PUBLISHED February 25th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED September 22nd, 2020 04:26 pm
It’s easy for things to get old here – and with Singapore Restaurant Week returning for it’s 10th edition, the folks at Dining City are trying their darnest to keep things fresh. After a first-hand preview of the Restaurant Week menus of Portico and Punjab Grill – both establishments are not serving dishes on their regular menu – we think they’ve succeeded so put these restaurants on your to-conquer list this season.
Portico
Keeping quite religiously to the ‘Something Old, Something New’ theme of this edition, six members of Portico’s kitchen have conceptualised dishes based on memories of their childhood – with a modern twist, that is.
For instance, sous chef Ken has conceived a re-interpretation of Penang Laksa for the dinner menu. Rice noodles are made with fish cake instead, the flavours of prawn paste are condensed in a caramelized foam while the mint and pineapple are transformed from individual components into a tangy salsa. It’s a firm nod to tradition – spicy, sour, pungent – as much as a refreshing take on the Malaysian classic.
The dinner starter is followed by a luxe version of Beef Satay. An 8-hour sous vide oyster blade is marinated with satay spices – an unmistakable doppelganger of Singapore’s favourite skewers in terms of flavour. Paired with burnt cucumber puree, peanut sauce and puffed rice that mimics Ketupat, it’s probably our
favourite version of satay…and to think it can be enjoyed at an affordable $35++ during Restaurant Week, we can’t help but smile.
Milo Dinosaur, which is Head Chef Nixon Low’s baby, is a cup of Milo panna cotta oozing chocolaty flavours. Milo crumble tops the smooth custard, which encases pop rocks, providing (nostalgic) mini-explosions in the mouth. House-made mochi balls provide a neat textural counterpoint.
Overall: Extremely good value without scrimping on quality. Good job, Portico!
Punjab Grill
However posh Marina Bay Sands might be, fine-dining in a shopping mall just seems a tad off. At least, with its warm lighting and sleek interiors, it’s easy to forget where you are when you step into Punjab Grill.
Executive Chef Javed Ahamad served us a mix of his lunch and dinner menus, cheekily confident that his food will lure us back during the actual Restaurant Week so we can try the rest. What stood out in the lunch Appetizer Platter was the Kurkuri Amristsari Fish and the chilli lime sauce it came with. The citrus fruit is Chef’s bid to keep to the theme, since lime is something old and/or familiar to us Singaporeans but something fairly uncommon in Indian cuisine.
We could also wax lyrical about the boneless Spring Chicken Thigh appetizer, marinated in yoghurt and kaffir lime leaves, we’d rather save the praise for the main course on the dinner menu, Tandoor Grilled Chicken Tikka served with Manuka honey makhani sauce. We were impressed by how the mild but incredibly tangible aroma of honey complemented the perfectly grilled chicken really well.
Desserts-wise, we tried the dinner Desserts Sampler, which consisted of Dry Fruit Cassata Gulab Jamun Kulfi and Alphanso Mango Cheese Cake. While the former was unique – we’ve never tried an ice cream version of gulab jamun! – we preferred the latter because it was like mango lassi in cheesecake form, ’nuff said.
Overall: The DiningCity Star (and hence the extra $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner) tagged to Punjab Grill might put some of you off. But if you’re in a mood for an Indian gourmet adventure, we’d recommend you try Punjab Grill even if it wasn’t Restaurant Week.
Book your seats at Portico and Punjab Grill online for Singapore Restaurant Week, which is happening 14-22 March 2015.
Co-written by Brandon Ho and Emily S
Read more about Punjab Grill’s Monsoon Menu: A Mastery of Seasonal Indian Cuisine and Singapore Restaurant Week March 2015 Review: PepeNero and Hashi