The integrated resorts have welcomed plenty of guests for quite a while now, and you’d think that it would mean they’ve ironed out all the kinks to ensure that operations are smooth.
Damian and I went to MBS last night, to have dinner at Ku De Ta with his parents and some guests.
Let me first start by saying that the bloody hotel is rocking. When we arrived at the lobby, I could have sworn that there were at least 10 cars and taxis alighting people, or trying to get to the carpark. It was a right mess. And once you’ve walked through the main doors, you look up and go “hmmmm. wow.”. Until you have to walk right to the last tower where the lifts are.
After reports about how Ku De Ta is apparently exclusive – daring to charge a premium cover charge of $50 with no drinks if you’re headed to the club – perhaps I had expected too much from them. I thought there’d be a separate lift that brings guests to Ku De Ta, and another to take other guests to the SkyPark. The moment we went to the correct lobby to take the lift to the 57th where Ku De Ta (and the rest of the SkyPark) is, we were each given a “pass” that would permit us entry to the restaurant. Can I just say that it was incredibly tacky? A fancy-smancy restaurant that has to hand out a (very cheaply printed) card – not exactly the classiest. Lines weren’t even cut straight, and it was clearly re-used; when we got out of the lift, a staff member collected the cards from us and pointed us to where the restaurant was – all this while other guests from the pool were walking past us to get to the lifts (the lobby is damn psychedelic and colours were clearly plucked from discos-70s and the rainbow), and others who were in the same lift as us exited to the right to get to the SkyPark. I should also add that the route leading to the restaurant was pretty grey and dull!
Maybe it was the haze that clouded my judgement and vision – literally – but when we got to the restaurant, it didn’t really get any better. Our seats were outside at the deck and we had to walk through half of the restaurant, pass the restaurant’s service area and the kitchen doors just to get to the outer deck. When we finally sat down, the first thing I felt was that the seats were way too low for a dinner. It was great for lounging around for tea, but to sit and have a meal, not the most ideal. See what I mean when I said it didn’t get better? As our dinner reservation was at 9.30pm, it was dark and because of the ambience that they’ve created, the only light we got was candlelight from tea-lights in three very nicely carved (plastic) holders. No way we could have read the menu in that kind of setting, but thanks to Energizer clipped on book-lights we did. 
Okay, everyone is dying to know about the food. What caught me by surprise is its dining concept; at the first page of the menu, it says that the menu was designed for sharing, or better known as communal sharing, and that food would be served in a continuous flow, a la colds first, warms later, desserts last. Communal sharing? I don’t remember that in Bali’s Ku De Ta… and it sounds very similar to 1-Altitude’s dining concept, no? But anyhows, the food was generally good – presentation was excellent, temperature was right, meats were done very nicely. My only problem again was the lighting; with allergies you sometimes need to make sure you know what exactly you’re having because you really don’t fancy an episode of bowl-hugging after a nice dinner. And true enough, there were shrooms in at least two dishes we ordered.
Here’s what I liked at Ku De Ta – sorry there aren’t any pictures, it was way too dark for any photos and the flash would’ve bleached the pix:
- Crisp – Crispy-sticky baby squid
- Crisp – Jumbo softshell crab
- Fish & Seafood – Bamboo-roasted black cod in red miso
- Poultry & Meat – Berkshire pork belly steamed with shaoxing wine
- Poultry & Meat – Honey-miso glazed roast Australian lamb sirloin
- Poultry & Meat – Simple salt-grilled Australian wagyu porterhouse
- Rice/Noodle/Soup – Hand-made Japanese udon, wok-fried with sambal
Of the lot, the cod, pork belly and the wagyu rocked my socks. The desserts didn’t really match expectations, so let’s not mention anything.
Bringing me to my next point – service.
I know for a fact that service staff basically make or break a restaurant, an office or a name. I must applaud Ku De Ta’s staff for being very attentive, efficient and they’re definitely a good bunch. To the extent that when they were switching shifts at 11pm, she came up to inform us that her colleague will be taking care of our table. The assigning of each section to a particular staff worked well and almost everytime we put up our hands for something, they’re ready to help. The only thing lacking, I felt, was that no one asked about allergies when we placed our orders, especially when allergies are on the rise. But then again, it could just be me…
Another thing I felt lacking was the availability of Ku De Ta merchandise, unlike in Bali where they had music and such available for purchase.
I guess there are both the good and the bad at Ku De Ta. I must say that the club looked great, excluding the many hookers in the very white environment! It’s a great concept, although I’m not sure I’d like to party there, and I can only imagine how humid and stuffy it could get, especially in tropical Singapore. Plus, I don’t know if I’d be able to deal with swirling colours and hues at the psychedelic lift lobby after a rough night…
On the whole, it was a good experience, but it’s not something that needs to be repeated.
