Welcome to Tanjong Pagar.

And for our veggies, we got their Brussels Sprouts ($16). Utterly sinful tasting yet with a nett carbs amounting to 6g, the plate was loaded with sweet sprouts, sausage crumbs, diced burnt peppers, mint, and a pool of chorizo sabayon. The key element here is the vibrant sauce which was tantalizingly savoury and delivering an almost cheesy flavour that I really enjoyed. The meaty flavour of the crumbs also adding some heartiness to the greens.

The star of the show was none other than their Calamari ($24). Accentuating the flavour of the fresh seafood, the bed of Zhug (a green sauce made with peppers, coriander, garlic, and various spices) was aromatic and pleasantly spicy, giving the dish that oomph factor. The chunks of calamari were well-executed too with its texture being chewy-soft and supple. Oh, and that layer of chorizo fat being the icing on the cake.

Joining the slew of restaurants offering up keto-friendly dishes here in Singapore, Persea’s low-carb menu features mostly Mediterranean flavours that I found to be pretty unique and crowd-pleasing. To start, we had the Chicharrónes ($6) which were seasoned with chilli lime salt. Light and airy, the puffed pork skins were not oily at all and a fun snack with the delicate savouriness of the salt.

Speaking of cake, if you are into cheese platters, save space for their Rosemary Basque Cheesecake ($16). Not to be confused with the cheesecakes we are used to; their variation is a savoury cheese platter presented in the familiar dessert form. Strong on the blue cheese, the cake also includes cream cheese, camembert and I detected a light whiff of rum. And like a cheese board, served alongside were some biscuits and blueberry compote to helps cut through the richness. Hence, proceed with caution for people that don’t really like blue cheese or those looking for some sweets.

I sat down then the waiter asked me if I wanted still water or sparkling water... maybe he said it was bottled but I don’t remember hearing it or it was so soft because of the mask... then it came in a glass bottle, I thought it was just one of those restaurants that put water into bottles to serve...

But when I get the bill, apparently the water was $8. 😡 I was not told it was extra charge, and it was not told to me after I told them I wanted to order with Burpple, with is an excuse the server made saying he told me it was a bottled drink and I only told him I was using burpple when I ordered, while he came over to say sorry for charging us for $8 water.

Another waiter, before that waiter came over to apologise, was like if we say still water than it’s not tap water and of course would be from Italy or something. I really had nothing to say, I understand if I heard it wrong, but like if you ask if we want drinks and you say still or sparkling water, would I not assume still water is not sparkling and so is like tap water? Or is it just me?

And they didn’t even write off the charge of the water, which I didn’t know was chargeable, which they could have told me after I ordered with burpple instead of giving me the bill and saying they didn’t know because I told them I want water before telling them I have burpple 😡

I’m going to be paranoid for life whenever a waiter comes to ask me if I want water after sitting down, I need to ask if it’s a bottled water that is chargeable at $8 🤦🏻‍♀️

Loved every dish we ordered. What a culinary experience!

Although the fried rice was merely average, the pork cutlets were an absolute delight - thick slices of juicy pork enveloped with a crispy batter. What surprised me as well was the very reasonable price of the dish (approx $11 or less). Definitely value for money.

Thick tonkotsu broth, with slices of tender pork cheek, black garlic oil and topped with roasted crispy garlic chips. Overall, a very hearty and satisfying bowl of ramen noodles at approx $13.

A shout out to their staff as well. Although they seemed a little short-handed, their service was really warm and friendly once you get their attention.

Will most definitely return for more. 😋

Have been coming here quite often and I really love the selection of tea. I feel healthy here too 😋

Portions were waaaay bigger than other omakase places. Many exotic sashimi and even the highest grade beef was served. Amazing. Super worth!

Dalgona latte was pricey. Probably will stick to regular coffee latte. For insta and ambience, definitely yes.

Let's talk about the pros
The food is tasty. The sauce is delicious.
It's really value for money. The portions are generous. They gave a piece of salmon, 2 pieces of white fish, 2 prawns a scallop and 2 pieces of veggie. Within that bowl. On top of that the small chawamushi is done perfectly, the side dish of pickled cabbage is decent and a bowl of decent miso soup. The quality is quite good.

The cons
The rice is abit hard,
The food is fried on the spot but you got to eat it fast because it can turn soggy quickly. I would like to suggest giving the option of serving the sauce and fried foods separately. But I think that might also give the staff more work to do.

Overall I think this place is worth eating. I am already getting tasty, large portions at this price. It would be too much to keep asking for more frills.

This is singapore, it isn't Japan so I do know that the staff need to work within limitations especially in times of covid-19.