The Naked Finn @ Gillman Barracks

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Lunch at The Naked Finn was harder to coordinate so we made do with their dinner which apparently showcases their expertise in seafood. After my first blunder that saw me booking a table on the wrong day, I finally got things right for a weekend table.

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Choose from their ala carte menu or set dinners for two and four. We decided to go ahead with the set menu that featured their bestsellers and also our first run in with them - the prices of the dishes ala carte added up to $135, $3 shy of the $138 price tag. To which, they responded that in the set there are 2 portions of sea scallops and fewer smaller in size tiger prawns.

So why the lack of honesty to the average diner? If we did not clarify, we would never know. Just a heads up for future diners. And, risk getting mosquitoes intruding your meal - I had two hovering and one sucking my blood before it met its deadly end.


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Kang kong
Blanched, tossed in kalamansi juice and fried shallot olive oil, chilled

I liked the pleasant tangyness of this chilled kang kong dish, a refreshing asian twist to the otherwise western concept of salads.


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Wild-caught baby Indian squid (Uroteuthis duvauceli)
Grilled on cast iron griddle with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil

Smokey chewy pieces that would go really well with beer. It reminded me of the teochew steamed baby squids with a dash of lime, except these were grilled.

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Piquant vermicelli
Blanched, tossed in special sauces, chilled

Suddenly, rice vermicelli became so upmarket with this version - with two cold dishes on the table, it was becoming almost like one of those thaw and eat meals. I liked it enough to replicate it at home but probably not pay for it here again.

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Life saver condiments.

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Wild-caught New Zealand littleneck (Austrovenus stutchburyi)
Flambéed in white wine, drizzled with fish sauce and fried shallot olive oil

Finally something that was fresh and worth mentioning, I loved these juicy little necks. They were bursting with flavours, I felt we could slurp up at least 20 each of these without feeling a tad guilty.


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Giant Pacific sea scallop (Patinopecten caurinus)
Lightly-grilled with sea salt, fried garlic and shallot olive oil


This was the controversial course of 4 scallops valued at $52 - given 2 scallops are $26. Given that there was no mention that these were larger or smaller than the ala carte order, I can only assume they are same sized regardless an ala carte or set menu order.

Fresh these are, but no different from the same dressing as the littlenecks. Delicious, I may just beg to differ with a hefty price tag and I have eaten yummier ones at even half the price elsewhere. At this point, we felt shortchanged and hoped the rest of the meal more than made up for this.

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Locally-farmed barramundi (Lates calcariferfillet from Kühlbarra
 Pan-fried in olive oil, finished with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil

At least the portions for barramundi made some sense, two chunks for both of us - crispy edges with a crispfried skin that sent me ripping it off to eat like a snack. While I thought the flesh was reasonably soft, the husband thought it was overcooked. Very simple seasoning used, infact.

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Farmed giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon)
Flambéed in white wine, garlic and herbs

And the meal came to an abrupt halt with 4 tiger prawns, sweet I must admit but that was just it.

Correction, there were more than 4 tiger prawns consumed, my bad to The Naked Finn for the error. So yes, sweet and really fresh prawns.

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Thoughtful wet wipes, however. 

None of the dishes stood out for the prices charged, we would have eaten better renditions elsewhere and I'm sorry The Naked Finn, the journey for both of us ends here. Nothing that a pretty green wall could save.

The Naked Finn
39 Malan Road

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