When it comes to seaside dining experience, I tend to think of expensive and generic food that tends to play second fiddle to the ambience. But I am happily proven wrong during my recent visit to Atmosphere bistro which has revamped its menu to offer new Asian fusion dishes that more than pleases the eye.
The western-centric menu remains casual but the quality has definitely gone up notches since my last visit. Starting with the Garlic Butter Mussels ($14.80), the whole shell blue mussels were plump and fresh, with an aromatic garlic butter cream sauce that is perfect for mopping up with the crispy roti prata. Many dishes have become more instagram-worthy but thankfully they are not short of flavors. For instance, the Lava Cheese Burger ($24.80) is something you might want to reward yourself with after sweating out at East Coast Park. Beneath the toasted Brioche Buns is an evil stack of deep fried Camembert Cheese that oozes while your knife cuts through to the beef patty.
Just like the Waffle Burger ($21.80), the beef patty here was slightly too mushy and thus my vote goes to the Mentaiko Pull Pork Burger ($24.80) as the moist pork is more easygoing on the palates and the bed of shredded carrots worked like a refreshing coleslaw that added pleasant acidity to the dish.
Fusion is no longer confusion here with the Mentaiko Waffle Pizza ($16.80) serving as another good example. The tender buttermilk waffle isn't those crispy types but that's not a bad thing at all. Together with the Pork Bratwurst Sausages, Mentaiko Mayo, pineapples, cheese and bonito flakes, this is a sweet-savory combination that resembled a Hawaiian Pizza but hundred times better than one. The Premium Seafood Rice Bowl ($24.80) is my another favorite dish that comes with plenty fresh seafood like scallops and cod fish atop of premium Japanese rice. The garlic butter sauce did not overpower the natural sweetness of the seafood and this serves as a good break from the monotony of western dishes.Considering the quality ingredients here, this is a value-for-money dish not to be missed.
Desserts are given a serious makeover here and one should definitely not miss the Black Pearl ($16.80). Even though the idea of pouring hot sauce over chocolate sphere is nothing new, the chocolate is potent and the intense rum punches through the sweetness. I was teleported to cloud nine. The Matcha Lava Cake ($14.80) was too sweet while I preferred the Coconut Cheesy Toast ($14.80) to have more Gula Melaka to balance out the rich Mozarella Cheese. But overall with the major improvements in food, this bistro certainly offers more than just the "atmosphere"
Monday to Thursday: 6pm to 12am
Friday and Eve of Public Holiday: 6pm to 1am
Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday: 10.30am to 1am
* Closing time subjected to change for LIVE sport screenings
