Bottomless Brunch in Singapore: Early Birds Get Free-Flow Cocktails and Bento Sets at Neon Pigeon
PUBLISHED April 20th, 2021 05:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:58 pm
You might know Neon Pigeon better as a watering hole for night owls, but it comes alive on weekends for the early birds too. Fresh from its reboot on Carpenter Street in November last year, this gritty-chic izakaya has been fledging its wings with the recent launch of menus for weekday lunch, and now, weekend brunch. Featuring free-flow cocktails and Japanese grub with a cheeky twist, it’s a refreshing take on your usual brunch-and-bubbly fare.
Running Saturdays and Sundays from 11.30am, the Boozy Bento Brunch offers a three-course lineup of mains and small plates (or as they dub it, ‘birdfeed’) for a pocket-friendly S$49. To keep you well-watered, there’s a two-hour booze package (add-on of S$75++) of all the house wines and cocktails you can drink.
The four cocktails in the free-flow lineup are brunch exclusives, crafted to kick off the weekend light and fizzy. We splash right into things with Shinjuku, a floral poolside sipper of a tipple. A potent one-two punch of gin and sake is brightened with mint and cucumber, plus a dash of saline to bring out its tangy notes. And we aren’t nursing a hangover, but the Bloody Mariko – a shochu-based number with togarashi in place of the usual Worcestershire sauce – still packs a briny, pleasantly citrusy zing.
The three-course ‘bento’ set stars your pick of one snack, one birdfeed, and a main dish, many of which are familiar faces from the dinner menu. So we can be forgiven for getting distracted by their supporting cast of à la carte brunch options – namely The Duck Confit Ramen (S$20). A brunch and lunch exclusive with limited portions daily, this bowl of decadence features a paitan broth made with foie gras, duck bones, and chicken bones. Three days’ worth of simmering yields an elixir so thick and milky it resembles a cream sauce – ‘intense’ doesn’t begin to describe the taste. It comes packed with tender slices of soy-glazed confit duck that almost manage to steal the broth’s spotlight.
But back to the bentos. If you flock to Neon Pigeon regularly, you’ll likely have tried – and loved – the two snack options on offer. The Japanese Cucumber is a simple dish of cucumber slices, slicked with a fresh, tart dressing of yuzu vinegar and garlic. Meanwhile, the Housemade Chuka Wakame tosses savoury-sweet seaweed with onions and watermelon. Don’t knock it for an odd medley – it’s crunchy, juicy, and surprisingly moreish.
There’re just two offerings by way of birdfeed as well. You can’t go wrong with the Tokyo Hummus, a cult favourite dip from their regular menus. Made with edamame, the hummus is marvellously smooth and smoky atop crisp curry chips. Its counterpart, the Roasted White Miso Eggplant, is no slouch either though. The pulpy chunks of roasted eggplant and crisp lotus root chips make for a tasty play of textures, held together with an eggplant soy purée and topped off with furikake.
If you’re half-stuffed by the time you hit the mains, go light with the Bacon and Egg Congee. This thick congee is made with dashi and somewhat skimpy on flavour, though it’s sprinkled with smoked ham cubes and bonito flakes. Otherwise, we recommend going the indulgent route with the Katsu Sando. Think a thick, tender slab of pork katsu and scrambled eggs spilling from between crisp pieces of toast, with furikake fries piled high alongside. Wash it down with a (thankfully dainty) dessert of the day – ours is a bite-sized tart of yuzu yoghurt and strawberries that cleanses our palate for a couple more drinks.
Neon Pigeon is located at 36 Carpenter St, #01-01, Singapore 059915, p. +65 6222 3623. The Boozy Bento Brunch is available on Saturdays and Sundays 11.30am–2.30pm.
Top Image: Katsu Sando
