The Drawing Room: A Culinary Artroom in the Heart of City

Back by popular demand, The Drawing Room makes it’s debut again at PMQ for another round of artful dining in a sophisticated atmosphere that will elevate any date night!

Recently, the hubby and I got the chance to dress up and head out for lovely romantic date night at the newly relaunched The Drawing Room under the leadership of new chef, Chef Gabriele Milani. Having been a fan of their previous restaurant, Vasco, I was eager to see how they would change up the space and menu.

We were greeted with a set of colouring pencils and a piece of paper that invited us to doodle through the night. Seriously, this is the ultimate ice-breaker for any date. Even though the hubs and I have been together for over a decade (college sweethearts!) this activity prompted us to let loose and be playful whilst in an elegant yet unpretentious setting.

Currently, there are two set tasting menus you can choose from. Both of which had us salivating! We decided on the classic five course tasting menu ($998) which included many of Chef Milani’s favourites.

For my first course, I started off with the Grilled Quail with Foie Gras Mousse, shallots and red cherry marmalade ($240). The quail was cooked perfectly – crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The foie gras mousse was whipped, light and airy and completely indulgent. The red cherry marmalade help cut through the richness of the quail and foie. A great first start.

The hubby had the Langoustine Tartare with Almalfi lemon cream and cucumber mayonnaise ($320), which in my opinion was so delightful. Although I enjoyed my quail starter, I had major food envy. Thankfully, he’s a sharer so I got to taste the fresh langoustine that had a lovely brightness from the lemon cream.

Next came two soups, Creamy Baccalà with sweet garlic broth and taggiasca olives ($210) and Green Pea soup with pan-seared Scallop ($210). Although we sampled both, I had to say we really enjoyed the green pea soup with the perfectly cooked scallop the best. The pea soup was sweet, creamy yet light with whole peas that were bursts of freshness every time we had a bite.

My favourite part of the evening was the third course pasta dish, because, carbs are life. I zeroed in on the Italian Red Prawn Linguini with fresh tomato and chilli ($340) which was incredibly flavourful. The prawns were tossed in the most amazingly rich and full bodied sauce and the linguini cooked perfectly al dente.

Hubby chose his ultimate favourite food in the whole world, Spaghetti with Hokkaido Sea Urchin and Bottagara ($290). The menu literally had him at sea urchin. Although I’m not usually a fan of sea urchin or uni, I had to admit that this combination was full of all the flavours of the sea (in a good way!) and completely decadent and rich.

By this point, we were both bursting at the seams and close to unbuttoning our pants when the meat portion came. Somehow, we found a second wind in our appetite and dug into equally delicious mains (it wasn’t hard when we saw the plates before us!). The hubs chose the Char-grilled Pigeon with sautéed organic baby broccoli and spinach ($420) where I had the Roasted Black Angus Tenderloin with Ox Tongue, potato purée and mustard sauce. Just thinking back to this medium rare, beautiful piece of tenderloin gives me the warm fuzzies. It was marbled, juicy and had a lovely seared crust. The ox tongue was creamy and added another level of richness to this course.

It was a sweet ending when we got to finish the evening with desserts. I was so happy to see a Vasco favourite make it into the new menu and had to order the Warm Caramelised Brioche with Vanilla Ice Cream ($90). Imagine a delicious bread pudding and French toast hybrid with a sugary crust. It was so good, I could’ve had another serving…!

Overall, we had an incredible time feasting on Chef Milani’s new menu and would recommend The Drawing Room for fine Italian dining in a romantic, unpretentious, artistic and comfortably playful setting.

The Drawing Room, 7/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; 2156 0888