Thursday, May 22, 2014

Ujong @ Raffles Hotel

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Ujong at Raffles Hotel Singapore is opened by Shen Tan who is better known as "Madam Tan" in the social media communities. The chef behind the now defunct Wok & Barrel has made a come back with her modernize Singapore cuisine taking over Empire Cafe at Raffles Hotel. Besides her signature dishes from Wok & Barrel, Shen Tan has also created a couple new creations for the new restaurant.

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Nasi Lemak Beef Rendang 4/5

Not to be missed is the famous Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($19.90) accompanied with achar, ikan billis and fried egg. Shen Tan used to run a nasi lemak stall at Maxwell market before opening wok & barrel. It is glad to know that we can still eat her famous nasi lemak at Ujong. The nasi lemak set also comes with a choice of curry chicken, lamb curry, five spice roast pork, crispy fried chicken, crispy pork, chicken wings and banana leaf wrapped grilled fish with otak rempah.

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Fish Curry Laksa 3.8/5

I have the opportunity to try the Fish Curry Laksa ($23.90) back then at Wok & Barrel and it was very memorable for me. Hence I requested for the dish again at Ujong. However they have made some adjustment to the dish at Ujong. The fish laksa pasta which comes with fried fish, cucumber and tomatoes is now more lemak with a richer curry laksa gravy that is being reduced to coat the laksa beehoon. If my memory does not fail me, the previous version was more tangy with the distinct fish curry flavour.

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Har Zi Meen 4/5

One of the new creations in the menu is the Har Zi Meen ($17.90) or also known as Prawn Flavoured Noodles. The very springy noodles is tossed in an Indomie inspired dressing of kicap manis, onion and garlic that comes with a choice of crispy pork or chicken. The presentation may look kind of boring but you will be surprised by the rich burst of flavours that comes with each mouthful of the noodles.

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Puloh Hitam Pudding 4.2/5

Lastly to wrap up the dinner, I had my favourite puloh hitam dessert. However the traditional dessert at Ujong is given a new live with its deconstructed approach in the Puloh Hitam Pudding ($15.90) with gula melaka butterscotch served with coconut ice cream. I like the new interpretation with the taste and flavours being kept very similar and close to the traditional puloh hitam dessert.

It is definitely a welcome return for Shen Tan at Ujong with his modern interpretation of Singapore cuisine. I think she has brought Singapore cuisine to a new level. While I could understand the price point of the dishes, it could still be a long winding road before the locals can accept paying the amount for hawker fare dishes where they can get something similar and cheaper elsewhere.


[CLOSED]
Ujong
Raffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel Arcade
328 North Bridge Road
#01-10
Singapore 188719
Tel: +65 66356502
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ujong-at-Raffles-Hotel/253477278156832
Nearest MRT: Bras Basah (CC Line), City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am - 10pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut across Raffles City Shopping Centre to Bras Basah Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road, cross the road to Raffles Hotel. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bras Basah MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk southwards towards Victoria Road along Bras Basah Road. Continue southwards to North Bridge Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road, cross the junction to Raffles Hotel. Journey time about 7 minutes. [Map]

2 comments:

  1. Oh man, we have totally different opinions of the place.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes newly restaurant needs a while to settle down and fine tune. If the concept is good and has potential, a 2nd chance is always welcome.

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