db bistro & oyster bar, Marina Bay Sands

Celebrity restaurants have come and gone but Daniel Boloud's db bistro is one of the few that has survived till this day. Though we chose that restaurant to celebrate my MIL's birthday, I didn't exactly have high hopes for it as people around me (KW included) have reported ho-hum experiences.

I guess with that, it is only fair to say we have a really good time. Service was attentive and the overall vibe was relaxed. The food sure didn't bring about much surprises but they were bistro stalwarts done very well.

A platter of plain baguette and herb focaccia paired with "I'm awesome 'cause I'm French" butter set the stage for a lovely meal.

We ordered a bunch of starters, kicking off with these Burgundy escargots. It's hard to go wrong with all that butter and garlic. Snails might sound utterly vile to some, but you can always trust the French to create something magical with something as fugly as snails.

Heavy on the blue cheese sauce and littered with bacon bits, the iceberg salad was pretty good too. I'm 110% sure it's not what your nutritionist ordered, so I guess while you are at it, you might as well order a side of fries.

The Americans and British would throw together mystery meats and come up with chicken nuggets and sausages, while the French can do the same and pass it off as a rustic and artisanal charcuterie platter. I am generalising, of course. But to be honest, this selection of house-made cold cuts kind of tasted the same after a while.

With Russell in mind, we shared a one of the two pasta dishes available - saffron tagliolini . It was rather delightful and I kept going back for more. Fresh chunky spanner crab and al dente eggy taglolini tossed in a tangy lemon and EVOO sauce.

For my main, I single-mindedly chose a steak, a 300g USDA Prime Ribeye from Brandt Farms. It is difficult for me to resist a piece of red meat, especially when the restaurant has an established level of quality assurance. Unlike my taste in men, I have pretty hedonistic views when it comes to meat. I like my piece of meat. I like my piece of meat lying there, all ready for me to ravage it.

On my Instagram, I described this medium rare slab as "eyeball-rolling pleasure." More than 24 hours later, I can still remember how gratifying it was.

If truth be told, I was quite turned off when the waiter asked me what sauce I would like with my steak. I really hate the idea of a sauce-drenched steak. It is so unnecessary, like a guy who wears an Hermes logo belt or deliberately leaves his car keys on the table so that people know what his ride is. Thankfully, the Bernaise I chose was served on the side; though I didn't use any for my steak, the sauce scored plenty of action with my fries.

Oh the fries! They were glorious! They were mostly cuboids of deep-fried perfection, complete with crispy crunchy edges. If no one on your table gets the burger or steak fries, promise me you will order a side of fries?

Having tried (and left unimpressed) the db "famous foie gras" burger, KW opted for the Frenchie, a fancy burger with a sizeable beef patty, confit pork belly, caramelized onions, Morbier cheese. It was good but not the best burger we've had - I missed the smoky sear on the patty and prefer a more back-to-basics burger.

The burger served alongside chill, mayonnaise and ketchup. I would assume that the trio of condiments are all made in house, given the pedigree of this bistro.

The rest were ready to throw in the towel but we ordered a dessert anyway because every celebratory meal deserves a happy sweet ending. I was torn between the profiteroles and warm molten chocolate cake, and KW chose the latter. The LBD of desserts, a warm molten chocolate is something you can always count on to satiate; while commonplace and blah if not executed properly, it is delectably winning when done well. 

Keen to differentiate itself, this fragile little chocolate cake cracked open to reveal a lovely salted caramel core. The hot chocolate ice cream was pleasant but I would have preferred plain ol' vanilla ice cream.

At the end of the day, I can't emphasize enough how important it is for meals to feel relaxed. I didn't expect any surprises and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the meal.