I admit that I only signed up for restaurantweek.sg because we have ran out of dining ideas. Organised by DiningCity, a select list of restaurants offer set meals at a discount. Good way to sample the menu and the chef’s taste, I say.

The idea is to visit an outlet that fits our general dining preference i.e. non-pretensious, sensible food, and reasonable prices. That way, if we do like the place, it will be a regular haunt. This round, we went for CM-PB.

Described as a trendy wining and dining at Dempsey where in the kitchen East meets West, it is a restaurant, a cafe, and also a bar with live bands. It is just too confusing for me. Almost like the owner is not sure what (else) will work in Dempsey, so why not include everything! With sino-lanterns hanging over the bar, jeans/shorts-clad staff serving delicately placed food, and a genre of music that I cannot recognize, it hurts to dine indoors. The outdoor seating area is very appealing, in that respect.

Back to the food. The menu was fixed for the event. Oh apparently photography1 was not allowed.

First up – Prawn and Butternut Soup. My initial reaction was – is that bubbles?! I might have squealed a little too loud but seriously, bubbles in a creamy soup? More like a broth, the thin soup was overwhelmed by the taste of prawns. You don’t taste anything other than that of prawn shells and salt. Bread was good. Well.

Being named after the restaurant, I had high hopes for the Contemporary Melting-Pot and Bar Salad. Again, the dressing was way too salty. Fresh seafood and crunchy leaves, granted. The Bonito flakes was an oddity for me. If the chef is trying to infuse some Japanese sense into the salad, he does not have to. Looks pretty though.

Normally, I like my cod steamed. The tiny portion of battered cod did not taste too bad! Finally something that was not salty. The cod maintained the distinctive taste and the crispy chips was well-seasoned. The salad dressing was too salty (erm yes) and wet. Wasabi mayonnaise was a very nice touch. It added a surprisingly and refreshing taste to the plate of fried food.

The Wagyu beef burger was the better entrée on the menu. Of course, I don’t know anything about beef but this was moist and surprisingly less gamey than expected. Foie gras was well seasoned and very tender. Thankfully, they did caramelise those onions, unlike those served to Paul. Thoroughly savoured.

Ahh the close of the meal was a standard cheesecake with strawberry compote. Nothing exceptional. I did appreciate that it was not too sweet. The pastry chef, I noticed, was indecisive. The plating was different for different tables. Just a side observation.

In all. Spending slightly more than S$100 for two persons was not at all disappointing. Though I would have preferred for a more conservative use of salt2, the overall dining experience was nice. The service was swift3 and always with a smile. I will return for a simple meal and relax over a pot of tea. Yes it is a bar but the frozen margarita served that night was a sham(e).

1. Sneaked photos with trusty Xperia X1 [↩]
2. Dining partner thought it was fine [↩]
3. Part of me wondered if they were trying to turn the tables [↩]