PUBLISHED October 15th, 2016 06:00 am | UPDATED May 23rd, 2017 04:55 pm
If you frequent the streets of Singapore’s Central Business District, you’d likely have come across SPRMRKT on McCallum Street, the cafe and retail space that also functions as an art gallery. After a successful four-year run, founders Sue-Shan Quek and Joseph Yeo have introduced a new multi-concept space along the Singapore River at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute.
Encompassing two floors in the building, below sees SPRMRKT Daily – a cosy riverside cafe that incorporates a grocery-style shop stocked with goods from around the world, including homegrown brands Supermama and BooksActually. The food menu here is simple, highlighting several well-loved dishes from the McCallum Street outlet and some new surprises. The coffee is delicious, brewed with seasonal roasts from Nylon Coffee Roasters, while tea lovers have the pickings of a curated selection by Smitten Speciality Tea.
What really impressed us was the second-floor SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar, a beautifully furnished space decked in soft hues, metallic fixtures, gold-rimmed tables, and comfy banquette seats. Designed by Parable Studio, the restaurant decor (neoclassical in feel) is without a doubt fancy while still evoking a sense of welcome, utilising painting-like photographs to lend a gallery-like atmosphere to the place.
Head Chef Jonathan Ong helms the establishment, seeking to tantalise tastebuds with his New American cuisine, or ‘glocal food’ as he calls it. Many of the ingredients used are locally sourced, including Chinese sausages, kang kong (water spinach), and bok choy, a type of Chinese cabbage. Almost everything on the menu is made from scratch, from soup stocks to the mayonnaise.
SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar may be Jonathan’s first time heading his own kitchen, but his time at the likes of Waku Ghin and Iggy’s means that the man does an impressive job in honouring everything that goes into his dishes. We started with the Onion Soup ($15), loaded with leek, spring onion, and shallots for sweetness, as well as tender bits of smoked ham hock. This comes thicker (almost creamy) and with more depth than your usual French onion soup. Try the Smoked Fish Pate ($15) as well, freshly made with haddock, some Creole seasoning, and served with tasty warm grilled bread. A simple, great appetiser.
Spanish Octopus ($65) is our pick of the day, a visually-appealing plate of deep-fried kang kong, Asian-twisted Romesco nut sauce, bulgur (a sort of dry crunchy cereal), and some burnt kiwi. The octopus, grilled to tender perfection, hold its own, but goes well with its embellishments. The Corn ‘Jambalayed’ ($10), a localised version of Spanish jambalaya is an explosion of texture and savoury flavours – throw together some sweet corn, some Creole spice, sofrito, scallion, and Chinese sausage, and boom!
The Flat Iron Steak ($32) fairs decently. Cut from the shoulder of the Great Southern Pinnacle Angus cattle, it’s beefy and tender with just a bit of marbling. The crust is a tad salty, so you might want to eat it with the blue cheese dressing (a surprisingly good match) or the fried quinoa.
To complete the meal, we got the Broken Apple Pie ($15) – basically a deconstructed version of everything you’d find in an apple pie. It’s a decadent mess: pâte brisée crust, caramelised apples spiked with bourbon, and glorious vanilla ice cream, mmm.
Diners who like to wine and dine will find wines predominantly from France and the United States, curated by Analogue Wine Merchants. We hear that there are plans to bring in a certified sommelier for a more structured programme. At the bar, expect classic cocktails and mocktails with a bit of je ne sais quoi – like Praise the Lard ($20, bacon bourbon whisky, ruby port, Italian bitter liqueur and cardamom bitters) and Thyme of Our Lives ($12, ruby peach puree, green apple juice, thyme, and lime).
SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar is still very, very young, and there’s lots of room to flourish. But for now, we’re pretty satisfied with the balance. If you’re looking for a casual fine dining-style meal at unpretentious prices, this might be the place.
SPRMRKT Kitchen & Bar is located at 41 Robertson Quay, #02-01, Singapore 238236, p. 9736 4170. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm, Sat 9am – 4pm, 6pm – 10pm, Sun 9am – 6pm.
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