Restaurant Review: Poisson Serves up Fine Seafood in Bukit Pasoh, Singapore
PUBLISHED May 5th, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED May 14th, 2022 03:12 pm
The shophouses lining Bukit Pasoh has gotten increasingly bustling and diversified over the last couple of years. Notwithstanding classics like cocktail bar Live Twice (that recently ranked No. 65 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars extended list) and oyster bar Humpback, you’ll find gems like French restaurant Clos Pasoh and natural wine haunt Rebel Rebel. Latest to join the fray is Poisson, which translates to ‘fish’ in French, so you’d already know what to expect in a nutshell.
Brought to you by restauranteurs Geoffrey Weckx and Pierre Bolly, the marine-inspired dining room, awash in colours and features of the sea, sees a menu inspired by the coastal cities of the world. While we’ll never truly know, Poisson’s positioning on sourcing is clear – they’re supplied by sustainably certified fish farms and independent, international seafood suppliers, with each ingredient on the menu ethically harvested.
Split simply into two sections, we dive in head first into the decadence of the Cold Stream on a balmy evening, accompanied by a flute of Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blanc (S$32/S$165).
Taste the creamy sweetness of locally farmed blue prawns in Blue Ebi (S$52), which is beautifully balanced with a delicate spring onion infused oil, Bafun uni and Kaluga Queen hybrid caviar. The luxury continues with Smoke Uno (S$62, two pieces), an assembly of sea urchin and caviar atop smoked Negitoro tuna, Japanese egg omelette, and seaweed. Though it holds a heavy load well, the combined sweetness of the crispy cereal biscuit base and tamago can come across as too sweet, but we reckon this chef’s signature will find plenty of fans.
If it’s a hard pass on the uni, try the Amber & Jack (S$32). The mild and oily slices of hamachi are marinated in a citrus vinaigrette and topped with juicy pineapple, pomegranate seeds, and ice lettuce leaves. Fresh and simple, my only gripe is the yellow tail slices could be thinner – or more vinaigrette to coat them – to better enjoy the other flavours on the dish.
Amongst the larger plates in the Hot Stream, the Gadus (S$36) stood out with its lighter than usual Thai red curry broth, which sang in harmony with the one-week dry aged salmon. Usually paired with steamed Atlantic cod, we reckon the crisp-skinned salmon is a better option – or who knows? Executive Chef Ma might pull another fish out from the dry ager.
One for the seafood pasta lovers, the creamy Toff (S$62++) features homemade trofie pasta tossed with fleshy hand-peeled mangrove crab and salted bottarga (cured fish roe). There’s more uni to top it all off.
Taking its name from the hit Netflix series, The Game (S$24) sees squid, marinated simply in garlic, grilled and paired with a tangy onion and tomato puree. It was enjoyable enough, though we would have tucked in with more fervour if the squid turned up with more char for that smoke-kissed flavour.
The beverage menu at Poisson is quite a comprehensive one. Cocktails aren’t the strong suit here though, so opt for something off their elegant wine list or sake instead. In addition to the bubbly earlier, there was a light and dry Domaine Delaporte Sancerre sauvignon blanc that went down well with the Amber & Jack. The smooth, slightly acidic Lucien Muzard et Fils Bourgogne Rouge (S$20/S$95) played nice with Gadus and The Game.
Poisson is located at 48 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089859, p. +65 6223 2131. Open Tue-Sat 12pm-2pm, 6pm-11.30pm.
