an extra oomph too.

As if these dishes are not dazzling enough, VLV has something to impress us even further -Steamed Sri Lanka Crab with Bonito Egg Flakes! I must say... I actually love this more than our local chilli crab. The number one reason why: I could really taste the fresh and sweet original flavour of the crab meat, paired with the non-overpowering sauce of bonito egg flakes and the slight pop of flavour from the crab roe... this is the ultimate enjoyment for those who love crab. Moreover, you get refills of cloth wipes if you got your hands dirty, so just go ahead and let yourself loose with this.

This is supposed to be a 'palate cleanser' but damn, it's surely worthy to be sitting on the desserts menu. It is so memorable and addictive, I am already raring for one right now! What it is: lime sorbet right in the middle of an igloo, that's what it is. And what's more, vodka is poured right where the lime sorbet is. I promise you won't taste any bit of vodka, but just delirious heavenly of sweet, sour, icy and every bit is just amazing. If you don't like it, just give them all to me!!! None was given to me though because everyone swept it clean. Palate cleanser, right. 

We welcomed the VLV Beggar Chicken with a ball of flaming fire, something that I guess even Beggars Sect Leader Huang Rong would approve. This one is more 'fun' and contemporary though, you actually have to work to get to your food, by smashing the hard clay casing with a wooden stick with quiet a bit of strength! What you get inside is baked chicken, but retained its moisture. It is one of those VLV dishes that are almost completely traditional (except for the presentation style).

Guess we have had too much meat and so some Sizzling Romanian Lettuce is a true palate cleanser! It is lightly stir-fried, simple as it is, it is executed to scientific perfection. Nothing to fault about here.

Another newfangled dish presented before our eyes: the Spicy Duck Cones on a creamy netting! Created from the duck meat from the VLV Peking Duck, these are delicious pops with an explosion of flavours! The peking duck is diced up with sesame and slight spicy tones, stuffed in a crispy skin.

 I was less impressed with their Kimchi Seafood Fried Rice, or felt it didn't exactly sync with the rest of the dishes. It was decent, but maybe it just didn't have a wow factor - relative to the other dishes had. It was a plain ol' good dish.

ONTO THE DESSERTS OMG. (´・ω・`)

Look at this smokin baby! Definitely the best Yam Paste (or nee) ever 😍😱 Despite feeling really stuffed from the amazingly delicious contemporary Chinese line up from VLV, I kept reaching out for this. There is even coconut ice-cream in the middle of this crazy good dessert. Anything coconut, I go nuts over it, OK? There are also gingkos and pumpkin balls in there, but they don't taste like gingko-gingko nor pumpkin-pumpkin. They taste magical. Don't ask how. Just. Go. And. Eat. This. You won't regret it, I promise.

Another dessert - Oriental Cheese Cake & Mascarpone Ice Cream is practically a cheese lover's paradise. I thought it would be quite gelat because it is practically cheese on cheese, but it turns out to be pretty rad. The cheese cake is very dense and fragrant with a dollop of raspberry on it to neutralize the gelat feeling from the cheese. I can't say I am crazy over this dessert even though it is not bad. ✌

I'm dreaming of this mesmerizing dessert, and if you think it LOOKS good, it tastes even better. 😳

This is hands down the best 'Chinese restaurant' dessert ever. Luo Han Jelly nestled among an icy luohan-flavoured ice-blended bingsu ball, chewy chia seeds, julienned coconut slices all served in a coconut on clouds. This one, I go crazy with it. Don't tell me you won't 😘

  

Part of their menu - for your reference of the general 'feel' of the prices.