Chef Drew Nocente returns to Italian roots at Cenzo

If you are a fan of chef Drew Nocente’s cooking at the now-defunct Salted And Hung, you will be glad to know he is back with a new restaurant in Club Street called Cenzo.

He has moved away from the nose-to-tail concept of his previous restaurant and returned to his roots as an Italian-Australian growing up on a farm in Queensland. Cenzo is named after his father Vincenzo and the chef updates Italian dishes in his style. And I love the bold flavours and hearty portions.

Pickled Mussels ($12) is a good way to start the meal, with the plump shellfish meat given a vinegary bath that perks up the appetite but is not overly acidic.

The Veal Tongue ($22) – sliced thinly and grilled over charcoal before being served with a drizzle of tangy creamy sauce – is worth the price too. The Raw Blue Prawns ($25) comes with a slice of sourdough, with which you can mop up the delicious prawn oil and wakame sauce.

If that is not enough for you, get the Shellfish Risotto ($28), which comes with some more intense crustacean-infused flavours.

The Porchetta ($48) disappoints, though, because the crackling does not crisp up and the meat is dry in the centre. Which is a pity, because the sides of celeriac slaw and pineapple chilli salsa are great.

Where: Cenzo, 81 Club Street
MRT: Telok Ayer
Open: Mondays to Saturdays, noon to 2.30pm and 5.30 to 10.30pm. Closed on Sundays
Tel: 9155-8374

Discover unknown Peranakan dishes at Mama Jac’s Kitchenette

I have been to a number of private-dining outfits – some were very good, others were over-rated and many were overpriced. But few are as interesting or educational as Mama Jac’s Kitchenette.

Ms Jacline Ng started the home business in 2021 out of a passion for cooking Nonya dishes, but as she unabashedly told me before we met, she is not Peranakan but Cantonese. But one would not be able to tell from tasting her cooking, which captures perfectly the delicate balance of spicy, sour and savoury flavours of a true-blue Peranakan.

That she grew up among members of the community instead of being born into it is perhaps an advantage, as she is not restricted by family recipes that are treated as sacred heirlooms. Instead, she picked them up from friends and books, and her private-dining repertoire is the only one I have seen that encompasses dishes from the Peranakan communities in Singapore, Melaka and Penang. And some are seldom found on restaurant menus and fast vanishing from home kitchens.

At my dinner, I had dishes such as mengkabo (a chilli pork stew from Melaka), udang seri (a prawn dish from Penang) and ikan Belanda (fried pomfret with a cinnamon and tamarind sauce from Melaka that is supposed to have come from the Dutch). I have not heard of, let alone tasted, these dishes before, and they are so good that I will go back for more.

You get familiar Singapore Nonya offerings too, such as ayam buah keluak and itek tim, a duck and salted vegetable soup. If the broth tastes a little intoxicating, that is because Ms Ng adds a shot of brandy to it.

Where: Mama Jac’s Kitchenette, 434 Clementi Avenue 3
MRT: Clementi
When: Fridays to Sundays, 7 to 10pm
Price: $118 a person for about eight dishes. Open to eight to 12 persons.
Tel: 9456-8298

Yun Nans opens new stonepot fish eatery in Northpoint

Yun Nans, known for its chain of eateries that serves Yunnan cuisine, has come up with a new concept that uses modern techniques to cook a traditional dish of fish soup in stonepot.

At Yun Nans Stonepot Fish, which opened in Northpoint in early November, high-pressured steam is piped into granite pots at the table to cook a whole fish in broth. This cooking method is not only smokeless, but the high heat also keeps the fish tender and smooth.

You choose from a live seabass ($42.80), patin ($5 per 100g) or soon hock ($8.80 per 100g) sourced from local farms, or fresh seabass (from $28). Then pick one of two broths – Collagen Fish Soup ($18) or Wild Mushroom Soup ($18) – to add to the fish before the steam is turned on and the pot covered with a tightly woven straw hat that not only adds some traditional colour, but also keeps the heat in very efficiently.

The fish soup, brewed with ginseng and other Chinese herbs, is more nutritious and a better deal, but I find the piscine flavour a tad too strong and prefer the lighter mushroom soup.

What makes this dish more interesting is that after eating the fish, the remaining broth can be used as a hotpot base. The restaurant offers typical steamboat ingredients such as shellfish, thinly sliced meat and vegetables.

You should try some of the cooked dishes too – such as the Crispy Barramundi Collar ($9.80) served with a salt and pepper dip, and the Grilled Clams With Spicy Garlic Sauce ($12.90).

Where: Yun Nans Stonepot Fish, 01-103 (South Wing) Northpoint City, 1 Northpoint Drive
MRT: Yishun
Open: 11.30am to 10pm daily
Tel: 6513-1381