Xperience sits within the luxurious Sofitel So Singapore which is strategically located in the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore.
The modern European restaurant is helmed by one of Singapore’s youngest and most charming executive chef, Trevor Paulo, who has a flair for recreating western classics with interesting local twists that has surely captured our hearts.
Chef Trevor Paulo’s unique culinary creations have successfully pushed the boundaries of traditional French cuisine, where his dishes have impressed even reputable 3-Michelin Starred Chefs such as Chef Christophe Muller and Chef Hideaki Matsuo. Despite all the glorious achievements, Chef Trevor remains down-to-earth and enjoys interacting with all his guests.
The next time you are in the CBD or need some surprises in your life, head down to Sofitel So Singapore’s Xperience Restaurant to experience Chef Trevor’s new menu. You will be in for a great time, we promise.
With its open-kitchen concept, it allows diners to catch the gastronomic team in action. Of course, Chef Trevor will be there to chat with you about his dishes, or about anything at all!
Xperience Restaurant is also an ideal venue for business luncheons and romantic date nights. We’ve been there on numerous occasions, and our favourite mood has to be dinner time, where the CBD crowd is non-existent, and the whole restaurant transforms into a sexy and intimate space for you to kick off your shoes, and simply relish the night with your date.
Every starter at Xperience Restaurant is truly a showstopper and the Spanner Crab (S$24++) is our favourite one among them all.
The fresh crustacean – integrated with wasabi mayonnaise – is garnished with edible flower petals, green herbs and seaweed crackers. The different textures of flavours had us devouring the entire entrée within seconds.
Poached Sweet Prawns (S$26++) is yet another stunning creation by Chef Trevor. The refreshing layers consist of fresh Granny Smith apple slices alternating with poached sweet prawns that are marinated with homemade ponzu.
Every mouthful packs a satisfying punch and we love how gorgeous it is plated with bonito flakes and pink edible floral petals. The precise ingredients vary according to season, so do expect a few tweaks here and there!
The Home Cured Salmon (S$24++) looks simple, but what do you know! Much effort has been channeled into attaining the fish’s overall superb taste and texture profile. Served with dollops of whipped yoghurt infused crème fraîche, fried capers, tobiko roe coated with gold powder, mirin pickled onions and almond truffle soil-looking earthy crumble, this dish is in fact a complicated one with varying flavours.
Just like that, Chef Trevor has redefined cured salmon. Impressive.
The Grilled Pork Pressa (S$36++) stole all the limelight with its delicious well-marbled meat. The prime pork cut has been marinated in duck fat and roasted over chargrill to medium rare doneness; the meat was so creamy and flavourful that everyone on the table did a double take and thought it was beef instead.
The smoky pork is complemented with asparagus, capsicum honey purée, pumpkin tuile, shallot confit and vanilla pumpkin purée. Such a colourful dish that reflects elements of winter and rusticness of all sorts.
We have two other mains to love and share.
The ‘Curried’ Lamb Shoulder confit (S$35++) utilizes the cut that extends to the neck. Marinated in a myriad of spices, the meat is sous-vide for 36 hours to achieve a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The lamb main is then complemented with carrot purée, fresh peas and goat cheese crumble. Love the play of flavours and colours using vegetables to tone down the gaminess of the meat.
The Braised Short Rib (S$35++) is another stellar highlight of Xperience Restaurant’s new menu. The fork-tender braised beef short rib is robust in flavour, and is further enhanced with Bordelaise sauce, green tea purée, roasted baby beetroot and three knob celery cubes.
Fun fact about the celeriac in case you are brushing it off already – each celeriac is cooked and presented in a different flavour – namely grilled salt, smoked salt and Vadouvan – so that every bite is a surprise.
Just when you think the show is only on the entrées and mains, wait till you see the desserts. Chef Trevor and his pastry chef will make you rethink Xperience Restaurant’s already popular desserts with his innovation and brilliance; they are works of art to say the least.
The Araguani Chocolate Dome (S$22++) is a theatrical crowd pleaser, where lukewarm pistachio and vanilla bean crémeux is poured over the sphere, and voila! The 72% dark chocolate sphere opens in a dramatic manner, revealing the Madagascar vanilla and hazelnut praline ice-cream inside.
For an exotic tropical dessert, we highly recommend the ‘Flexi’ Coconut Ganache (S$19++).
This visually stunning deconstructed treat features flexible coconut agar-infused gelatine, and is accompanied with chilli-marinated pineapple slices, noisette butter chip and artisanal goreng pisang ice-cream. The ice-cream is made from scratch with local pisang barangan bananas, a local twist done with European flair.
The Tasmanian Pepper Meringue Spike (S$20++) is the prettiest of the lot, and is definitely Vogue-worthy. The dome comprises basil cream, greek yogurt, olive oil sponge, roasted persimmon ice-cream and tomato jam.
Dressed in attention-grabbing blue and white meringue spikes, this dessert stole our hearts and we will totally return to Xperience Restaurant just for it.
These 9 dishes executed with masterly finesse are a great representation of what diners can anticipate at Sofitel So Singapore’s Xperience Restaurant.
Each dish is a photogenic masterpiece that Chef Trevor proudly presents, and if you have the chance to grab Chef Trevor, speak to him. He always has stories about his food and inspirations to share, and his passion for culinary is burning through every word. We are nothing short of impressed by him.
For the latest updates, go to Sofitel So Singapore’s website and like them on Facebook and Instagram.
Xperience Restaurant
35 Robinson Road
Sofitel So Singapore, Level 1
Singapore 068876
Tel: +65 6701 6800
Daily: 6.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place/Telok Ayer
This post is brought to you by Sofitel So Singapore.