Hidden gem; Table @ Pips

Town is such an accessible area whereby you can reach any forms of public transport within reach. There is also no doubt where all the nice food & restaurants with nice ambience are usually located at. Singaporeans loves food but Singaporeans love to procrastinate even more. Always talking those nice photos of a certain restaurant which your friends posted yet when it comes to the real travelling distance, actions speak more than words.

We all love nice food, don't we? Though i am always screaming for help to slim down yet on the other hand i'm always on the search for new hideouts or hidden gem, in my lingo. This place is 1 of those hidden gems which i would go back again for their food. 

Located down a stretch of shop houses, along with Nooks D.I.Y House of Pancakes. The outlook of the restaurant may seem to evolve a very sophisticated & "atas" feel. Upon stepping in, the interior design resembles any steakhouse which you can find in Italy. With oil paintings on both sides of the walls ushering you down to the seats, the ambience feels very authentic and no you're not in Italy.

Welcome to Table @ Pips. :)

Helping customers to pull out seats don't only happen at fine dining restaurants. Philip, the owner of the restaurant, said that it's only right that every customer should get quality customer service. He emphasizes that these days customer service, especially in F&B trade, has deteriorated tremendously. However you'll get the right kind of service & attitude from Table @ Pips's staffs, even though they don't consider themselves as semi-fine dining restaurant.

I was showered with the best customer service, i would say. Not until they served out the 1st dish; Foie gras.

Foie gras ($9.90), a must order for all lovers of fine dining. Served with sweet glazed apple & raspberry demi glaze, a delicacy which one should not miss. You can only get such authentic taste & big portion at such affordable price, only with Table @ Pips.

While enjoying my foie gras, Philip was sharing with me the concept behind this restaurant; to be able to create dishes for customer is their happiness. Philip is one the few bosses i've known who'll step into the kitchen & create dishes randomly, just for their customers. And if you happen to become their regular, be ready to fall in love with their staffs' attentiveness towards every customer.

Escargot Bourguignon ($6.90), usually comes in 4 pieces. This is very different from the usual escargots which we used to have at any steakhouse. The escargots are removed from their shells & placed nicely on a button mushroom, oven baked it & coated with garlic butter. You don't get this anywhere, only at Pips! The unique way of cooking it not only caught my attention, it tastes really heavenly good! Its crunchy bite goes off especially well with tobasco sauce.

Next served was the minestrone & mushroom cream soup ($4.90). It looks like i can't find any difference from the 1st look at it. However Pips proved me wrong once again. While sipping the pipping hot mushroom cream soup, i realized that it was fully garnished with chopped walnuts. Being curious, i popped this question to Philip who was seated right beside me. According to him, chopped walnuts will soften the whole taste of the creamy mushroom soup. And with that, most of the customers would be able to finish up the whole bowl of soup without feeling too overwhelmed by the creamy taste. I must say this is a very smart way & needless to say, i finished that up as well!

While these were being served up 1 by 1, Philip came to me showing me a plate of raw meat. I was taken aback by his action & he quickly explained that's to show customers they prepare their only upon ordering. So you can expect the pipping hot food whenever you visit Table @ Pips. And are you looking forward to their main course already? Yes i am. :)

Here you go, our 1st course; Rib-eye steak ($21.90). Before this my all-time favourite steak have to be from La Villa located at River Valley Road. Now that i've tried Pips, i am sure they are listed at the top of my list for having the best steak around! No, i'm not exaggerating. It has this herb smell upon chewing the meat yet it is not overwhelming at all! Dip it with their homemade red wine sauce, the taste of it lingers in your mouth and keeps you asking for more. And in case you're wondering, i called for medium-rare done-ness for the steak. :)

Next in line, BBQ Crocodile Rib ($25.90) coated with homemade BBQ sauce. Yes, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. When Philip was introducing this main course to me, i thought my ears were playing tricks on me. Without any hesitation, i had to try it instantly. The meat texture resembles a lil' to chicken breast yet its not as dry as chicken breast is. The homemade BBQ sauce was a lil' too spicy for my liking. But this have to be a try if you're game enough! Who says we can't fight crocodiles? =P

It'd be a shame if you visit a restaurant without trying out any of the seafood item on the menu. Chive Salmon Steak ($14.90), topped with Chive Puree served with Sautêed Leek. Freshness and tender would be the words to describe it. I don't need to describe much on this,just try it for yourself! It's definitely worth your bucks.

My dining companion was going on and on about how full she was and could barely eat any further. However when Chef Philip served this out, her eyes looked at me with brightness, as if she saw a handsome guy who just walked past.

And she went, "there's always room for desserts", ending the sentence with a smirk.

Crème brûlée, topped with raisins & rum. You'll find that this Crème brûlée stands individually on it's own. In my memory, i don't remember seeing any Crème brûlée without ramekins. Hence by the look of it, i was expecting the dessert to be a lil' more harder than the usuals. However, Philp loves to surprise his customers very oftenly. I was very impressed by this Crème brûlée, of it's tenderness upon putting it in mouth yet it can still stand on it's own without falling apart, given that custards are supposed to be soft in nature.

It left me a very deep impression. If you're there, do not miss this dessert!

All girls & women love chocolate, especially when it comes to chocolate fudge. Do i need to say more when it comes to chocolate lava cake? It's a must order whenever you visit every restaurant.

And everytime when i see a lava cake, i can't bear to cut it into halves and leave the chocolate fudge oozing out. The thought of wasting even a single bit of chocolate lava makes me feel that it's such a waste. I'm in love with it & i leave it up to your discretion to check it out. 

Are you ready for the best deal of this whole post?

I present you the king of fruits; Durian chocolate ($7.90) We usually do not find restaurants serving durians due to their fragrance that could almost fill up the whole place. It's a love hate relationship especially if you love the taste of it & yet not their smell.

Do not be surprised if you can't smell anything when this pretty dessert is being served. I stared at it for awhile, trying to figure out how did Philip managed to hide it's pungent smell within this small little body. Then my dining companion didn't want to wait any further & sliced a small piece out, there you go! Scent of durian filled up the air. This is a creation by Philip himself. You can't get this anywhere, only Table@Pips.

I must say dining with Table@Pips has been 1 of my best experience, in terms of steakhouse. Their service, their attitude & attentiveness towards customers has instantly top my list amongst steakhouse. And oh, did i forget to mention that you can request for food which is not listed in the menu. Their impromptu way of catering to customers' needs has instantly increased my confidence with them. I'd definitely go back for more!

Are you already intending to make a trip down? Share your thoughts with me after your visit. Meanwhile, you can continue to drool. :)


Table @ Pips
17 Lorong Kilat #01-09 Kilat Court
Singapore 598139

Opening Hours: Daily: 11am-3pm, 6pm -10.30pm
Tel: + 65-6467 6867
Email: philip@tableatpips.com.sg
Reservations: reservations@tableatpips.com.sg

xoxo,
Queen