SINGAPORE — Modern decor by award-winning interior design firm — check. Live stations — check. Big name chef — check. It seems the people behind InterContinental Singapore’s Ash & Elm went all the way out to inject all the trendiest elements of a popular restaurant into it.

The 150-seat restaurant is a far cry from its predecessor, Olive Tree, which was the hotel’s buffet restaurant for the past two decades. Gone are the warm, rustic and homey tones; design firm FBEYE has made it sleek and sexy with dark wood details and marble worktops. In the evening, the restaurant is bathed in hues of pink, blue and purple emanating from the hand-cut crystal chandeliers.

Within this space are three “culinary theatres”: A handsome charcuterie and cheese room holding some two dozen varieties of cured meats and seafood, and 10 types of cheeses; a wood-fired oven for breads and dishes such as lobster Thermidor; and an open-grill kitchen. With no behind-the-scenes kitchen supporting these spaces, these are where all the dishes are prepared, so you can literally watch how every course is made if you are so-inclined. There is also a dessert counter where sweets are finished. At the helm is executive sous chef Philippe Duc, previously the executive chef of SPOON by Alain Ducasse at InterContinental Hotel in Hong Kong.

These all come together to make Ash & Elm, named for the restaurant’s use of wood in the cooking process, a promising stage for some posh nosh. The Ash & Elm platter (S$24 for small, S$42 for large), comprising of a mix of imported and house-made items — such as house-cured beef pastrami and house-smoked pork loin — is a recommended starter.

The meaty medley, however, paled in comparison to a toasty pumpkin and bacon flat bread (S$18), served straight out of the wood-fired oven. Crusty yet chewy, and topped with a balanced mix of pumpkin chunks, bacon pieces, shavings of parmigiano reggiano and dollops of mascarpone, and finished with a scattering of pumpkin seeds and a dusting of nutmeg, this is a wonderfully moreish dish, perfect even as a meal on its own.

The carnivore in you will enjoy a sharing platter consisting of 300g USDA New York striploin, 200g Australian rib-eye and 250g French bavette d’aloyau (flap steak). However, at S$108, this tasting platter makes a well-priced feast. The steaks are grilled and finished over a charcoal fire fed with Manuka woodchips, and though we could not really taste the smoky edge that was promised, each piece was cooked to a precise medium rare and showcased the distinct flavour and texture of the cut. The dish is further augmented by complementary sauces, such as a robust and intensely flavoured “natural jus” that added an umami hit to every bite.

Another crowd-pleaser is a dish of sous-vide-then-grilled corn-fed chicken from France (S$29). The breast meat is tender and is served with such thoughtfully executed sides as creamy polenta, lightly grilled sweet corn finished with bacon and mushroom sauce that almost threatens to steal the show.

The recommended dessert is a chocolate-hazelnut “pizza” (S$24) — a chocolate brioche smothered with dark, milk and white chocolate, and topped with pralines and marshmallows. Though also from the wood-fired oven, this lacks the smoky, crusty edge of its savoury counterpart and can come across as heavy and doughy. If you want a lighter end to your meal, go for the seasonal souffle (S$15) or a lemon tart with yuzu curd served with mandarin orange reduction and yuzu sorbet (S$14). KOH YUEN LIN

Ash & Elm

Where: Level 1 InterContinental Singapore, 80 Middle Road. Telephone: 6825 1008. Opening hours: A la carte lunch noon to 3pm daily; dinner 6pm to 10.30pm daily; semi-buffet lunch noon to 2pm on Mondays to Fridays. Afternoon tea served from 2.30pm to 6pm daily