PUBLISHED April 16th, 2013 01:05 am | UPDATED January 21st, 2016 02:27 am
It’s something of a wonder to me that there are not more awesome food spots for Singaporean cuisine. It makes me sad seeing people happy to pay $30 for pasta or pizza but complain about a $6 chicken rice. It’s a very bold person who decides to open a venue specialising in delicious local cuisine, using top ingredients, and therefore charging more than your standard hawker centre price. Immigrants Gastrobar is just such a place and frankly I couldn’t be happier to see its creation. Here’s a run down of some of what you should be ordering…
Singgang ($14) – If you’ve never heard of this, this is basically a Eurasian wolf herring pate. Think ground spices, a splash of coconut and some delicious fish served with fresh cucumber. Delicious. And paired with a lovely Chardonnay or Wheat Ale beer.
Grilled Seafood Otak ($16) – Unlike usual Otak which seems to just all blend together into mush, the Otak here is made fresh with chunks of prawn and mackerel giving it a rougher, fuller taste.
Seh Bak ($18) – This rare dish is something you won’t find in many places these days. A Eurasian pork dish with lots of offle, slow braised for four hours with soy sauce and spices. This produces a surprisingly elegant and sweet dish. Served with some fried tofu (tau kwa). You may want to share this as it’s pretty rich.
Chilled Tofu with Century Egg Relish ($9) – Yes! For those of you who think you don’t like Century Egg, this is a must when ordering here. Cold tofu combined with egg, sesame, spring onion and pickles. Utterly gorgeous.
There’s too many other good dishes to give credit to, so what I would simply say is ask for recommendations from the Chef and make sure to check out the daily specials. I also had the immense pleasure of sampling some beef cheek Rendang and whole fish coated in fresh sambal. Cue mouth watering…. and perhaps some beer to take down the spice.
Aside from a quality selection of delicious treats that any local or non-local can tuck into (check out the crowd while you’re there…it’s a real mixed bunch), what makes Immigrants such a gem for me is its excellent selection of booze. I lament how many times I’ve been sitting eating a Laksa, Rendang or Sambal dish and be hankering for a quality beer or wine to wash it all down…not just a glass of Tiger. Blurgh! Immigrants offers a selection of dozens of craft beers from the great guys at Drinking Partners, boutique wines, Sake, and Scottish and Japanese whiskies – all at extremely reasonable prices! As an example, a bottle of Nikka Taketsuru 17yr (one of my favourites) is $220 for a bottle! As for the beers, they range from $10-16 which is pretty good value!
Immigrants goes back to the basics and serves up food from generations ago. The origins…the Immigrants of Singapore. A great rojak or Malay, Chinese, Peranakan, Indian, Eurasian or Western. All served up in plates designed for sharing, this is simply a great way to enjoy some delicious food and drinks in a casual setting and not have to pay through the nose. In addition, they even have a 20% off happy hour (5-9pm) for all bottles of beers, wines and spirits.
Next time I come by Joo Chiat, I’ll be sure to stop in for another visit. You should too!
Written by The City Nomad.