H O S T E D
Opening at 109 Rowell Road on 6th July is “Sideways”.
It occupies the corner shophouse unit closest to Jalan Besar, and has a vibe that’s effortlessly (and genuinely) cool. Think exposed brick walls, hand-made concrete top tables blended tastefully with some of the original fixtures and structure.
Taking pride of place in the kitchen is a huge rosewood timber-burning oven that was built by co-owner and chef Pav and Ali, his right-hand man. It is used to bake all their breads and cook most of their dishes apart from the steak. By the way, Pav also happens to own one of my favourite cafes - The Hangar on Arab Street.
You can tell both he and his partner for this venture, Giulia, share a huge appetite for life and of course, good food. Honestly, their enthusiasm in making and serving food they love to eat themselves is palpable. Fortunately they have the chops to deliver the goods. Take these dips for example, which I couldn’t stop eating. They are (from top down): Smoked eggplant & peppers, black bean hummus, and a mint and feta. With torn pieces of the wonderfully smoky housemade sourdough, I dug deep and long into each, scooping up as much of the dips as they could hold. If forced to choose, I’d say the mint and feta was the one I liked most as it’s aromatic, bright and lively. Plus it has a subtle crunchiness from the addition of chopped roasted nuts.