Yellow Pot @ Six Senses Duxton - Indulge In A Guilt-Free Gastronomy

Yellow Pot is the modern Chinese restaurant and bar that is located inside the newly opened Six Senses Duxton. Yellow Pot is helmed by Chinese Chef Sebastian Goh, which offers classic and innovative Chinese cuisine that favours healthful, organic and sustainably-sourced ingredients.

Chilled Organic Vine-ripened Tomatoes 4/5

The Chilled Organic Vine-ripened Tomatoes ($8) are to be eaten in whole to get a burst of flavours, whetting up the appetite. The tomatoes are sourced from Malaysia, lightly poached and skin peeled. They are then soaked in "Li Heng" plum juice of herbs, licorice root, mint leaves and rock sugar for 3 days.

Seared Pork Cheek 4.2/5

The Seared Pork Cheek ($12) has a bit of Thai influences with the crowning of the julienned green mango. The tender pork cheek are pan seared and dressed in a familiar sauce that is quite similar to our local satay peanut sauce. A well executed dish with a lot of different flavours and textures at play.

Hot & Spicy Soup 4/5

The Hot & Spicy Soup ($12) is made from a housemade hot bean paste. They are also shredded chicken, wood ear mushrooms and enoki in the soup. The soup base itself is exactly not really spicy, the kick comes from the Sichuan chilli oil that is added to it before serving.

Roasted Duck 4.5/5

One of the group's favourite is the Roasted Duck ($32 for half). The bird is marinated in a fermented bean curd marinade for 2 days. It is then roasted in the traditional Apollo oven using hickory wood chips. This results in a beautiful duck with crispy skin and tender meat, with a hint of woody scent.

Wok-seared Organic Grass-Fed Beef Tenderloin 4.2/5

The Wok-seared Organic Grass-Fed Beef Tenderloin ($36) may seems rather common in most Chinese restaurants' menu but there are a few twists here. The beef cube are cooked in a honey-pepper sauce which is actually made up of Sichuan peppercones and crushed tellicherry peppercorns, together with organic raw honey. This is finished with a sprinkle of Himalayan salt and crispy garlic.

Braised White Cabbage 4.8/5

One of my personal favourite is the Braised White Cabbage ($12). The cabbage has been braised until soft, soaking up the flavoursome chicken stock which consists of rich chicken essence, conpoy and Shaoxing wine.

Steamed Kuhlbarra Barramundi 4/5

A homely dish is the Steamed Kuhlbarra Barramundi ($22). Something new for me is the house-made scallion-ginger pesto sauce that is topped on the barramundi, which complements the moist fish excellently. Instead of the usual soy sauce used in steaming fish, the chef has made a savoury fish stock of anchovies, fish bones and trimmings.

Braised Sweet & Sour Eggplant 4.2/5

Another home-cooked dish on the menu is the Braised Sweet & Sour Eggplant ($14). The eggplant is deep fried and then braised in sweet and sour sauce, together with assorted mushrooms. I enjoy how the sweet and sour sauce elevated the whole appreciation of the eggplant, which is actually quite tasteless on its own.

Stir-fried Mee Sua 4.2/5

This would be what I called the atas Stir-fried Mee Sua ($18) that comes with tiger prawn and hokkaio scallop. The chef added Nanyang soy sauce to create a burnt caramelised flavours, on top of the smoky wok hei flavour.

Lemongrass & Calamansi Jelly 4/5

Wrapping up the dinner, we have the Lemongrass & Calamansi Jelly ($8). A light and refreshing dessert to liven up the palate after all the richness and delicious food.

Tea aficionados can complement their dining experience with a pot of artfully brewed tea for the table. Pick from an extensive selection of Chinese teas exclusively curated for Six Senses Duxton by Yixing Xuan Teahouse, a family-run teahouse just around the corner from the hotel. From an easy to drink Yunnan Black Tea Dian Hong Gold ($12) to a full-bodied High Mountain Oolong ($22) grown in the alpine tea zones of Taiwan, each tea is thoughtfully listed to guide diners in appreciating the different types of tea leaves, their history and health benefits.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Yellow Pot
Six Senses Duxton
88 Duxton Road
Singapore 089540
Tel: +65 69141420
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Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station. Take Exit A. Walk to Tanjong Pagar Road. Cross the road and walk to Craig Road. Walk down Craig Road. Turn right onto Duxton Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

IL DEN @ Orchard Plaza - Hidden 8 Seater Restaurant By Ex-Iggy's Chef

Who would expect to find a restaurant hidden on the fourth level of Orchard Plaza? IL DEN is a hole in the wall restaurant with only 8 seats run by Chef Javier, who also double up as the waiter, cashier and dish washer. Yes this is a one-man show restaurant. The young chef has bags of experience working in Iggy, Cenci in Kyoto and Jekyll & Hyde.

Kakiage 4/5

There is only 3 set menu offered at the restaurant. Lunch Set Menu starting from $25, Dinner Set Menu at $75 or Omakase Menu for $120. We tried the $75 dinner set menu starting with the crispy Kakiage which is made up of sakura ebi, shisho and ginger. The aromatic from the deep fried ebi perfumed the air and whets up the appetite for what is to come.

Somen 4/5

Next is a cold wheat noodle dish tossed in a cream based sauce and crowned with caviar. The Somen is served slightly chilled and it is recommend to have it fast before it dries up.

Chawanmushi 3.5/5

The Chawanmushi would take a bit of understanding to appreciate the dish as the steamed egg custard is actually quite bland. To appreciate the silky egg custard, one has to have it together with the painstaking prepared chicken wing stock, that marries the dish together. The foie gras is a welcome bonus in both flavour and texture.

Scallop 4.2/5

The Scallop is lightly seared on the outside while the inside is still raw. This comes with house-made pickled radish in balsamic and sweet creamy uni. What interests me is the unorthodox pairing of house-made pesto sauce to go with the scallop. I would never thought it actually works quite well with the shellfish.

Orecchiette 3.8/5

Chef Javier made the Orecchiette pasta inhouse and cooked them in a delish prawn head broth. These cute looking pasta is also known as little ears pasta. It is paried with ebi, ebiko and broccoli. It has an enjoyable textural bite. Someone in the group commented that its like having Mee Hoon Kueh.

Beef Short Ribs 4/5

Resting on the smooth bed of potato puree and roasted vegetables is the Beef Short Ribs that has been cooked to a beautiful fork tender, falling apart with ease. The meat's texture is more towards the braised type with a slight char on the exterior.

Panna Cotta 4.2/5

Wrapping up the meal is the Panna Cotta that comes with a layer of ginger sake jelly, yuzu and raspberry. The play of flavours especially the used of the sake's sweetness to elevate the enjoyment of the panna cotta strikes a memorable note for my meal at IL DEN.

Overall I have enjoyed the Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine at IL DEN. The execution is still a bit rough in my opinion but there are warm and soul in the food. It felt like dining in one's private home. Words have gotten around about this hidden dining spot and as far as I know reservation can be up to a month now.


IL DEN
Orchard Plaza
150 Orchard Road
#04-21
Singapore 238841
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Thu: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 930pm
Fri: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 3am
Sat: 6pm - 3am

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to ground level. Walk to junction of Orchard Road and Koek Road. Cross the road. Walk down Koek Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]