Fort by Maison Ikkoku Review: Perfect Cocktail Pairings with Gourmet Dishes

Fort by Maison Ikkoku, located at the serene and idyllic Fort Canning Hill, is a new cocktail bar and fusion dining concept helmed by Executive Chef and Head Mixologist, Ethan Leslie Leong.

I like the warehouse feel of this charming 30-seater restaurant that combines an industrial interior design with a touch of class, featuring earthly tones, red velvet curtains at the sides as well as wooden and metallic surfaces. All lights and furniture are specially imported from USA.

About Executive Chef Ethan Leslie Leong

Just before the opening of Fort by Maison Ikkoku, the widely travelled Ethan went to Zurich to upgrade his culinary skills and this had helped him create the new multi-sensory menu with his wealth of experience.

With in-depth knowledge of wine, spirits and food and being widely respected in this field, Ethan has played a business consultancy role for Ministry of Sound, Fashion TV, Buddha Bar and Clinic The Club, among many others.

In 2012, he was commissioned to create the “The Jewel of Pangea”, priced at $35,000 a glass, available exclusively at Pangea Singapore, MBS. Then in May 2015, he was appointed Brand Ambassador for Martell in celebration of the 300th anniversary of Martell.

Cocktails at Fort by Maison Ikkoku

The creative team applied different styles and techniques of cocktail mixing such as distillation, infusion, spherification, dehydration, emulsion and smoking to bring you chemical transformation of ingredients and the best of molecular gastronomy to elevate your dining experience.

3-course Festive Menu at Fort by Maison Ikkoku

The 3-course festive menu for Christmas took the team 6 months to create the dishes with the right cocktail pairing. Chef Ethan has applied his impressive cocktail techniques to good use here in perfecting the delicate balance of the dishes, from soups, salads, hand rolled maki to signature dishes and desserts.

The festive menu comprises of a surprise starter dish to kick-start your dinner which changes daily depending on the fresh ingredients available.

Holiday Turkey

The succulent Holiday Turkey was cooked sous-vide style, marinated with special herbs and spices, and infused with truffles with a light touch of cinnamon to excite your taste buds. A puree of watercress adds another dimension and depth to the dish. I only wished that the turkey could come in slightly bigger portions.

To complete the experience, pair the main course with Santa Red cocktail (my favourite cocktail of the evening) which is a red wine reduction with strawberry vodka and a hint of bergamot which perfectly complements the turkey.

Martell Cordon Bleu Lavender Crème Brulee

Chef Ethan has reinvented the Crème Brulee by infusing lavender and premium cognac into the silky custard to give it a smooth buttery note and layered with a crunchy, caramelized crust to bring out the contrasting flavours and textures beautifully.

Even the dessert comes with its own cocktail pairing – enter The Snowman – which is a concoction of spice rum with delicious buttered popcorn, creamy hazelnut and milk to let you bask in the magic of Christmas.

The 3-course festive menu is available from now till 31 December 2015, at $38 per person.

Top up an additional $20 to enjoy 2 specially concocted festive cocktails to pair with the festive dishes.

Signature Ala Carte Dishes at Fort by Maison Ikkoku

The 3 signature mainstays available in their ala-carte menu are The Sea, The Nest and The Fort.

The Sea | $38

Photo courtesy of Fort by Maison Ikkoku.

This dish was carefully made from scratch and assembled before our eyes using only the freshest ingredients to create this spellbinding dish, inspired from Chef Ethan’s recent trip to France.

The Sea banks on the natural flavours of the fresh ingredients of Hokkaido scallop, Irish Oyster, Seaweed, Ikura, Tobiko and Ebiko on a bed of sea salt sorbet to tantalise your taste buds. The oyster leaf complements the brininess and earthiness of the entire dish to bring you an incredible taste of the sea indeed. Finally, Chef Ethan added a handmade seaweed biscuit with almonds to give the dish an extra crunch!

The Nest | $28

The Nest is inspired by the bird nests sighted around fort canning hill during Chef Ethan’s morning walks and this luscious delicacy combines melted mozarella and parmiagiano-reggiano cheese with free range chicken eggs.

The Fort | 4 pcs for $18 or 8 pcs for $28

Chef Ethan has given the traditonal handrolled maki a twist by spicing up the tuna tartare with chilli padi and mixed with onion sprouts, cucumber and other seasonings. The level of spiciness was still acceptable for me and I was very impressed with the cocktail that paired with this dish which consisted of lavender beads created using the spherification technique.

Conclusion

All in all, the synergy of the gourmet dishes with ingenious cocktail pairings brings me on a gastronomical journey fit for an epicure, in a truly magical setting no less.

The festive menu and Omakase menu are also priced affordably for everyone to indulge in some yuletide pleasure this Christmas.

Fort by Maison Ikkoku also offers a 12-course Omakase menu, at $68 per person, consisting of dishes selected by the chef, based on the premium ingredients available for that season.

Fort by Maison Ikkoku