Ujong @ Raffles Hotel

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


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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]

Da Si Xi (大四喜) @ Sims Way

Local celebrity Chef Eric Teo opens another new restaurant at Sims Way, this time partnering with Da Si Xi (大四喜), a popular dim sum chain in Johor Bahru. However Da Si Xi in Singapore is not selling dim sum. It will be offering zi char style dishes, Malaysian style. Although the non air-conditioned restaurant is located along Sims Way, it is advised to go via Geylang Lorong 3 if you are driving and walk over from the multi-storey carpark beside it.

Claypot Crab Rice 4.5/5

Claypot Crab Rice 4.5/5

The reason for coming to Da Si Xi is for the Claypot Crab Rice ($45/1crab, $80/2crab). I was seated just beside the kitchen and I could already smelled the aroma while the kitchen was preparing our dish. I have heard so much about how this dish was prepared such as the rice grains were fried with bacon before being boiled in a superior stock. They also added sole fish and crabs into the claypot to further allow the rice to absorb all the beautiful flavours. End result, a very flavourful pot of rice that is infused with all the essences. I noticed that the claypot rice is not cooked over charcoal fire but I could taste a nice hint of smokiness in the rice that made it even more enjoyable.

Deep Fried Pork Belly Hakka Style 4/5

While browsing through the menu, I noticed the Deep Fried Pork Belly Hakka Style ($12) which is not a common zi char dish in Singapore. I decided to order it and I am glad I did so. Marinated with fermented red beancurd, the pork belly was succulent and tender with a nice crispy coating over it.

braised trotter with pumpkin sauce 3.8/5

The Braised Trotter with Pumpkin sauce ($28) is slightly different to the Singapore version. The local version is usually more herbal while Da Si XI's version comes with a velvety sweet pumpkin sauce that surprisingly complemented the pig trotter. It is understand that the pig trotter is first fried before being braised, giving the meat a folk tender texture.

Chilli Crayfish 3.8/5

Last but not least we had the Chilli Crayfish ($28/3pc, $48/5pc) that was cooked in a delicious chilli sauce. The sauce was good but can be spicier. We ended up ordering fried mantou to wipe up the delicious chilli sauce.

Overall the food at Da Si Xi is above average. The menu is not extensive with about 20 items. One should not set the expectation too high as it is run like a zi char stall. Will I go back again? Yes I will as I think the price is reasonable and I want to try the Curry Fish Head and Muar Otah.


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Da Si Xi (大四喜)
19 Sims Way
Singapore 388831
Tel: +65 67446728
Nearest MRT: Kallang (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 5pm - 11pm
(closed on Wed)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Kallang MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Sims Ave. At the traffic junction of Sims Ave and Geylang Lorong 3, turn right into Geylang Lorong 3. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]