The Clifford Pier @ The Fullerton Bay Hotel - Chef Philip Chia X The Clifford Pier "Best Of Perankan Cuisine" Promotion

For the third time, Guest Chef Philip Chia will be taking over the kitchen of The Clifford Pier at The Fullerton Bay Hotel. As a fourth-generation Chinese Peranakan, he continues to draw inspirations from recipes of generations to deliver the classic flavours, while imbuing them with a modern flair.

Trilogy of Appetisers 3.5/5

First time ever, Chef Philip designed a savoury Trilogy of Appetisers to be featured in the 4-Course Set Dinner. Presenting three ala carte dishes almost like a degustation manner, the highlight for me is Chef's rendition of the Pong Tahu Goreng. The deep-frying process brings out the taste of the beancurd even more, and the pork acts as a backdrop to provide the savoury sweetness. The Grilled Spicy Laksa Prawns will definitely whet your appetite with its aromatics and spices, which is further boosted by the tangy and spicy side salad of wingbean, cucumber, pineapple, calamansi and torch ginger. Whereas for the Kurobuta Pork and Crabmeat Nonya Ngoh Hiang, the accompanying garlicky sweet sauce was a tad too sweet for me.

Peranakan Hee Peow Soup 3/5

The Peranakan Hee Peow Soup ($26) is loaded with 3 types of housemade meatballs - prawn, fish and pork, and they were pleasingly light and juicy. The fish maw was pretty luscious too, but I find the soup itself slightly blend and saltish.

Ayam Buah Keluak 3.5/5

Ayam Buah Keluak ($40) is an interesting take on the classic. Although the overall taste doesn't quite reflect the traditional profile of the dish, I love the presentation, with the sous-vide Sakura chicken roulade mirroring the shapes of the Buah Keluak. Those enigmatic black nuts become even more alluring, and to be able to taste it on its own is such a treat.

Satay Babi Goreng 3.5/5

Satay Babi Goreng ($39) veers towards the rich side, hence the bowl of rice is there for you to enjoy the gravy. The pork belly was even more tender than expected, but a handful less salt would have made the flavours of the dish more balanced.

Ikan Chuan Chuan 4.2/5

Ikan Chuan Chuan ($52) allows you to enjoy the beautiful meat of the fresh whole snapper without the fuss of deboning the fish. Cubed and deep-fried, each fish nugget is very lightly battered, with the meat staying firm and moist. The tangy-sweet dressing has a very good consistency that simply glazed the surface of the battered fish cubes, flavouring them without weighing them down.

Udang Masak Pedas Nanas 3.8/5

Udang Masak Pedas Nanas ($42) features a lovely light, spiced Malaccan-style coconut gravy, zesty with pineapples cubes and slices of grilled pineapples which I adore. The whole fresh prawns were somehow slightly overdone, but overall it was a very pleasing dish.

Snow Ko Swee 4.2/5

Chef Chia’s efforts in representing all-time Peranakan delicacies with his Snow Ko Swee is much lauded. Every element on this plated dessert was delicious, be it the Kueh Ko Swee in two variations (one prepared with gula melaka, and the other with white sugar), the mellow sweet coconut ice cream, the freshly grated coconut, the airy sponge or even the cream dollops. You just got to make space for this dessert.

The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore Chef Philip Chia x The Clifford Pier ‘Best of Peranakan Cuisine’ Promotion 13 June to 28 June 2019 
A La Carte and Set Lunch Menu Monday to Friday, 12.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. (except Public Holidays) - 2 course Set Lunch S$40* per person
- 3 course Set Lunch S$45* per person

A La Carte and Set Dinner Menu Monday to Friday: 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. (except Public Holidays) - 4 Course Set Dinner S$69* per person (Minimum 2 person order)
Dining Reservations at (65) 6877 8911 / 8912 or email dining-rsvp@fullertonhotels.com.

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore
80 Collyer Quay
Singapore 049326
Tel: +65 65975266
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm - 230pm
High Tea: 330pm - 530pm
Dinner: 630pm - 10pm
Supper: 10pm - 12midnight (Sun-Thu), 10pm - 1am (Fri-Sat)

Direction:
1) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Clifford Centre. Cut across the building. Go to 2nd floor, take the overhead bridge link across the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Chico Loco @ Amoy Street - A New Concept By The Loco Group Focusing On Spit Roasted Chicken

Chico Loco at Amoy Street is the latest concept by The Loco Group - casual Mexican spit-roasted chicken joint that serves locally farmed chickens which are raised with an organic diet, plus probiotics! Healthy but dirty as what Chico Loco would like to describe their food, bringing the chickens a secret house blend of 11 herbs and spices including quintessentially Mexican ingredients like achiote, dried oregano and mustard powder before sending them off into the spit roaster. And the verdict?

Spit Roasted Chicken 3.8/5

Even against the exposed brick walls, terracotta tiles, the Spit Roasted Chicken (Quarter $9/Half $17/Whole $32) is not as 'dirty' as I thought it will be. Rustic perhaps. But if you add on the funky sides and incredible sauces, it is a different story. Homemade sauces are laborious tasks, so at $2 each is reasonable to me. Furthermore, each sauce is so punchy and full of kicks that you don't really need to soak your meat in it. Smokey Chipotle BBQ would be a safe bet, but what stood out for me is the Habanero & Mango, a fruity sauce with a fiery kick. The Chimichurri Yoghurt is superb with their lamb shoulder. All sauces and dressings are made with avocado oil if that is ever your concern.

Dry Rubbed Lamb Shoulder 3/5

Chico Loco also offers Dry Rubbed Lamb Shoulder (125g for $12/250g for $23) as well, which is less commonly offered elsewhere. What we had was excellent in terms of its flavours, but the texture was a tad mushy. I reckon it goes better in their Lamb Burrito ($16), which is a better option for a quick lunch.

Guacamole 4/5

Chicoslaw 4/5

Yes, you do need sides to accompany your meats, or is it the other way round? The sides intrigued me much more. I have no complaints with the creamy yet zesty Guacamole with Corn Chips ($7), or the Somtum inspired Chicoslaw ($6) which caught my attention the moment I set my eyes on the menu. Always up for one! Not to be missed it their mouthwatering Street Corn ($6), glazed with chipotle mayo, cheese and lime. Each corn kernel was plump and juicy. But I think the corn is prepared steamed rather than grilled, and charred edges would have elevated it up a notch.

Mexican Mixta 4.5/5

All the meats and hefty dishes such as the Huge Chicken Taco or Buttermilk Chicken Burger might just overshadow this humble green Mexican Mixta ($11). Overflowing with textures rendered from mouth filling avocado slices, crisp romaine lettuce, chunky cucumber, nutty activated pepitas and crunchy tortilla strips, the fat corn kernels made it even more pleasurable. Even the yoghurt - based ranch dressing, enlivened with dills and herbs, was yummy on its own.

Super Natural Coconut Soft Serve 3.5/5

Their dessert goes really well with the entire 'dirty health' concept. Unlike some coconut ice creams which are sickly sweet with a thin consistency, this Super Natural Coconut Soft Serve ($6) is dense with a sweet fragrance of coconut. All the toppings seem really interesting ($1), so to complete the tropical feel, we had fresh pineapple and agave. I would advise against adding the agave as it tends to overpower the ice cream.

For Snacks, we also had a Mexican Prawn Toast ($13). I ever had one in Melbourne that comes with tamarind sauce which pairs reasonably well with the prawn mousse, but Chico uses chilli, salsa macha and a slightly acidic pickled cucumber, which overwhelms the mousse.

Given the vibe and atmosphere, it is kind of hard to resist the Loco Group’s brand - new draught beers inspired by trips to Mexico and a selection of over 30 craft beers. Happy Hour takes place from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Chico Loco
102 Amoy Street
Singapore 069922
Tel: +65 97387828 (Whatsapp Only)
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours
Mon-Thu: 8am - 10pm
Fri: 8am - 12midnight
Sat: 5pm - 12midnight
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Amoy Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Walk down Telok Ayer Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]