Thursday, November 10, 2016

Fat LuLu's Asian BBQ & Dessert @ River Valley Road - Wicked Asian BBQ And Smooth Desserts

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Replacing the now defunct Five & Dime is Fat LuLu's Asian BBQ & Dessert. The new concept by the same folks behind Five & Dime, sees two different chefs with two contrasting personalities coming together, offering Asian barbecue and dessert. Chef Sam is the BBQ dude while Chef Song is the dessert prince.

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Burnt Corn 3.8/5

Our evening at the new establishment started with the Burnt Corn ($11). The bio-corn is rubbed with salt and lemon, oregano and served with sour cream. Aligned with Chef Sam's culinary philosophy - No Burn No Taste, the overly charred corn turned out to be very flavourful.

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Roasted Potatoes and Mushroom 3.5/5, Sataytay 4.2/5

Boosting the Roasted Potatoes and Mushroom ($12) is the coat of lamb fat over the starch. This is accompanied with honshimeiji mushrooms, kale and garlic. Another delightful item on the menu is the Sataytay ($12) which uses Iberico pork collar that is marinated in sambal for a whole full day to develop the flavour. On top of the flavoursome meat, it was tender and juicy too.

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Grilled Mangalicia Pork Collar 4/5

Chef Sam's Grilled Mangalicia Pork Collar ($24) is a Thai inspired dish. The pork collar is only seasoned with salt and grilled to a nice smokey scent, The other highlight on the board is the lightly charred sambal okra. The used of local spices to grill the okra reminds me of our sambal bbq fish.

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Duh Meat Boat 4.2/5

The Duh Meat Boat ($28) demonstrates Chef Sam's culinary skill in grilling perfectly. The wagyu skirt is grilled in low heat to get that slow caramelisation while retaining the succulence of the meat. On the other hand, the pork collar which is marinated in sambal and seasoned in salt, is grilled in high heat for the charred and smokiness. Even the accompanying kailan grilled for a different appreciation of the earthy green.

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Ikan Bakar 4.5/5

The Ikan Bakar ($28) is like the Asian version of Fish & Chips. The line caught parrot fish is marinated with chilli, garlic, lemon juice, Kashmiri chilli powder and grilled in high heat. The result is a moist fish with the beautiful aroma that is pleasing to both the taste and scent. The cucumber achar side provided the needed acidity to freshen up the palate.

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Spicy BBQ Full Rack Pork Ribs 4.2/5

The Spicy BBQ Full Rack Pork Ribs ($28) will be loved by carnivores for the fall off the bone meat. The spicy sauce which made up of chipotle, kechap manis, rice wine vinegar is kind of unique. It is a new taste to me and took a while to register my preference.

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Open Beef Ravioli 4.5/5

I actually have tried the Open Beef Ravioli ($22) when Chef Sam was at Raven. Back then I mentioned that the flavours and textures were on the note. However like a foreign song, I moved with the music but did not understand the lyrics. This time round, Chef Sam managed to sing to me in the dish and I could fully appreciate the whole concept and execution.

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Pineapple and Coconut Ice Kachang 4.2/5

Moving on to dessert, we started with the Pineapple and Coconut Ice Kachang ($14). The refreshing combination of pineapple and coconut is very pleasing to the palate. I actually thought it resembles the local chendol dessert instead of the ice kachang as the name of the dish suggested.

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Berries & Chocolate 4.2/5

Another refreshing dessert on the menu is the Berries & Chocolate ($16). The fruity dessert uses white chocolate and cassis, with elderflower-infused strawberries. After all the burn and heat of the Asian BBQ, the dessert complemented the whole dinner experience excellently.

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Banana Bread in Brandy Butterscotch Sauce 4.5/5

The warm Banana Bread in Brandy Butterscotch Sauce ($14) is really comforting. The moist banana bread together with the brandy butterscotch sauce is not overly sweet and well balance. The crispy rice grains provided the extra crisp to the whole dimension.

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Apple Tarte Tatin 4/5

The Apple Tarte Tatin ($14) is an accidental creation. Chef over caramalized the apples for his traditional apple pie and to save it, he laid a layer of pastry over the apples, baking it as an upside down tart. Likewise, he also created a new flavour when he burned the base of the vanilla ice cream.

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Childhood 4.5/5

Inspired by Chef Song's favourite childhood food, peanut butter and jam, he created the Childhood ($16) which looks like someone has dropped the ice cream on the plate. What is on the plate is actually a peanut butter popsicle with dark chocolate cookie and raspberry granita.

Fat LuLu's Asian BBQ & Dessert is quite an interesting new concept bring two contrasting chefs together. The difference created magical in the kitchen instead. Not only their styles complement each other but diners get to have the must of both worlds. Fat Lulu's serves brunch on weekends too.

Noted: This is an invited tasting.


Fat Lulu's Asian BBQ & Dessert
297 River Valley Road
Singapore 238338
Tel: +65 92365002
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line), Dhoby Ghaut (CC Line, NS Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun, Tue-Thu: 6pm - 11pm
Fri-Sat: 6pm till late
Brunch
Sat-Sun: 11am - 4pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to bus stop at Clarke Quay MRT station (Stop ID 04222). Take bus number 54. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at YMCA (Stop ID 08041). Take bus number 139. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

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