SPRMRKT After Hours x ENJOY Eating House and Bar [MEDIA INVITE]

From Jalan Besar to Dempsey Hill, SPRMRKT teams up with Enjoy Eating House and Bar to Bring Authentic Singapore Cuisine to Dempsey. Known as a lifestyle destination, SPRMRKT united its loves for food, retail and art during the day. These “after-hours” collaborations will celebrate Modern Singapore cuisine and leave diners with nostalgic happy memories and “SHIOK” feeling.

SPRMRKT

The Window to
SPRMRKT After Hours x Enjoy Eating House and Bar

We kick off the meal this evening with Kueh Pie Tee [$18]. A traditional Peranakan appetiser, the “atas” version. Jicama braised in prawn and conpoy stock, handmade pastry shells and fresh prawns Paired with shredded egg, sweet soy and house garlic chilli. For me, this crispy mini cup is always a welcome starter. It is a “flavour bomb” that delivers exciting flavours and textures, especially when the ingredients are upgraded, especially the fresh prawns and the thick cut of jicama. I like mine without chilli, opposite to LD.

Kueh Pie Tee

My Creation

Chonky Chicken Satay [$20]. Juicy and succulent spice marinated jumbo size chicken thigh, served with homemade ketupat (rice cake). A restaurant standard of satay, each bite of the satay is bursting with spices marinates, accompanied by ketupat dip in coconut milk for that umami richness. Though the satay is already very nice on its own, the creamy peanut sauce increases the “Shiokness” to this dish and the pineapple puree balances the rich creamy flavour nicely.

Chonky Chicken Satay

Enjoy Hokkien Mee [$34]. Masterfully created by Chef Joel, infused with Wok Hei (Breath of Wok). Lots of ingredients such as Wild-caught “Ang Kar” prawns, pork belly, squid, pork lard and secret rich prawn broth. For those who like things spicy, don’t forget their housemade chilli. Yummy!

Enjoy Hokkien Mee

Crispy Local Barramundi in Chef Joel’s Red Curry [$29]. A thick slice of deep-fried sustainable sea-farmed local barramundi fillet, house coconut curry sauce and sauteed local vegetables. I like the deep-fried fish as it has crispy exterior, followed by soft and flaky flesh. The red curry is rich, fragrant and spicy, however, due to the plating style, the red curry and the fish seem distant. You have to scoop the red curry sauce to the fish, to ensure you get the right taste, unlike the traditional curry dish.

Crispy Local Barramundi in Chef Joel’s Red Curry

The Flesh

To accompany the meal, we had Pandan Negroni Cocktail [$14] and Milo Dinosaur Mocktail [$14]. The cocktail is refreshing with a twist of local flavour, while the Milo Dinosaur is enhanced with Vanilla infused syrup.

Pandan Negroni Cocktail

Milo Dinosaur Mocktail

Overall, it is an exciting project for SPRMRKT After Hours, where the diners can enjoy Modern Singapore cuisine with Chef Joel’s signatures. The Enjoy Hokkien Mee is a die die must try!! Cheers!!

The Bar

Outdoor Dining Area

SPRMRKT After Hours x Enjoy Eating House and Bar

When: Every Thursday – Sunday

Time: 17.00 – 22.00

Location: SPRMRKT Dempsey

Thank you very much Chef Joel & SPRMRKT Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Media Invite)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26-$50; $51 – 80

SPRMRKT x ENJOY

8 Dempsey Road

#01-15a

Singapore 247696

T: +65 8129 8166 (WA for Orders & Reservations)

W: https://sprmrkt.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/SPRMRKTdempseyhill/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sprmrkt

OH:

SPRMRKT After Hours:

Thu – Sun: 17.00 – 22.00

Menu available online

Rendezvous Nasi Padang – A Taste of History

Korma Chicken Thigh 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee Nasi Padang (“RendezvousNP”) is one of the oldest Nasi Padang restaurants in Singapore. It is established in 1930 and gained popularity in the 1950s. With such longevity, this restaurant deserves the recognition as Nasi Padang institution in Singapore and likely become the taste that you grow up with. 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee Nasi Padang

I decided to visit RendezvousNP with my Nasi Padang makan kaki, K. We manage to reach the restaurant before 12 and beat the lunch crowd. Like kids in a candy store, we went overboard in ordering. 

Our Order

Korma Chicken Thigh ($9.30). A must-order here. The version of Korma Chicken here is similar to the curry known as Gulai Ayam in Indonesia. It is not a spicy curry, instead, it is sweet, rich in spices and fragrant due to the lemongrass, galangal and turmeric. 

Korma Chicken Thigh 

At RendezvousNP, you get is the whole leg of the chicken (drumstick and thigh). The flesh is juicy, succulent and infused with the curry. The skin is soft and full of flavour. The yellow gravy curry is robust and you can slurp it like a stew. 

Liver & Gizzard Curry ($5.10 – Small). Combination of liver and gizzard, bask in thick red curry. The liver is creamy, while the gizzard is crunchy. The curry is spicy, rich and filled with “lemak” from the coconut milk. 

Liver & Gizzard Curry

Cuttlefish Sambal – Medium ($10.30). Springy and bouncy cuttlefish cooked in sambal gravy. It is spicy, yet Shiok!! 

Cuttlefish Sambal & Egg Sambal

Beef Rendang ($10.60 – 2 pcs). A little bit different compare to the beef rendang you find in other Nasi Padang restaurant. The gravy is thick, but not lumpy like it is being simmered for a few hours. The beef is lean yet tender, however, the gravy did not absorb into the flesh. 

Beef Rendang

Sayur Lodeh ($3.90 – Small). Delicious combination of cabbage, long beans and ladyfingers. Cooked with coconut milk and turmeric for richness and yellow colour. The special ingredients here is the prawn, that adds umami and natural sweetness to this dish. 

Sayur Lodeh

Egg Sambal ($1.70). I did not try, ordered by K. Rice ($1.70 per plate). 

Service is friendly and efficient. You place your order at the food counter, get seated and the food will be delivered to you. The interesting part of their food counter is only half of it filled with food. The other half is filled with buckets and buckets of different type of curries. Once you are seated, RendezvousNP goes into full service, including if you want to order drinks, extra rice, gravy or extra dishes. 

CBK verdict. I find the flavour of Nasi Padang here is very comforting and very much agreeable with my palate. Each dish is delicious and consistent, though not much variety. They are very generous with their curries, which is the key to all their dishes. Definitely one of a must try Nasi Padang in Singapore. Cheers!! 

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10 

Value: 6.5/10 

Service: 7/10 

Ambiance: 6.5/10 

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50. 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee 

Restaurant Nasi Padang 

6 Eu Tong Sen Street 

#02-72/75/77/92 

The Clarke Quay Central 

Singapore 059817 

T: +65 6339 7508 

W: http://www.rendezvous-hlk.com.sg/

OH: Daily 11.00 – 21.00 

UYKDSG – Thai Issan Cuisine [MEDIA INVITE]

Leng Zaab

Un-Yang-Kor-Dai Singapore (“UYKDSG”) is a Thai Restaurant in Singapore servings Thai and Issan Cuisine. UYKDSG received recognition of Thai Select by Ministry of Commerce of Thailand as a restaurant that serves Fine Thai Food with Thai taste.

Un-Yang-Kor-Dai Singapore 

My experience with Issan cuisine was during my trip to Phuket and Hua Hin. The grilled chicken there was so delicious, it leaves a positive impression in my memory.

Part of the Seating Area

Part of the Seating Area & Kitchen

One of the dishes that catch my eyes here is Leng Zaab ($28, the smallest for 2 to 3 pax). It is a Prime Pork and Back Ribs with Isaan Spicy Sour Soup. When this dish is served on the table, the server will pour a small amount of Thai rice wine and light the fire on it. The purpose is to intensify the flavour of the pork ribs.

Leng Zaab

The prime pork rib is tender, succulent and the meat fall of the bones. For the back ribs, the meat is lean and require more chewing. For foodies, keep a lookout for the hidden marrow below the back ribs. The broth is robust fill with herbs, tasted almost as robust as our Bak Kut Teh followed with spicy and sour in it. These flavour profiles are the characteristic of Thai flavour.

Leng Zaab

Scotched Eggs with Tamarind Sauce ($12.50). Hard-boiled eggs topped cooked with tamarind sauce. The tasty egg is coated with sweet dark sauce, with a faint touch of tanginess. A good dish to be eaten with rice.

Scotched Eggs with Tamarind Sauce 

Signature Grilled Chicken ($12 half / $21 whole). This grilled spring chicken is well marinated with lemongrass, fish sauce and grilled to perfection. It has an aromatic charcoal flavour, tender and succulent. On the side, there is spicy dipping sauce to accompany the chicken.

Signature Grilled Chicken - half

Although the chicken is delicious on its own, you should try it with Glutinous Brown Rice (mix of black and white glutinous rice) served in kra-tips ($2). Normally it is eaten with white sticky rice, however, the glutinous brown rice looks healthier and taste nicer.

Glutinous Brown Rice

Red Curry with Grilled Chicken (quarter), Lychee, Tomato and Sweet Basil ($23.80). A unique version of red curry. It uses the signature grilled chicken as the protein, cooked it with lychee, tomato and sweet basil. The combination of sweet, tangy and savoury plus the rich curry sauce is just superb; perfect with a bowl of jasmine rice ($1.50). A “rice thief” dish here and I will just return for the red curry.

Red Curry with Grilled Chicken

Jasmine white rice - minced pork not included

Stuffed Whole Squid with Tom Yum Fried Rice ($23.90). Springy and tender squid with tom yum marinate. The stuffed tom yum fried rice infused flavour to squid and it also absorbs the jus from the squid. Yum Yum.

Stuffed Whole Squid with Tom Yum Fried Rice

Eggplant with Spicy Minced Pork Hot Basil ($14.50). Spicy, aromatic and juicy minced pork, cooked with sliced eggplant. The spiciness of this dish is definitely on the high side.

Eggplant with Spicy Minced Pork Hot Basil 

For the drinks, I choose Lemongrass with Lime and Honey ($5.50). It is refreshing and helps me to put out any spiciness from dishes. Also, check out the following drinks Butterfly Pea with Lime ($5.50) and Iced Thai Milk Tea ($5).

Lemongrass with Lime and Honey

UYKDSG offers cold and warm desserts. For the cold dessert, Thai Milk Tea Pudding ($5.50) is not to be missed. The pudding is light and wobbly, while the Thai milk tea flavour is very intense. Upon serving, it is poured with a dash of evaporated milk.

Thai Milk Tea Pudding 

Warm desserts that we tried are Trio TingKat Delights ($12) and Rice Balls with Sweet Coconut Milk and a Whole Egg ($6.50). The Trio TingKat delights is like our version of Bo Bo Cha Cha deconstructed. Each TingKat has coconut milk as the base, followed with different fillings, banana, sweet potato and yam.

Trio TingKat Delights

Trio TingKat Delights

Meanwhile, the Rice Balls desserts is unique. The rice balls are served with sweet coconut milk. The surprising item that I found here is a whole poached egg. It adds to the richness to the dessert, but the sweet poached egg just tastes weird.

Rice Balls with Sweet Coconut Milk and a Whole Egg

Rice Balls with Sweet Coconut Milk and a Whole Egg

The Rice Balls

Overall, Un-Yang-Kor-Dai Singapore served authentic and unique Issan cuisine. The Leng Zaab, Signature Grilled Chicken, Red Curry with Grilled Chicken and Stuffed Whole Squid with Tom Yum Fried Rice are just awesome and worth the calories. Cheers!!

Butterfly Pea with Lime 

Thank you, Kris and Un-Yang-Kor-Dai Singapore for the tasting invitation.

Food: 8/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

UnYangKorDai Singapore

57 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058688

T: +65 6787 8575

F: https://www.facebook.com/uykdsg/

IG: @uykdsg

OH:

Tue – Thu & Sun: 11.30 – 15.00; 18.00 – 22.00

Fri & Sat: 11.30 – 15.00; 18.00 – 23.00

Closed on Monday.

IndoChili – Taste of Indonesia

Rendang Sapi / Beef Rendang

IndoChili is an Indonesian restaurant in Singapore offering culinary delight found throughout Indonesia. The spread ranges from across the archipelago, showcasing its authentic flavours.

IndoChili

Rendang Sapi ($12.80) a.k.a Beef Rendang. This is LD’s favourite dish and she always order this when feasting on nasi padang. The version here is tasty and tender, absorbs the spices nicely. The gravy is thick and aromatic, definitely a “rice thief” dish. Sometimes, they serve meats that are a bit lean, they will get a perfect score if they uses more marbling cuts.

Rendang Sapi / Beef Rendang

Sop Buntut ($16.80) – Oxtail soup. One of the most popular soup in Indonesia, know for its robust flavour and fall off the bone meat. Definitely, a must order dish here, the soup is robust and the fatty meat just falls off the tailbone. Squish the lime into the soup, for the contrasting twang and best eaten with emping.

Sop Buntut / Oxtail Soup

Lontong Sayur Medan ($6.80) – Rice Cake with Vegetables Soup. It is normally served as a one-dish item, however, we just order this dish because we like the jackfruit in the soup. The rice cake is thick, sticky and bouncy, generously bask in rich vegetable soup.

Lontong Sayur Medan

Kangkung Balado ($9.80). Ok, this dish is definitely not for me. Looking at the amount of chilli they put inside it, I definitely did not touch the dish. However, LD & QC enjoy every bite of this dish.

Kangkung Balado

Ayam Kari Padang ($9.80). Tender and succulent curry chicken, accompanied with a smooth and rich gravy. It is not too spicy and the gravy goes well with rice.

Ayam Kari Padang

Sate Ayam Madura ($10.80). Madura is known as the Sate City in Indonesia. The meat is thick, nicely grilled and coated with kecap manis. I would prefer if they are more generous with the peanut gravy.

Sate Ayam Madura

To go with all the rich dishes above is Achar ($3.80). This homemade pickle vegetables are good to provide the balance to all the dishes above.

Achar

I normally like to have the dishes above with white rice (Nasi Putih $1.50) or you can also try their Yellow Rice (Nasi Kuning $2.50).

Yellow Rice

One of the drinks that I like here is Jus Alpukat ($7.20). This Indonesian version of Avocado Juice has always been my favourite since young. It uses chocolate condensed milk to perk up the drink.

Jus Alpukat / Avocado Juice

Service is friendly and the restaurant is decorated in traditional Javanese house.

Part of the indoor dining area

Outdoor Dining Area

Overall, the dishes in IndoChili seems to hit the right spot for us when we are craving for Indonesian food. The dishes taste and flavour are very close to those you can find in Indonesia. Definitely, a place to visit for Indonesian food. Cheers!!

Food: 7.25/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50

IndoChili

54 Zion Road

Singapore 247779

T: +65 6445 1766

W: http://www.indochili.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/IndoChiliZion/

OH:

Mon – Thu: 11.30 – 15.00; 17.30 – 22.00

Fri – Sun: 11.30 – 22.00

Menu Available Online