Modern Asian fare at Jiak Kim House 

If you are from the era that went clubbing at the old Zouk in Jiak Kim Street, it is quite surreal to step into what is now the modern Asian restaurant Jiak Kim House. 

The beautiful 120-seat restaurant – with a 40-seat private dining room looking towards the Singapore River – was once Zouk’s Velvet Underground lounge. 

It takes up one of three conservation warehouses in Jiak Kim Street, all of which are part of Frasers Property Singapore’s integrated precinct.

One warehouse is the front-of-house and reception area for serviced residence Fraser Residence River Promenade, while the other is an event space. 

Jiak Kim House is run by lifestyle and food and beverage company The Brewerkz Group, and its kitchen is helmed by the group’s Singaporean chef-partner Seow Tzi Qin, 35. 

He continues to ride the wave of local chefs making their mark in the competitive dining scene with creative dishes packed with robust flavours. 

My meal kicks off on a high with The Tingkat of Memories ($36, good for two), a set of four starters comprising a crab cake with piquant assam mayonnaise; lamb goulash croquettes with mint coulis; chilli crab pie tee; and otak otak layered with batang fish and chunky prawns. 

Another standout is the mushroom herbal tea “macchiato” ($22), the chef’s spin on bak kut teh with a peppery mushroom consomme topped with green peppercorn foam and paired with housemade dough fritters to dip. 

For mains, I enjoy the Beef Tongue to Tail ($42) dish of spiced rendang short ribs, torched ox tongue and braised oxtail with crispy pave potatoes topped with grated coconut. It comes with grilled shishito peppers and a side of rojak salad to cut through the richness of the meat. 

The other must-try dish is the kam heong sambal grouper ($40), which has been marinated overnight in black peppercorns and housemade sambal, and cleverly paired with a vibrant mangosteen salsa and fragrant cilantro rice. It is a good one-dish meal. 

After all the rich flavours, round off the meal with Snow Peak ($22), a refreshing dessert of Maotai liquor and pineapple-infused sorbet on a bed of diced scoby (short for the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast used to make kombucha), guava and strawberries covered in a coconut jelly and shards of lime meringue.

The dishes mentioned are also part of a weekday lunch set menu, priced at $52++ (two courses) or $65++ (three courses).

Where: Jiak Kim House, 01-16/17, 5 Jiak Kim Street
MRT: Havelock
Open: Noon to 3pm, 6 to 11pm, Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays
Tel: 9831-5430
Info: jiakkimhouse.com

New CBD meals at Market Bistro 

For fuss-free, hearty lunch and dinner options in the Central Business District, head to 42-seat Market Bistro – sister outlet of steakhouses Meadesmoore in Boon Tat Street and Fat Belly in Bukit Timah, as well as Elixir Coffee and Wine in Holland Grove. 

Since opening in January, Market Bistro has taken in customer feedback and will launch an updated menu – available from 11am daily – from March 4.

Lunch sets will include a choice of base – salad, sweet potatoes or quinoa and brown rice – a protein, two sides and a sauce.  

Protein options comprise Scandinavian salmon ($20), herb-roasted chicken ($18), malted pork belly ($20) and braised jackfruit “meatballs” ($17).

Then, choose from a range of sides, which include spiced Madras cauliflower and a refreshing apple slaw.

Complete your meal with sauces, such as mojo verde (a tangy herb sauce) and housemade chilli crunch – the restaurant’s version of the famed Lao Gan Ma condiment. 

All items are also available as individual a la carte orders. 

From March 4, Market Bistro will offer a separate all-day dining menu – an extension of the current one available from 4pm.

It features a wider variety of dishes, including fried baby squid ($15), Irish duck confit ($28) served on mashed sweet potato and greens, and Australian Blue Mussels in A Bag ($34) cooked in a savoury cured ham and caper-infused white wine broth. 

Where: Market Bistro, 01-03 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3, 12 Marina Boulevard
MRT: Raffles Place
Open: 8am to 9pm, weekdays; closed on weekends
Tel: 8399-1912
Info: marketbistro.com.sg

New dishes at Venue By Sebastian 

Contemporary European restaurant Venue By Sebastian is one of those restaurants that is quietly thriving. 

Seven years after opening its doors at Downtown Gallery, I am glad to see chef-owner Sebastian Ng continue to serve his signatures, as well as refresh the menu. 

My favourite new dish is the vegetarian-friendly farro with mushrooms, kombu butter, poached egg and Parmigiano Reggiano ($26). It is straightforward, tasty comfort food at its best. 

Other additions include an appetiser of poached egg with chorizo and sauteed mushrooms on a nest of crispy potato strips ($9), and a peach melba dessert ($15) with raspberry sauce, housemade vanilla ice cream and toasted almond flakes. 

For those who want to stick to the classics, the 12-hour braised wagyu beef cheek au jus, pomme puree and broccolini ($38) will not disappoint, along with the Chilean seabass with mushroom-bacon ragout and truffle yuzu butter sauce ($42). 

Do not miss the pear tart crumble ($15) with caramelised pears, crispy puff pastry and housemade Baileys ice cream. 

A lunch set menu is available daily at $39++ (two courses) or $47++ (three courses). There is also a newly launched three-course dinner, priced at $58++. 

Where: 01-02 Downtown Gallery, 6A Shenton Way
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6.30 to 10pm, Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays
Tel: 6904-9688
Info: venuebysebastian.com