Gastrobar Review: Laut Singapore Sets Sail With Cuisine Inspired By Southeast Asia’s Seafaring Heritage
PUBLISHED August 6th, 2020 05:00 am | UPDATED August 13th, 2020 11:23 pm
In a time when Singapore’s dining scene was collectively struggling to stay afloat, Leon Tan and Frank Shen jumped straight into the deep end with the launch of their new gastrobar, laut. One of the rare breed that opened its virtual doors during the COVID-19 lockdown, laut was high on our list of venues to visit when dine-in restrictions lifted in Phase 2 – and you can bet it was well worth the wait.
‘Laut’ means sea in Malay – fitting for a concept dedicated to Southeast Asia’s rich culinary bounty, hauled in from and by sea since the days of the orang laut. Co-founder Leon was formerly head bartender at sustainability-focused bar Native, and his new venture bears traces of that locavore DNA in both its tipples and eats. Spirits here are sourced from local distillery Compendium; meanwhile, the back area is a mad scientist’s lair of house ferments highlighting regional flavours.
The food menu, too, reads like an ode to the region’s nautical heritage, with locally sourced seafood taking centre stage. One of the most eye-catching small plates in the lineup, Oyster Eggs (S$11) features poached oysters from Pulau Ubin’s Sea Farmers and starch balls in steamed egg custard – think a slurp-worthy riff on orh luak. Another seafood gem is the Crab Toast (S$18), which sees crisp toast piled high with sweet chunks of Ah Hua Kelong crab and quail eggs cured in local soy sauce.
Frog legs aren’t your usual bar bites, but laut’s Frogs (S$18) is enough to make us wonder why not. Conveniently shaped into balls and covered in cereal crumbs, this local frog meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and so very moreish. Speaking of addictive, we couldn’t stop nibbling on the Burnt Eggplant Dip (S$11) throughout. This smooth, smoky dip is topped with a zesty tomato and onion relish, and you scoop up the mouthwatering mix with curry spiced papadums. To take the spice kick up a notch, there’s also the Otah (S$15) – the fiery fish-and-shrimp patty is sandwiched between fluffy white bread with Nonya achar.
In short, familiar dishes made new is the name of the game here. Bigger plates include the Laut Curry (S$33), a fragrant comfort dish reminiscent of fishhead curry. There’s a generous slab of the fish of the day – barramundi, in our case – along with local clams and mussels, swimming in a mild coconut rendang curry thickened with glass noodles. For the adventurous, there’s the Prawn Raja (S$29) – a thunder tea rice dish with the creamy consistency of risotto, stirred in with century eggs and petai (aka stink beans). While the rice’s bitterness may be divisive, the succulent king prawns it comes topped with easily wins our hearts.
There’s no forgetting the cocktails (all S$21), which share the limelight harmoniously with the nosh. Regional produce married with locally distilled spirits make for some truly Southeast Asian flavour bursts, like the Pineapple – a tangy sip of aged Malaysian molasses, Trigona mead, and fermented Sarawak pineapples sharpened with just a hint of black pepper. Another tipple sweetened with aged molasses, Banana brings together candlenut and coconut palm sugar in one rounded, silky concoction.
If sour is more your style, the gin-based June Plum offers a refreshing hit of citrus with kedongdong plums and kaffir lime, plus a creamy scoop of hawthorn sorbet that you can stir in. Then there’s the Kumquat, which sees a bold, tart mix of Malaysian molasses, tongkat ali root cordial, and aged Vietnamese sweet potato for a touch of earthiness.
Our favourite of the night, though, has to be the Sugarcane. While you might expect the saccharine brightness of sugarcane juice, this cocktail packs an intense smokiness thanks to roasted chestnut and smoked wood. Cradled at the bottom of the glass is a grape-sized surprise – a gelatin-encased ball of sugarcane and water chestnut concentrate which bursts in our mouth. Whether you’re big on locavorism or just seeking a fun night out, there’s no doubt that both laut’s booze and bites deliver in spades.
Laut is located at 17 Stanley Street, Singapore 068736, p. +65 8878 8018. Open Mon-Sat 5pm–10.30pm.
All photos courtesy of laut.
