51 Soho @ Telok Ayer Street - Cocktail wtih Edible Money

New at Telok Ayer Street is 51 Soho, an all-day dining venue opened by the same folk behind Birds of A Feather and Halcyon and Crane. The all day-dining space has both outdoor and indoor seating with a stylish full-fledged coffee and cocktail bar. The menu also changes per the day catering for the different crowd for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Unlike other bars, 51 Soho offers 5 special cocktails, namely Dancing in The Moonlights, Dr Panda, Bamboo Dream, 51 Soho and Prosperity Cup made from Chinese rice wine, plum wine and bamboo wine. An unique cross cultural concoction that is quite original. These cocktails made from traditional Chinese Wine will definitely become a signature at 51 Soho.

Prosperity Cup

My favourite cocktails of the 5 specials is the Prosperity Cup. The cocktail is a concoction of fermented rice wine, barley juice, barley pearls, rock melon syrup and white chocolate liquor. It is a refreshing and fruity drink. More interestingly is the edible money made from rice paper that is served together with the cocktail.

Padron Pepper with Halloumi Cheese and Duck Gizzard 4/5

Beef and Pork Belly 4/5

Perfect with the cocktails and drinks are the charcoal grilled skewers dusted with addictive spice dust. The skewers are inspired by those served in Sichuan drinking house. We tried the Padron Pepper with Halloumi Cheese ($8 for 2 sticks), Duck Gizzard ($6 for 2 sticks), Pork Belly ($7.50 for 2 sticks) and Beef ($11 for 2 sticks). My favourites are the more meaty pork belly and beef skewer.

Green & Nutty 3.8/5

The Green & Nutty ($18) is a light and refreshing broccoli slaw salad dish comprises of broccolini, broccoli florets and romanesco. It is garnished with roasted nuts, raisins and sorghum. I enjoyed the squeeze of lemon juice for that zesty finishing.

Salmon & Pearl 4.2/5

Th pan-fried Salmon ($28) is served on a bed of pearl couscous cooked in fish stock. What brightens up the dish is the sauteed sour vegetables, pickled ginger and chilli, that is very memorable.

Spice de Canard 4/5

An Asian take of the duck confit is the Spice De Canard ($30). The duck leg is braised in house made braising sauce (Ru Shui). The duck leg is coated with reduced braising liquid and butter sauce, topped with popped sorghum. It is also served with lentil and Greek salad to cut the richness.

Wicked Pasta 4.2/5

Surprising the Wicked Pasta ($22) served with asparagus, quail eggs, toasted hazelnuts and yuzu-pickled zucchini tasted much better than I expected, especially when everything is green on the plate. Initially I thought it is pesto sauce but it turned our to be a creamy sauce made from fresh and pickled zucchini. It has that surprise element that is both unique and refreshing to the palate.

Our Spicy Pasta 4.2/5

On the contrast, Our Spicy Pasta ($24) turns up the heat with its house made spicy sauce consists of a mixture of Sichuan Liu Po, Lan Gan Ma and Dou Ban Jiang. For diners that love spicy food, this will be well received. The hot and sour spaghetti also comes with crab meat, tiger prawn, ebiko and tomato confit which is quite a generous in portion.

Soho Burger 3.8/5

The Soho Burger ($28) comes with pulled wagyu cheek paired with kimchi slaw, sandwiched between soft buttered brioche bun. Shoestring fries seasoned with salt and chives are served on the side. A decent burger but I still like my burger to be juicy and cheesy.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


51 Soho
51 Telok Ayer Street
#01-01
Singapore 048441
Tel: +65 9755 1058
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line). Raffles Place (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am - 11am, 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm
Sat-Sun, PH: 10am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Raffles Place MRT station. Take Exit F. Walk to traffic light junction at Cecil Street. Cross the street to Prudential Tower. Cut through the building and walk to Telok Ayer street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Jiak (家) @ Joo Chiat Place - Grandma's Recipe Private Dining With Whiskey Pairing

One of the newest kid in the private dining scene is Jiak at Joo Chiat Place. The 3 month's old private dining place is helmed by Chef Anon Foo. Unlike most of the private dinings I have attended which the chefs have a colourful resumes of working in top restaurants, Anon followed and learned from his grandmother at her hawker stall since young. Hence at Jiak, one can look forward to home cooked dishes largely inspired by Anon's grandmother.

Achar 4/5

Before starting our dinner, each of us are given a small serving of homemade Achar.

Signature Foie Gras Ngor Hiang 3/5

Our meal started with the Signature Foie Gras Ngor Hiang. It is an interesting take of the traditional ngor hiang and it taste pretty good. However the foie gras did not stand out in the execution which is a slight disappointment. Some of us also find that it is on the salty side.

Prime Rib Lotus Root Soup 4.2/5

Doubled boiled over charcoal is the Prime Rib Lotus Root Soup. The slow cooked over charcoal has drawn out the essences and sweetness of the ingredients without the used of salt. All of us had another helping as this is really good.

Kong Bak Pau 4/5

The surprise special of the day is the Kong Bak Pau. Sandwiched in between the soft and fluffy bun is the pork belly that has been well infused with the braising sauce.

Herbal Emperor Chicken 3.5/5

Didn't look too photogenic is the Herbal Emperor Chicken as I did not get a shoot before it was dissected at the back of the kitchen before serving. I appreciate the fact that the tender chicken didn't come across too strong in the herbal taste which was pleasing to the palate.

Steamed Cod Fish in Chicken Broth 3,8/5

Next up we are served a whole fillet of Steamed Cod Fish in Chicken Broth. Nothing complicate just allowing the soy sauce to bring out the buttery flavour of the cod fish.

Dry Laksa 4.2/5

For the mains, diner will have a choice of Dry Laksa or Homemade Fish Otah Nasi Lemak. The Dry Laksa comes with 2 huge prawns in a very coconuty sauce. Add a dollop of chilli to spice up the flavour. I only wish that I can get the usual bean sprouts, fish cakes, tao pok and even cockles in my laksa though.

Homemade Fish Otah Nasi Lemak 4.2/5

Personally I prefer the Homemade Fish Otah Nasi Lemak for the fact that it is more substantial. The otah is really good, so good that I have to reconfirm whether it is really homemade as it tastes very similar to a particular brand I like. The plate of fragrant rice even comes with ikan bilis, japanese-style lava egg and sambal chilli.

Green Bean Soup with Coconut 4.5/5

The Green Bean Soup with Coconut wrapped up our meal. Diner has a choice of either hot or cold. I would recommend going for the hot one to appreciate the full flavour as the ice tends to duplicate the richness.

Dining at Jiak is set at $70 nett per pax for 6 dishes plus a special of the day. Whisky pairing is available at $12 to $15 per dram to complement the meal, which has been put together by their in-house whisky connoisseur. If you plan to bring your own wine or whisky, corkage fee applies at $25 and $50 respectively.

Note: This is an invited tasting


Jiak (家)
184B Joo Chiat Place
Singapore 427896
Tel: +65 82842758
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Eunos (EW Line), Dakota (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
630pm till late

Direction:
1) Alight at Eunos MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Eunos Bus Interchange (Stop ID 82009). Take Bus 150. Alight 2 stops later. Walk down Still Road. At the junction of Still Road and Joo Chiat Place, cross the junction. Turn right onto Joo Chiat Place. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 mins [Map]

2) Alight at Eunos MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Walk to Bus Stop at Sims Ave (Stop ID 82061). Take Bus 13 or 155. Alight 1 stops later. Walk down Still Road. At the junction of Still Road and Joo Chiat Place, cross the junction. Turn right onto Joo Chiat Place. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 mins [Map]

3) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Walk to bus stop at Blk 99 Old Airport Road (Stop ID 81181). Take bus 33. Alight 7 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 20 mins. [Map]