Top of the M: Curtain Call

21st December 2007

"So are you gonna tell me where you're bringing me for dinner yet?" she asked.

I teased her a little longer and skirted her question, holding her hand and guiding her into the all-too-familiar Meritus Mandarin.

"Top of the M?!" she exclaimed, in a semi-cackling and semi-cracking manner, perhaps knowing roughly what to expect from a previous entry she read.

"Actually darling, you can choose to dine in anyone of the 6 restaurants here," I said, breaking the silence of the ascent, "but I would highly advise you to choose the Top of the M."

"Why?" she asked.

The lift came to a halt as the doors opened and we exited into the familiar Observation Lounge. We made our way up the slightly spiraling staircase and were guided to our reserved table, under warm candlelight and Christmas-decor to top it off.

"I can feel the rotation," was the first thing that she said upon sitting down, obviously referring to the subtle rotation of the floor beneath us. I felt a sense of Deja Vu come over me as I saw a mirror of my initial reaction from an alternate perspective.

Deja Vu

"How long does it take for the restaurant to rotate 1 whole round?" she asked, while we waited for the our food to arrive.

"Hmm, 1 or 2 hours, I think." I answered, realizing that I have never really paid attention to the rate at which the skyline changes as the restaurant rotated. I looked out of the window, keeping silent for a moment. I've always loved viewing the Night Scene from a vantage point, and the 360 degree panoramic view only served as the frosted-icing on the cake to the bright Christmas-lit landscape of Orchard Road below.

Thought is Sexy

The moments of silent pondering were promptly interrupted with the arrival of the usual appetizer, the oven-baked Escargots. As always, the herbal aroma of the Escargots were immediately-alluring from the very moment it was served. And it was indeed a joy to be able to introduce and share the tantalizing taste of the 6 vineyard snails with the lovely company.

"I know it's a little hard to try to imagine that you are eating a snail, as in 1 of those things that you see crawling on the ground. But trust me, these are no ordinary snails, these are specially- bred vineyard snails," I told her, as I fed her the first bite. She bit the bait, and instantly, from the look in her eyes, I could tell that she was convinced.

The main courses arrived at the table in their piping-hot splendour. "You know, darling, Venison is probably the closest that you can get to beef, without 'losing fortune'," I said cheekily, making a subtle innuendo about her family's religious belief against the consumption of beef.

"Mmm, it's really nice," she said, ignoring my comment and proceeding to cut me a slice. I put the Venison into my mouth, chewing on a slab of tender medium-grilled meat with a tinge of Cranberry sauce. The unique taste of the meat and fruit elements fell right in line with my pre-notion of wild and rather exotic taste of French Cuisine.

But the real sleeper-hit came on the plate of my main course, the Roast Duck. "You know darling, Duck at the Restaurant is DAMN different from your normal coffee-shop duck," I recalled telling her when she was giving me the look of skepticism about my choice of the main course while we were placing our orders.

And my point was more that proven with my choice. The medium-roasted duck meat was a perfect balance of tenderness and firmness, proving to be just nice for my personal taste. The skin on the outside was perfectly roasted, not straying too far from the texture of the fabled Peking Duck, while the Tomato Paste on the top helped to take away some of the usual smell; adding up to a killer combination that still had me salivating for more long after I was done with the dish.

"Mmm, you're right, it really is DAMN different, it's like 2 totally different kinds of meat," she said.

"Good evening sir, would you like to hear any particular song?" said 1 of the trio of mobile musicians, as he came to our table, through a distinctively foreign accent.

"Do you have any song in mind, darling?" I asked her, staring straight into her blank face and lost eyes.

Sensing that I was not going to get an answer anytime soon, I prompted the musician, "How about 'Love will Keep us Alive' by the Eagles?"

"'Love will Keep us Alive'? A very nice song, sir." He replied.

The classic guitar solo started as the pitch perfect vocals of the trio rolled in and serenaded the lyrics of one of the most classic love songs of all time (some might argue that the lyrics are exaggerated and such, but then again, isn't that what the classic love songs are all about?). Her eyes shifted from side to side, sensing that all the attention was on our table, her cheeks were rather tense as she tried to hold her emotions down.

Much Better Singers than I am

I grabbed her hand under the warm candlelight, and amidst the beautiful lyrics and the haunting melody, I mouthed two words, "Happy Birthday," as I felt the muscles in her delicate hand relax and her tensed facial muscles crack up into melting into a gentle smile.

Evidence of Romance

"So, now are you convinced that I'm charmingly romantic?" I asked her cheekily.

"I've told you before, it's actually quite easy to tell that you can be romantic if you want to," she said.

"Is it really THAT obvious? I seriously wonder why." I said, as the Seven Sins graced us. The Seven Sins was a supreme indulgence to say the least. An assortment of 7 different kinds of chocolate desserts, it would be more than enough to overload the tastebuds (and sweet teeth) of 2 with its amazingly rich flavours. Fortunately, we both were choco-holics and we entire relished the 7 uniquely different flavours of chocolates on the platter.

Seven Sins: More than Aptly Named

"You know darling, I know that you said that you almost always get a cake every year on your birthday. But well, I didn't get a cake for you, but I can at least offer you a candle to blow out," I said, after the dessert.

"So make a wish and blow," I said, grinning idiotically as I pushed the candle on the table top towards her.

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, really," I said, continuing to beckon her.

Makeshift Wishes

"2 hours," I said. As I signaled to the waiter for the bill.

"Huh?" she said.

"2 hours is how long it took for 1 entire rotation," I told her, as the waiter came over.

"Is it true that you will be renovating after the New Year?" I asked the waiter, as I was signing the bill.

"Yes," he said. "31st is our last day, and we will be having this big Gala Dinner and Masquerade Party."

"So what is going to happen to this place after that then?" I probed further.

"Oh, this place is going to become the Chatterbox, at least for the next 2 years. The plan after that is to bring back the French Cuisine, with Vietnamese Cuisine 2 years later," he patiently explained.

"It's a pity, I will really miss the French Cuisine here," I said.

"Thank you, sir." He replied.

Black on Black

As we made our way out of the restaurant, I was reflecting on the words that I had just said some moments back. It was an understatement to say that I would miss the French Cuisine, or rather, it was an understatement to say that I would miss the French Cuisine alone; because I would miss so much more about the place than the award-winning French Cuisine. I would miss the candle-lit ambience, the serenading musicians, the revolving landscape, the fragrant Escargots, the Seven Sins... I would miss the Memories, all the memories that were forged in that very place... I would miss it all.

Christmas Cool

But when it's all said and done, there is at least one thing that I can take solace in. And that is the fact that before the Curtain Call of this brilliant and extravagant award-winning French Restaurant, I managed to make one last memory that counts, one more meaningful memory to have, to hold, to share and to reflect upon... and there probably is no better way for the Curtain to fall than with a final stand and a haunting finale.

Reflection