Avg price: $40
For smart plates in a homey setting
The rundown
Tucked away in Thomson V Two, this new Muslim-owned restaurant used to be an online food delivery service. They now serve smart plates inspired by modern European, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines, and are committed to using only fresh produce. In short, the food is eclectic, but delicious!
The vibe
Sleek yet homey, the concrete-centric space sees an open kitchen, with a good number of tables that fit groups of four to six very well. This is a place good for gatherings, as well as family meals. While the food is smart, the vibes are relaxed, so feel free to rock up in your jeans and sneakers. These guys have a set firing system in place — they only start cooking mains after all the starters are out — so don’t expect to dine in a rush. Take your time, pace yourself and enjoy a leisure meal. You’ll be well taken care of by the pleasant front of house team.
What’s good
We appreciate that the prices here are kept affordable (most starters and mains are in the $13 to $25 range) and that portion sizes, especially the starters, are hearty. And true to their brand promise, the food is modern with some really interesting flavour combinations.
Chef-owner Wahidah Jumahat shares that her recipes come from her mother, but feature her own modern, innovative tweaks. We really enjoyed our starter of Ghost Chicken ($12.50), which sees spiced rubbed chicken thigh smartened up with chicken granola (uh huh!), avocado puree, burnt leeks, saffron cauliflower puree and scallion oil. It’s elegant, creamy and delicious, and great for sharing.
As for mains, we like the Saffron Prawn Risotto ($22.50), which comes with mushrooms, blistered heirloom tomatoes, fried mussels, chimichurri and tiger prawns. The spot on flavours absolutely justify why this is a firm favourite; if only the rice was more al dente. We wish we had more tummy space to try some other dishes that caught our eye, such as the In the Sea ($16.50), a starter of charred octopus; Got Beef ($23.50), a main of sous-vide and pan-seared sirloin; and the nostalgic sounding Childhood Memories ($16.50) dessert that combines butterscotch sauce with aerated vanilla sponge cake, kacang putih crumbs, Ovaltine gelato and coffee mousse. Tell us if you’ve tried any of these!
Read what the community says about GASTRONOMAD and check out more newly places here!
