The Masses

An entire duck leg which was drop-of-the-bone tender with duck fats enveloped beneath a crisp skin, and accompanied by.... wait for it... stir fried hor fun.. yes you read it right.. unexpected and interesting combination that works.

Went for the classics and they didn’t disappoint. A mouthful to say and I had trouble when ordering, the C&C&C&C cold pasta + sea urchin ($21.9) was obviously still the pièce de résistance and poster boy. It’s like a goodie bag with all the good ingredients: crabmeat, caviar, clam, chorizo in a creamy lobster bisque sauce. The greedy ̶u̶s̶ ̶ me took the option to top up with Hokkaido sea urchin, without thinking. Tastes extravagant without the extravagant price. Now would be the right time to use the word “umami”.

Cold pasta dish with awash with the flavours of the sea!

The C&C&C&C + Sea Urchin Pasta ($15.90 + $6 for sea urchin) from The Masses features cold al dente angel hair pasta with crabmeat, clams, chorizo, caviar and Hokkaido sea urchin in a lobster sauce that is packed with the flavours of the ocean and bursting with umami - such a decadent treat at an amazing price point! The Truffles Fries ($13.90) is very good as well - the crispy straight cut fries go really well with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and truffle mayo. I like how they did not scrimp on the truffleness of this dish at all. Would love to return again to try the other items on the menu!

It had been a long time since my last return to The Masses, and definitely even longer since the very first time I have had this item; amazing how this signature of theirs had been consistently refined over the various menu revamps, with a "C" added to its name with each change. Now featuring elements such as Crabmeat, Caviar, Clams, Chorizo, and Lobster Sauce, the cold pasta dish undoubtedly an umami bomb with their creamy, slightly sweet crustacean flavour of the sauce. The pasta carries some bite, while the various seafood helps to enhance those umami notes even further; the dehydrated Chorizo (which were pretty bacon bit-esque) brings the C&C&C&C Pasta with a savoury flavour, bringing the flavours even further. It's amazing how The Masses had been so consistent all this while with its old dishes, with constant tweaks to keep things fresh while dishing out new favourites for its returning patrons; definitely looking forward to another return visit soon.

Beef cheek was nicely done - soft and tender, just the way it should always be. $18.90++ for beef cheek! Very well worth it.