Ujong @ Raffles Hotel: The return of Chef Shen Tan! (CLOSED)
PUBLISHED June 3rd, 2014 02:51 am | UPDATED May 22nd, 2017 04:54 pm
When word reached us that the former Head Chef of Wok & Barrel, Shen Tan, was soon to be unleashing her delicious culinary creations upon the world once more at Ujong @ Raffles Hotel, we were rather excited to say the least. As diehard fans of Wok & Barrel, we loved her playful variations on ‘traditional’ Singaporean dishes, and her willingness to push boundaries in the name of creating delicious makanan.
Set along the Raffles Hotel promenade, Ujong is a rather unassuming venue with very simple, traditional furnishings – wooden chairs, marble tables and those sliding wooden centrepieces on the table to allow easy sharing of all the food.
As for the food, this is definitely the main draw here. Two perfect examples of Chef Tan’s ‘boundary-pushing’ dishes are the Yusheng Salmon Ceviche and Salad ($25.90) and the Softshell Chilli Crab with Deep Fried Mantous ($25.90).
I absolutely adore chilli crab. What I don’t like however is the amount of time spent dissecting the crab-legs to painstakingly extract a few mouthfuls of crab meat. So what better way to avoid this laborious task that just a crab where you can eat the whole thing? Whilst it’s not as spicy as some may like and could really do with a bit more sauce, the overall product is very pleasant and enjoyable to eat. As for the Yusheng Salmon, with salmon sashimi with salad tossed in a spicy peanut sauce, it’s difficult to go wrong.
Unsurpringly however it was the Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($19.90) and Shen’s Fish Curry Laksa ($23.90) that made the meal, leaving me constantly picking at the leftovers. The combination of that tender, spicy beef rendang, steamed rice, achar and some crunchy ikan bilis… what’s not to love? As for laksa, served in a reduced sauce, more like a pasta than a soup, it made the flavour all the more intense, with the noodles soaking up the kaffir lime and sweet coconut. Blissful.
There were two other dishes that massively surprised me and that was dessert! Let’s face it, Singaporean cuisine is not exactly known for its sweet treats. However the Shendol Delights ($15.90) and Banana Crack Parfait ($11.90) were a revelation in local desserts. Taking the flavours of traditional treats and introducing some western cooking methods, the latter was as addictive as the name would suggest – think a kind of banana tiramisu with cookie cream flavours. As for the Shendol… simply delightful – a coconut pannacotta with gulu melaka syrup, chendol and red bean ice cream. I would definitely recommend both of these fine sweet endings to patrons.
It goes without saying that the pricing at Ujong is not comparable with a hawker centre, but then neither is the product or setting and in terms of value for money, it is most definitely there.
Written by The City Nomad
On this occasion the meal was compliments of Ujong
Read more at Singapore Flavours: Chef Shen Tan’s guide to the top 5 Nasi Lemak in Singapore and Ding Dong: New and Improved on Amoy Street
