The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar

H O S T E D

Having dined there several times before, The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar is a place I know very well. So when Gastrosense PR agency invited me for a media tasting of their seasonal lunch set menu, I readily agreed as I’ve always enjoyed the food, ambience and service there.

A few items from the wide selection of appetisers, mains and desserts were picked for us to try, starting with a very appetising Hamachi Salad. What made this substantial starter of thickly-cut, lightly-cured fish with avocado, mixed seeds and lettuce stand out for me was the dressing. It’s far from typical as it featured a warmed grapeseed oil poured over chipotle, Korean chilli powder, ground cumin, ground fennel and anatto seeds.

I was delighted to find my favourite Samosas offered as a choice of appetiser. Crispy of skin and generously filled with moist, tasty minced chicken (it’s a mix of thigh and breast), they came with a cool cilantro yogurt dip.

If you like soups, do give the Butternut Squash Minestrone a try as it is more complex than the ones out there due to a mellow heat from fresh chili. The sourdough croutons, sautéed in olive oil and seasoned with salt before being dropped in, were a nice touch.

I have never, ever dined at this restaurant and not ordered the Calamari with foamy Yuzu Dip. Loved how light and crunchy the coating was like always.

For the mains, we tried a seafood, two kinds of meat and a pasta.

The Sea Trout - a sesame seed-encrusted fillet plated with blanched spinach, sautéed potatoes, passionfruit purée and black olive oil that came away in nice, large flakes, was light and lovely.

Between the Veal Milanese with sweet potato, dried cranberry and arugula and the Borrowdale Free Range Pork, I preferred the latter as it had a heftier bite and was accompanied by tasty stewed peppers. But the former is ideal for those of you who enjoy your meat with a bright salad.

The vegetarian Fresh Tagliatelle with Pistachio Pesto and Roasted Brussels is something I‘d order again anytime. It had great depth of flavour and a subtle kick from Thai green chillies.

We got to try all four desserts and even though the classic Salted Caramel Ice-cream Sundae delivered in every way, I was distracted by the newer creations. My fave was the Chestnut Panna Cotta with Mandarin Coulis - it’s something different and truly scrumptious. The Cinnamon Apple Cake with Macadamia Nut Crumble rivalled it but call me old-fashioned, I would prefer vanilla ice-cream instead of the green apple sorbet. The Strawberry Sundae with Kaffir Lime Meringue really wow-ed me as well, especially the ice-cream bit.

Priced at $38++ and $42++ for 2 and 3 courses respectively, with top-ups required for certain dishes, the new Weekday Lunch Set is yet another reason to visit the beautiful Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar more often.

Even though I had quite a lot of pasta the night before, I still nursed a craving for more. So for my main course, I zeroed in on the “Fresh Tagliatelle with Clams, Chilli and Parsley”.
Besides being really Instagrammable, I found the dish beguilingly tasty. The flavour profile of the perfectly al dente pasta struck me as being light and fresh at first, especially with those soft-cooked sweet tomatoes, but the heat from tiny chillies crept in like stealthy ninjas, creating an even more mouthwatering bowl of pasta.

✨: best for brunch! Great place to come for a cute brunch date or even to meet up with someone you haven’t seen in ages. It’s one of those every-occasion kinds of places. We’ve also done a couple massive group brunches here (like 15 people) and it’s always fun. Took the second pic from @thedempseycookhouseandbar.sg to give you an idea of layout.
☕️: amazing coffee
🍴: love the burger with Brie and truffle mayo (+ great fries), truffle pizza, and calamari. Crispy salmon sushi is a requirement!! .
🧁: pancakes with ice cream 😈
💰: $$
❗️: reservation required .
⏱: opens at 11:30 for brunch on weekends. Gogogogogo
📍: 17 Dempsey Road

Sometimes it seems like truffle is ok EVERYTHING right? There are times when the truffle essence is light or not really necessary. This is not one of those times; this truffle pizza ($36) is a perfect use of truffles. The pungent flavor meets its match with fontina and they create a wonderful creamy consistency. The crust is also light and crispy.
This is the pizza to eat on cheat days, treat yourself days, and when you want all the carbs. It’s one of my favorite dishes in Singapore and so worth it.

Beautifully cooked octopus (S$27) with a refreshing fennel and herb salad. There is the perfect amount of acidity balanced with the savory octopus. I’d definitely get this again.

This signature egg caviar (S$38) is a luscious, creamy shot topped with caviar. It has a mild alcoholic taste and is certainly interesting though I didn’t love it enough to order it again.