Monti Longest Sunday Brunch Review [Media Invite]

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Monti's at Fullerton Pavilion has one of the best views you can get of the marina bay area. It's in a unique location which is conspicuous yet can be slightly tricky for the first-timer. (directions below) However, once you spot the Pavilion, right between OUE Bayfront and the Fullerton Bay Hotel, it is easy enough and the place has a clear vantage point of the bayfront. 
 
Previously Monti only opened from 5pm to serve the dinner crowd. However, they have recently introduced their Sunday Longest Brunch buffet. It runs from 12-3pm and starts  $98 to $128 (with drinks) and $148 (free flow Prosecco). 

Unlike your usual buffet with all stations set up for you to help yourself, only the salad bar, soup and dessert stations are set up DIY. The majority of items on the western-style brunch menu requires orders to be placed, but there's no restriction on quantity with the exception of the starter seafood table. I appreciate this, as it ensures a better quality of food. 


Menu

 The menu is a 3 pager galore. There's the usual brunch favourites of eggs, to more filling items such as meat-centred pieces and pastas. For appetisers, a selection of cold cuts, seafood and cheese are available.
  



 Seafood Platter 
 
Limited to one per table. It was a very generous serving made up of Alaskan king crab, oysters, salmon sashimi, tuna tataki, mussels, clams and cooked tiger prawns. 

 In particular, the Alaskan king crab was fresh with a light sweetness, which was surprising as I enjoyed this more than I thought I'd. The last time I had it (for a first time), at a restaurant - it wasn't very memorable. In retrospect, this platter is already half the bang for the buck, knowing how priced Alaskan king crabs are. 

 Nothing to pick on for the rest on the platter as well, as they were all of a decent quality.

Next up was the cold cut platter. Again, nothing to pick at. My favourites were the prosciutto, salame and pork rillette. The thinly sliced prosciutto hasd a slightly nuanced, savoury nutty flavour with a buttery smooth texture. The salame (italian cured sausage) hails from France apparently, and this could be attributed to it being less salty than we expected. I'm not a usual person for sausages (cured or normal), but this was really good in its depth of flavour and aroma without being too salty.
 
 The pork rillette had that edge over the duck rillette, as the combination of pork fat and meat was just right, providing aroma without being too oily.
Cacio Pepe E Tartufo 
  

The main highlight, even among the other good dishes, has to be the Risotto, prepared live by the table-side in a flaming Parmesan cheese wheel no less. This is the piéce de résistance, consisting of Cacio e Pepe (italian for salt and pepper), black truffle and grated parmesan cheese.





Every plump grain is enveloped in the creamy cheese-truffle blanket. The black truffle, is truffle oil aroma concentrated 5x without the oiliness, but with that thin, slightly brittle texture that is a good contrast to the mushy rice. Most of us wiped out every grain.


The Ribeye Steak is apparently one of Monti's main course signatures (on the ala carte menu) and understandably so. It was done to a nice medium rare as we requested. The meat was juicy within and flavourful, with a slight smokiness of the exterior.

One thing I (and all the rest) appreciated was that the portion was for one, which means that you can have it and still have enough space to try other dishes.

Charcoal Grilled Iberico Pork Jowl


What was best about this was the slightly charred flavour on the exterior. The cut of pork is a balanced mix between skinny and fat. We found the pork slightly chewy - maybe that slight bit overcooked, but still great in flavour.

I didn't try the Prawn Bowl, but the barbequed aroma was 
luring. Heard from my dining companion that this was great with its barbecued flavour and prawn cooked to just the right degree. The Foie Gras on Toast, which I missed out on, also seemed fantastic as well.

DIY Pasta


As part of the brunch, we got to pick a maximum of 4 toppings from a bewildering 20 selections and 6 cooking styles for your pasta...you get the idea. They do 4 kinds of pasta - even the less common orecchiette (ear pasta).
 

We went with the aglio olio tagliatelle. The pasta was al dente, but we thought it could use a bit more chilli and garlic for the aglow olio flavours to be more pronounced. That said, the kurobuta sausage, was a great pick as a topping for the pasta, as it was savoury without being overly salty. The meat retains its succulent quality.

Brunch Items


The Eggs Benedict covered in a blanket of hollandaise flowed generously on cue with a cut. What really stood out for the crisp, caramelised bacon that was pronounced in its smokiness without being too salty. Well-executed. 


Next up was the French Toast with honey cinnamon mascarpone cheese, fresh berries and caramelised again. It was eggy on the outside, but I found myself secretly hoping it could be more soaked with the egg within, .



 Dessert

For dessert, there is a variety of 9 desserts laid out. 

Among these, the Struffoli, an Italian dessert of golden chewy fried dough - reminiscent of our 'you tiao' (Chinese dough fritters) -was surprisingly a favourite, despite its simplicity. You can help yourself with the dousing of honey or Nutella on it. 

The tiramisu was also well-executed, with the sponge base not too soggy and still retaining the trace of liqueur without being overwhelming or overly sweet. 

Overall, Monti's longest Sunday brunch at $90++ pp (without drinks)/$120++(with non-alcoholic drinks) may appear steep, but it is great value for money for that occasional treat, considering that there's premium items such as black truffle, Alaskan king crab and foie gras for your own helping. If you can help it, try everything. 


Directions
Monti can be reached by crossing the linkway from The Arcade, which is right by Raffles Place MRT. and spot that newly-introduced longest Sunday brunch at Fullerton Pavilion.

Many thanks to Monti for the tasting invite. 

 Monti Singapore
82 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049213
Sunday Brunch: 12pm - 3pm
Tel: 6535 0724

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