Saturday, May 29, 2021

Drunken Farmer @ Stanley Street - All Good Things Come From The Earth

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Drunken Farmer, a purveyor of natural wine, has set up a brick and mortar natural wine bar and bistro along Stanley Street. The menu is designed around naturally leavened sourdough with a minimal waste philosophy, pair with natural wines sourced from Europe to South America, advocating making food and wine the natural way. Embedded in each dish are slow-fermented ingredients sourced from close to home and made entirely from scratch by Chef Albert.

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Sourdough “Couvert” 3.8/5, Spanish Mackerel Rillette 3.8/5

For a start, we had the Sourdough "Couvert" ($12) and Spanish Mackerel Rillette ($14). The first let us have a taste of their naturally-leavened sourdough loaves untainted, made using a 159-year-old starter, along with house churned butter, pickles fermented from scratch and smoked Maldon salt. The latter is made with whole Spanish mackerel fillets and housemade ricotta, along with chives, butter, olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Having this with the Sourdough "Couvert" complement one another as it is also served with another two housemade dips – a house fermented miso grain mustard, as well as a crème fraiche, finished with green oil made using local herbs and bay leaf salt to balance out the fat.

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Squid Ink Crackers 4/5

Squid Ink Crackers ($13) is like a more sophisticated sister of our Asian prawn cracker, served with an extremely umami prawn dip that packs a punch. Heads and shells of prawns that go into the laksa sambal of another dish are repurposed into it, topped with soy-marinated sago pearls to mimic the texture of caviar and as well as a flavour boost.

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Sourdough Karaage 3/5

This Sourdough Karaage ($20) may not have the most ideal airy and light crust, but the effort behind it is notable. The crust made with the key ingredients of sourdough discard and TBB Beerguette Beer (a locally produced pilsner-style beer made from upcycled surplus loaves of bread from Tiong Bahru Bakery). The best part to me was the kimchi mayonnaise served at the side. I enjoyed it as I do with yoghurt.

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Drunken Farmer's Salad 4.5/5

You can't get any closer to nature with this Drunken Farmer's Salad ($15), a gorgeous plate of fresh salad leaves and herbs from local farms, raw and pickled beetroots and radish, dressed with a light and tangy apple juice reduction and dollops of homemade Greek yoghurt marbled with a reduction of beets juice.

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Shrooms & Goat Cheese 4/5

Their Sourdough Pizza is a must-try. We had Shrooms & Goat Cheese ($22) and Anchovy & Pesto ($23). As the goat cheese is house-made, it was mild in a good way as I usually find mushrooms and goat cheese tend to fight against each other. The latter had a good combination of flavours - saltish and briny anchovy mellowed with milky house-made temple stracciatella.

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Sourdough Waffle 4.5/5

Summing up our meal was a Sourdough Waffle ($12/$18). It is made using a 159-year-old starter and a two-day fermentation process that allows the natural reaction of wild bacteria between the flour, air and water to take its course. The salted caramel ice cream made entirely out of banana was superb but just too little to go around.

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Complementing the food menu is an exhaustive list of over 80 natural, organic, biodynamic and sustainably farmed labels sourced straight from winemakers from France, Italy, Chile and Spain—some of which exclusively imported by Drunken Farmer.

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.


Drunken Farmer
11 Stanley Street
Singapore 068730
Tel: +65 68774855
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line), Telok Ayer (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 6pm - 1030pm
(Closed on Mon and Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Walk along the covered walkway until the junction of Mccallum Street and Telok Ayer Street. Turn right onto Mccallum Street and then left onto Stanley Street. Journey time is about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to junction of Telok Ayer Street and Upper Cross Street. Turn left onto Telok Ayer Street. Turn left again onto Boon Tat Street and make a right onto Stanley Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Sen-ryo @ ION Orchard - Japanese Restaurant Hailing From Tochigi, Japan Opens In Singapore

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Established in Tochigi, Japan, in 1999, Sen-ryo has opened its first Singapore outlet in ION Orchard. Behind its well-known exceptional authentic Japanese cuisine is a team of shokunin (artisan chefs), using only quality ingredients imported from Toyosu Fish Market and around the world. Sen-ryo is very well -received in Hong Kong as well when it first started there in 2005 and has since grown to 13 outlets there. In Singapore, sen-ryo wishes to bring you premium but pocket-friendly creations that promise affordable luxury at its best, which includes a range of specially created Singapore-exclusive dishes.

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Sen-ryo Tamagoyaki with Mentaiko Sauce 4.5/5

Sen-ryo Tamagoyaki with Mentaiko Sauce ($2.80) speaks a lot about the team's effort to make every dish exquisite. The Singapore-exclusive Sen-ryo Tamagokyaki with Mentaiko Sauce is a house signature comprising a beautifully done traditional Japanese omelette hand-made and branded with its logo. The pure mentaiko sauce not only looks pretty in pink against the yellow omelette, but it also acts as a natural flavour enhancer to the sweet omelette.

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Otoro 4/5

Along with that, we also had Otoro ($24) sashimi.

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Soft Shell Crab and Mango Nama Haru Maki 4.5/5

The Soft Shell Crab and Mango Nama Haru Maki ($16.80) is a very interesting starter made for our tropical weather. Featuring fresh slices of mango, onion strips, lettuce and addictive crispy deep-fried soft shell crab wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper, I appreciate the attention paid to the dish's execution. The mango was kept very chilled, and that elevated the enjoyment of the dish. The accompanying mango puree sauce was spicy, sweet and tangy, bringing all elements together in harmony.

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DIY Hokkaido Uni 4/5

The sushi and grill counter highlights include this DIY Hokkaido Uni ($58) platter, something not often seen in traditional Japanese restaurants. The platter is made of half-board of premium uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido with fresh sushi rice, ikura (salmon roe), Japanese cucumber strips and sheets of roasted seaweed. So have fun wrapping your uni maki roll!

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Sen-ryo Sushi 3.8/5

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Maguro (Akami) with Shio Koji Negitoro 3.8/5

The Shokunin Sushi series showcases the restaurant's inventive handcrafted creations, in which I had the signature Sen-ryo Sushi ($8.80). It is a layering of uni, negitoro (minced fatty tuna) and ikura atop premium sushi rice. I also had the Maguro (Akami) with Shio Koji Negitoro ($6.80), in which a slice of tuna is boosted with a dollop of minced fatty tuna seasoned with fermented salt seasoning. Both encompassed a luscious texture, but I feel the rice can be less compressed for a more cohesive sushi.

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Kaisen Dobin Mushi 3.5/5

What will complement these cold dishes is the Kaisen Dobin Mushi ($6.80), a traditional Japanese seafood broth served in a teapot. I first knew it as 'teapot soup', and this dainty teapot is filled with scallops, prawns, clams and shimeji mushrooms. Made with red snapper dashi, a squeeze of the lemon enlivened the clear soup. Not the best I had, but decent.

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Grilled Chicken Thigh in Charcoal Style Sauce 3.8/5

We had Grilled Chicken Thigh in Charcoal Style Sauce ($7.80) and Grilled US Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras ($28) from the grill section. The chicken is prepared by grilling the meat on high heat and smearing it with a specially imported charcoal-infused sumiyaki sauce. Hence you got a very intensely flavoured caramelised sauce coating the chicken.

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Grilled US Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras 4.2/5

A much more indulgent version will be this Grilled US Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras ($28), available exclusively in Singapore. I reckon you should go for this if it is your first trip to sen-ryo. The flavourful sauce is made with the juices of the meat, mirin and black pepper, and when it came sizzling hot, it was simply mouthwatering.

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Kaisen Soy Nabe 4.8/5

My favourite of the feast is the Kaisen Soy Nabe ($32) comprises a unique milky base made with Japanese soy milk and dashi. It comes brimming with King Snow Crab legs, scallops, Kuzukiri noodles, carrots, vegetables and shiitake mushrooms. The best part of the hotpot is the soul-nourishing soup and the extremely chewy Kuzukiri noodles. I only hope there is more of the beautiful soup.

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Mizu Warabi Mochi 3.5/5

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Cream Catalana with Mixed Berries 4.5/5

For dessert, we tried Mizu Warabi Mochi ($5.80) and Cream Catalana with Mixed Berries ($9.80). The Mizu Warabi Mochi is a jiggly clear jelly 'mochi' served with roasted soybean powder and black sugar syrup. As for the Cream Catalana with Mixed Berries, it is a velvety custard served with fresh berries.

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.


Sen-ryo
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#03-14
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 69746782
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am to 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]