Unauthorized

On a recent, quick trip through Singapore, I dug through the Hedonist's Gazette archive looking for restaurants to try, and it didn't take long for me to call Iggy's for a reservation. Labeled the best restaurant in Singapore and located on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel, just off Orchard Road, Iggy's was created in 2004 by Sommelier Ignatius Chan, whose resume includes a who's who of top restaurants and wine estates. Today, he continues to head up the service and wine program, with the food made by Chef Masahiro Isono and the young, yet incredibly talented Alan Au functioning as the head Sommelier.

While the closed, windowless room certainly lacks some ambiance, the restaurant has an intimate feel, the service is impeccable, and the wine list is rock solid, with a deeper selection outside of Bordeaux and Burgundy than just about any other restaurant I visited. The food is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional that satisfies on pretty much every level. The standard salad is almost more of a feast for the eyes than the mouth and includes over 30 different types of lettuces and petals. The nitrogen infused shredded cheese gave it a distinctly modern feel.

A small pasta course was perfectly done and certainly noteworthy, but the main course of Hungarian Pork with mushrooms was the star of the show and had incredible depth of flavor. Growing up on a farm in Indiana where we routinely butchered hogs every year and ate our fair share of Pork, I can say it's rare to find authentic pork flavor these days; but this dish delivered it in spades!

As to the wine, a bottle of Jean Louis Chave's 2011 Hermitage Blanc went perfectly with the entire meal. A more elegant white from this estate, it offered classic crushed rock like minerality to go with plenty of honeysuckle, white flowers and stone fruit nuances. Rich, layered, textured and still always fresh and lively on the palate, it made me consider again if Hermitage Blanc (or St Joseph Blanc and St Peray for that matter) isn't one of the most underrated wines on the planet. Sommelier Alan Au commented on the difficulty in getting people to try Rhône whites due to a perceived oxidative quality, but I think the quality has never been higher and it's simply a matter of putting the wines in front of people with the right food. While I didn't need more wine, I ordered a glass of Roger Sabon's 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve to go with the pork loin (the Chave worked just fine as well). Showing a charming, forward, if not mid-weight style, it still has tons of Provencal charm in its garrigue, licorice and assorted Grenache laced fruit. I wouldn't push the aging curve too much on this, but it certainly has the balance to evolve nicely through 2021. All in all, this was a terrific meal and I'd happily return.