Burma Social @ Tras Street - A Feast of Six Kingdoms, Harmonizing Culinary Inspirations from Neighbouring Countries with Burmese Cuisine at Its Epicentre

Burma Social at Tras Street stands as a pioneering multicultural restaurant and bar, presenting a captivating Feast of Six Kingdoms. This innovative concept harmoniously blends traditional Burmese recipes with contemporary influences from its neighbouring nations like China, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Laos. Beyond its culinary offerings, Burma Social aspires to offer an immersive journey into the rich culture and heritage of the Burmese people. The restaurant's diverse atmosphere across different levels, accompanied by varying music, entices guests to explore the multifaceted realms of Myanmar.

Raw Coconut Milk & Broccolini with Flying Fish Roe 3/5

We started with the Raw Coconut Milk & Broccolini with Flying Fish Roe ($22). This dish challenges expectations, for it's different from our local laksa. Instead, it's a lighter, more delicate soup that artfully captures the essence of the Burmese sea. The flying fish roe imparts a delightful fragrance while adding Burmese coriander and crushed Burmese nuts introduces an extra layer of umami, creating a fascinating blend of flavours.

Lahpet Nay Wai Thoke 2.8/5

Moving on, the Laphet Nay Wai Thoke - Tea Leaf ($18) offers a vegetarian and vegan-friendly delight. Fermented tea leaves intermingle with green tomato, lent crunch, cabbage, and mixed Burmese nuts, creating a textured symphony of flavours. While its earthy profile may be unfamiliar to newcomers, a hint of lemon juice brightens the dish, adding a refreshing twist that takes some time to appreciate fully.

Papaya & Mango Thoke (Ye Thu Kyun) 3.5/5

A tribute to the familiar, the Papaya & Mango Thoke ($22) echoes Thai Papaya and Mango salad. Here, bittersweet Burmese papaya mingles with sweet poached prawns, resulting in a tasteful fusion of textures and flavours. The Burmese papaya undergoes fermentation to shed its excess bitterness, allowing its robust fruity character to harmonize perfectly with the prawns' taste. Poached sous vide and marinated prawns further enrich the experience.

Crispy Tohu Jaw 3.5/5

The Crispy Tofu Jaw ($20) introduces a unique departure from conventional tofu. Crafted from ground Indian chickpeas, the tofu undergoes a labour-intensive process, yielding a starchy gelatinous texture when cooked. Finished with Burmese black jaggery sauce, composed of Burmese gula melaka and Indian sugarcane, this dish boasts a sweet undertone. A mix of Burmese and Thai basil leaves elevates the tofu with a subtle sweet cinnamon note.

Hnin Si's Steam Puzon 2.8/5

Hnin Si's Steam Puzon ($32) emerges as a dish of prawn and mudfish, sous vide for remarkable tenderness, before steaming into firm cakes. While the paste-like texture might not resonate with all palates, wrapping it in rice paper alongside housemade chilli invokes a sense of familiarity akin to our Chinese chilli sauce.

Ohn-no Kyaukswe 3/5

The Ohn-no Kyaukswe ($32) anchors the main course with gluten-free rice noodles accompanied by vegetable soup and barramundi fish cakes. The delightful springiness of the rice noodles, reminiscent of our local thick beehoon, becomes a canvas for absorbing the flavours of the accompanying soup.

A-thi 3.5/5

Concluding on a sweet note, A-thi, Burnt Mango and Black Jaggery Coconut Sorbet ($14) offers a sophisticated finale. Torched mango lends caramelized sweetness to luscious Burmese mangoes, with housemade coconut sorbet and gula melaka sorbet enhancing the experience. This trifecta of Southeast Asian local sweets is a fitting conclusion to a distinctive culinary journey at Burma Social.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Burma Social
34 Tras Street
Singapore 079026
Tel: +65 6016 9140
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line), Maxwell (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 12midnight
Sat: 6pm - 12midnight

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Tras Street. Turn right onto Tras Street. Walk down Tras Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Maxwell MRT station. Take Exit 2. Turn left and walk down Tanjong Pagar Road. Turn left onto Tras Street. Walk down Tras Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.  [Map]

Rempapa @ Park Place Residences at PLQ - Chef Damian D'Silva Opens All-Day Singapore Heritage Cuisine Restaurant

I have been following Chef Damian D'Silva heritage cooking when he had a stall at Timbre+ Ayer Rajah, followed by Folklore and Restaurant Kin. But, unfortunately, he didn't stay long at any one place. Hence I was glad to hear he is making a come back with a new restaurant - Rempapa at Park Place Residences at PLQ. Rempapa offers an all-day dining concept where the eclectic menu caters for different times of day - Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner.

Chickpea Curry with Roti/ String Hoppers 4.2/5

Available for both breakfast and brunch is the Chickpea Curry ($18) with either Roti or String Hoppers. Perked up by the addition of Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder, it is an aromatic combo of Indian and Eurasian curry flavours. It's best to have it with the buttery crisp roti or let the string hoppers soak up the delicious curry.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with String Hoppers 4/5

I know Chef Damian can cook many cuisines, but Sri Lankan is new to me. The Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with String Hoppers ($16) is milder with tender kampong chicken thigh. Traditionally, Sri Lankan curry is a more watery kind of gravy that is perfect for the string hoppers, commonly known in Singapore as idiyappam or putu mayam, to soak up the curry.

Stir-fried Chee Cheong Fun 3.5/5

Chee Cheong Fun is a trending dish in the food scene this year, with several hawker stalls selling it, but they all sell the steamed version. Over at Rempapa, there is the stir-fried version. The Stir-fried Chee Cheong Fun ($13) is fried together with prawn, egg, and yellow chive. It is similar to our local white carrot cake replaced with smooth and soft rice noodle roll.

Seafood Curry Mee 4.8/5

The Seafood Curry Mee ($18) available during lunch and brunch comprises yellow noodles, bee hoon, pig skin, boiled prawns, fish cake, fresh cockles (optional), long tau pok and beansprouts. According to Chef Damian, his interpretation is from a Hokkien hawker dish served during the 1920s and 1930s. He has used his own curry powder blend for more subtle spice flavours. Sand prawns and dry shrimps are used to make the stock instead of coconut milk, resulting in a rich and umami soup base which I drank to the last drop.

Fish Nasi Lemak 4.2/5

Fried Chicken 4.5/5

The Nasi Lemak ($17) comes with either Fish or Fried Chicken. The fragrant coconut rice is accompanied by sambal, silver fish, egg and cucumber. Customers who opted for the fish nasi lemak gets a whole selar fish which is enormous! I prefer the fried chicken nasi lemak, which is comparable to the popular fried chicken nasi lemak from The Coconut Club.

Fried Chicken Curry Rice 4/5

To introduce heritage cuisine to the younger generation, Chef Damian introduces them to heritage flavours by giving the dish a modern presentation. He believes the food needs to be accepted by them first before trying and learning more about heritage cuisine. Hence, he has come up with the Fried Chicken Curry Rice ($16), presented as a Japanese curry with kaarage, combing the essences of Eurasian, Peranakan, Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisines.

Kedongdong Salad 4.5/5

For the dinner menu, the dishes are more communal. The menu is different from the breakfast, lunch and brunch menus. We had the Kedongdong Salad ($15) to kick start our dinner. I am not strange to the wing bean salad as Chef has served it before in his previous restaurant. However, the new version is less spicy, and he has added more shrimp floss.

Baca Assam 4.8/5

The Baca Assam ($38) is a dish that Chef Damian's granddad cooked only on special occasions. It is a lost Eurasian heritage dish that is a mix of Peranakan and Indian flavours. Beef brisket is used, and I enjoyed the tenderness. The addition of tamarind gives the beef brisket the tanginess, which cuts the richness and whetted the appetite.

Lamb Leg Rendang 3/5

The Lamb Leg Rendang ($38) is a classic Minangkabau dish cooked in a mix of wet spice paste. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the rempah, the boneless lamb leg came across on the dry side.

Slow-cooked Belly Pork with Ah Seng Sauce 4.2/5

It is not all about Chef Damian's family recipes at Rempapa. The restaurant also showcases heritage recipes shared by the younger chefs to motivate their immersion into heritage cuisine. The Slow-cooked Belly Pork with Ah Seng Sauce ($23) is a heritage Hokkien dish that hails from Penang. The soul has to be the mildly spicy sauce on top of the pork belly. It is like having mala xiang gou.

Kueh Platter 4.5/5

Not to be missed at Rempapa is the daily assortment of kuehs. The Kueh Platter ($6 for 4pc, $10 for 8pc, $15 for 12pc) includes favourites such as Kueh Kosui and Kueh Ku, Kueh Bengkah, Pulut Bengkah, Talam Keladi, Sago Ubi, Lapis Pulot, Rempah Udang and others available on the day.

Rempapa is unlike any of Chef Damian's previous restaurants. At the new restaurant, Chef Damian introduces his 'Singapore New Heritage Cuisine', in which recipes drawn from the soul of tradition are reinvented with elements of different ethnicities to create flavour profiles that resonate with today's diner. Rempapa is not just a restaurant. It is the place where Chef Damian elevates Singapore heritage food to a status among the world's great cuisines. And where 'cultural sustainability' is nurtured through engaging the next generation of diners and mentoring fresh talent, seeing them take pride in Singapore cuisine and driving it to the next level.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Rempapa
2 Paya Lebar Road
#01-01/02/03
Park Place Residences at PLQ
Singapore 409053
Tel: +65 94591603
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Nearest MRT: Paya Lebar (CC Line, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1030am - 1030pm
Sat-Sun, PH: 930am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Paya Lebar MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to Sims Avenue. Cross the road. Walk to Park Place Residences. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Garden At One-Ninety @ Four Seasons Hotel Singapore - Breezy Alfresco Space With Lush Greenery And An Inclusive Menu

Probably not known to many, there is a beautiful, lush, botanical-themed dining place at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. Garden @ One-Ninety is the extension of the terrace area behind One-Ninety Bar. Chef de Cuisine Pierre Barusta has put together a menu focusing on market-fresh produce and wholesome plant-based cuisine. The inclusive menu allows for enjoyable dining for all, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free preferences. In addition, it embraces the diversity and spectrum of personal dietary and lifestyle choices of today's guests.

Vietnamese Salad 3/5

We commenced our dinner with a couple of starters. First is the light and refreshing Vietnamese Salad dressed in "Nuoc Mam" sauce, better known as fish sauce. However, I find it too healthy to my liking. I am sure health-conscious customers will enjoy this.

Summer Rolls 3.5/5

Another Vietnamese item on the menu is the Summer Rolls that is wrapped with rice vermicelli, green mango, papaya, avocado and fresh herbs. The addition of fruit in the roll gives it extra sweetness and crunch.

Hamachi Tiradito 4/5

The Hamachi Tiradito is closer to my palate. The freshness is brightened by the citrus-soy and jalapeno garnished with daikon.

Pan Seared Seabass 4.2/5

One of my favourite dishes on the menu is the Pan Seared Seabass, which comes in laksa broth. What's more interesting, it even comes with thick beehoon, quail egg and kai lan bean sprout. I felt I had a 2-in-1 dish - local laksa topped with a huge piece of seabass fillet.

Garden Burger 3.8/5

The Garden Burger will be a good option for customers that are more conscious of the diet. Replacing the bread bun is pita bread, sandwiching a chickpea patty and semi-dried tomatoes. I would recommend drenching the burger with the hummus spread as the chickpea patty is a bit dry having it alone.

Dark Chocolate Souffle 4.2/5

I would recommend saving some space for the desserts here. The Dark Chocolate Souffle with Darjeeling Ice Cream is worth every minute for the wait. Soft, fluffy and chocolatey for a sweet indulgence.

Profiteroles 4.2/5

Another beautiful dessert we enjoyed was the Profiteroles with Gianduja ice cream. When it was served, both my dining partner and I had a puzzled look. It is not like the usual choux pastry dessert we know. It appears like a deconstructed profiteroles, but it tasted amazing, especially with the royaltine crunch

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Garden@One-Ninety
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
190 Orchard Boulevard
Singapore 248646
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 8am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 11. Walk straight down Orchard Boulevard Road. Walk to destination. Journey time is about 6 minutes. [Map]