PUBLISHED June 16th, 2012 06:14 pm | UPDATED June 6th, 2016 11:39 am
I have to admit, deciding whether or not to write about Wild Honey was a tough one.
For those of you dear Nomads who have read a lot of our reviews, you will hopefully have noticed a pattern, in that a lot of what we write about is the ‘lesser known’ or hidden gems around Singapore, and Wild Honey certainly is no hidden gem.
But after some deliberation, a decision was made: Yes, Wild Honey is already very popular and somewhat ‘mainstream’ but I can’t help but rather love the place regardless. It’s a beautiful restaurant, it’s got a great vibe, they always play cool music in the background and most importantly the food is excellent and at a fairly reasonable price.
So here we go…
It was actually a chance meeting with the founder and owner, Guy Wachs that made me want to visit Wild Honey. For the simple reason that he is just such a nice guy… I couldn’t help but speculate that the same mentality would be ingrained in his restaurant, and indeed it was.
Walking in, despite being eternally busy, you can’t help but sense that the place gives off a very homely feel. The furniture is a random mishmash of cool armchairs, seats and benches. It just feels quite rustic… like a cool cafe vibe.
In the two visits I’ve made over to Wild Honey, I’ve had the chance to try a variety of dishes, but there are three that stand out for me:
The Norwegian – fresh sweet smoked salmon with a bit of ikura, grilled asparagus and two poached eggs, with well-made hollandaise sauce loaded on two thick whole-wheat challah brioche.
Being a smoked salmon fiend I might be slightly biased, but damn it this was tasty. The brioche was gorgeous, one of the best in Singapore – not overly buttery or sweet and had a nice savoury taste to it as well – great balance. As for toppings. Perfect. Generous portions, well-made ingredients. Highly recommended.
The Tunisian -For those of you feeling a little adventurous, the Tunisian Shakshouka is one of their signature dishes. Actually I was quite excited to try this as it’s something I make myself at home at least once a month. In case you’re wondering what the dickens a ‘Shakshouka’ is, let me explain… A very popular wholesome dish eaten in the Middle East – the basic ingredients consist of a thick spicy tomato stew cooked in a skillet. A few eggs are then poached in the tomato stew and it’s served piping hot with some salad and fresh bread…
The Wild Honey rendition uses the standard ingredients but then adds in some chorizo sausage to give it some textural and flavour uniqueness. I have to say, it’s very good, if somewhat delicate for my palate – (My homemade version is more rustic and chunkier). It was actually quite interesting to analyze it as I munched it down deciphering which flavours I was tasting, almost like drinking a well-made wine. Come to think of it, some Syrah/Shiraz would have gone down a treat… Next time…
The Mexican – Aye Caramba! Of all the dishes I’ve tried at Wild Honey, this has got to be the one that won my heart…..and stomach. An insanely hearty dish, it was so large I barely finished it (and my appetite is prodigious). Perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, black beans and fried capsicum and potatoes, all wrapped neatly in a warm soft wrap oozing with spicy salsa. Add in a little of the guacamole and sour cream and BAM! Breakfast Burrito perfection.
On the service, it’s a good standard. Friendly, efficient but not in-your-face and the staff seem to know the menu well. Oh, and the food arrived insanely fast despite being full-house. Literally, both my dining partner I were served our meal within 8-10 minutes of sitting down. Impressive.
It’s been said by many that Wild Honey is the brunch/breakfast champion of Singapore and over at City Nomads, we’re going to have to admit that the title is quite deserved. And not just because you can order breafast dishes from the ‘four corners’ of the globe.