Full Circle by J-man @ Thye Hong Centre - Semi-Fine Dining Restaurant Hidden Within A Business Centre

Full Circle by J.man at Thye Hong Centre is a semi-fine dining restaurant serving progressive Asian cuisine, helmed by Chef Jay Teo. Its circular logo, with a stray end, symbolise the start of a new journey for Chef Jay - from culinary school as a trainee to a fully-fledged Chef, then back to being an instructor, completing a full circle with him back being a chef once again. Weekdays dinner and Saturday lunch feature a $168 Tasting Menu, alongside an option for Full Wine Pairing $128 and Abridged Pairing $88.

‘Lap Cheong’ Croquette

Cured Mackerel

The Tasting Menu is really interesting. I experienced five unique 'snacks', followed by a 'bread' item with a wine pairing. We started with a rose to complement the savoury snacks.

Smoked Chicken Cigar

‘Char Siew’ Tartlet

Cured Mackerel and 'Lap Cheong' Croquette were served together, followed by Smoked Chicken Cigar and 'Char Siew' Tartlet. Though dainty in size, each was packed with flavours. The Char Siew tartlet came loaded with caramelised fatty goodness and was rich and mouth-filling.

Blue Swimmer Crab Broth

Oyster Bread

The items that made a statement for me were the Blue Swimmer Crab Broth and Teochew oyster puff-inspired Oyster Bread. 2kg of blue swimmer crab to produce a litre of broth; hence each bowl is a full-bodied broth with depths of flavours. Sandwiched between each fluffy bread is a plump oyster, complementing each other perfectly.

Hokkaido Scallop 4.5/5

Hokkaido Scallop features a refreshing mix of Hokkaido scallop and water chestnut. Green apple slices and ginger flower sorbet served with pickled jicama jus added to that lightness and crunch. After all the savoury snacks, this refreshed my tastebuds with its citrus-forward flavour profile.

Obsiblue Prawn 3.8/5

The next course was Obsiblue Prawn, served with piquant pineapple, bamboo shoot and tamarind chutney, and coconut cream spiced with kaffir lime leaves and tamarind oil. I love how the tropical flavours played out in this dish and the mingling of the cold and warm elements, producing a very cohesive dish.

Quail 2.5/5

One of the mains featured was Quail served in 2 ways - one with angelica root infused jus and the other deep-fried with a tempura batter. Either way didn't quite work for me.

Duroc Pork Belly 4.8/5

On the other hand, the Spanish Duroc Pork Belly was deeply satisfying. Each laced with perfectly crisped skin amazed me with its clean flavour and optimal lean meat and fats ratio. Drawing ideas from Korean BBQ, diners are given lettuce to wrap each piece of pork belly, with coriander pesto and fish sauce caramel on the side to slather them with. Similar to kimchi, there are also some pickles to help cut the meat's richness. I was surprised that I was able to finish all of it without feeling of being overloaded. Thumbs up for this dish!

Red Snapper 4.5/5

You can choose to add on a Red Snapper course (+$28). Reminiscent of otah, the snapper was aromatic with the warm notes of banana leaf. Slathered with laksa rempah and coconut, the snapper was delicious with punchy spices. The juicy pomelo salad served on the side was an equally thoughtful touch to the dish.

Pre-dessert

There's also a pre-dessert course - Chrysanthemum Jelly with Goji Berry Sorbet. The chrysanthemum scent was uplifting, and I enjoyed how the sorbet sweetened the jelly, which carries a slightly bitter note.

Porcini Parfait 4.5/5

Dessert was a Porcini Parfait with Miso Sorbet paired with sesame crumbles and poached pear. Savoury ice creams are common, but I rarely get to try a plated dessert that is so well executed. The porcini had a distinctive taste but melded harmoniously with the miso sorbet, with added textures and nuances from the sweet pear and nutty sesame crumble.

Sweet Endings 4.5/5

Summing up our meal was Sweet Endings, featuring 9-spice Madeline and adorable Kaya Toast Macarons. The latter had a crust creatively done by mixing real toast with meringue to create the bread-meringue crust. The kaya custard had just the right amount of sweetness for the pandan flavour to come through.

Photos and words 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.


Full Circle by J-man
Thye Hong Centre
2 Leng Kee Road
#01-05
Singapore 159086
Tel: +65 80310141
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Nearest MRT: Redhill (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue: 6pm - 1030pm
Wed-Sat:12pm - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm
(closed on Sun & Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Redhill MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn right and walk down Tiong Bahru Road. Continue onto Leng Kee Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Red Lantern Live Seafood Restaurant @ Sembawang Country Club - Hidden Live Seafood Restaurant In The North Offering Tze Char Dishes

Red Lantern Live Seafood Restaurant officially opened in August this year and is situated within Sembawang Country Club. It offers more than 80 tantalising Asian seafood dishes, such as the signature Live lobster porridge, Chilli Crab, Squid, Kailan, BBQ Pork Ribs and more. The spacious restaurant is not enclosed and has a nice view of the golf terrace.

Golden Salted Egg Squid 4/5

We started our meal with the Golden Salted Egg Squid ($15). Deep fried to a crispy texture, the slightly chewy rings of squid were coated in a slightly spicy, creamy salted egg paste. It was an enjoyable dish that packed a nice salted egg flavour.

Dual Taste Kailan 3.8/5

A unique way to kick up a notch to the usual kailan dishes, the Dual Taste Kailan ($12) was served with a pile of crispy kailan leaf shreds and anchovies atop the crunchy Kailan stalks. It was an interesting twist that gave diners two different flavours and textures from one vegetable.

BBQ Spanish Pork Ribs with Red Wine 4.2/5

One of our favourite dishes is the BBQ Spanish Pork Ribs with Red Wine ($18). The pork rib meats were superbly fork tender and fell off the bone easily. It was also coated in an incredibly flavourful marinate before being smoked and glazed, packing a robust sweet-savoury flavour with a strong smoky aroma.

Fragrant Spicy Crab 4.2/5

As they had run out of Lobsters for the day, we settled for the Fragrant Spicy Crab ($88) instead, which did not disappoint. The wok-fried crab was tossed and covered in loads of chilli peppercorns and crispy fried garlic pieces, which brought out the lovely spicy fragrance, while the crab meat was thick, sweet and fleshy. Besides the Fragrant Spicy Crab, they offer choices of Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab as well.

Words and photos by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Red Lantern Live Seafood Restaurant
249 Sembawang Road
Sembawang Country Club
Singapore 758352
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Nearest MRT: Spring Leaf (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Spring Leaf MRT station. Take Exit 3. Walk to bus stop opposite Thong Soon Road (Stop ID 56091). Take bus number 167, 169, 860, 980. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to Toranto Road. Turn right onto Toranto Road and walk to the end of the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]