Food Picks: Punchy flavours at Enjoy Eating House and six-course Hairy Crab Feast at Yan

Enjoy Eating House

I have always thought that Enjoy Eating House is too under the radar. Chef Joel Ong, 37, serves the kind of punchy, wok hei-infused food I enjoy. I love his Opeh Leaf Hokkien Mee ($40), with very intense prawn stock and expert charring; and Ugly Cabbage In Fish Sauce ($16), just two ingredients elevated by expert wok work.

Now, there is more reason to eat there. He and his business partner James Ang, 37, have updated their menu with new dishes, and four of them are standouts.

The best one is Four Heavenly Ongs ($19), a stir-fry of wing bean, lady’s finger, brinjal and petai. When the plate hits the table, that smoky wok hei aroma is instantly appetising. What I want is a big pile of rice to go with it.

Rice would also be perfect with the rich gravy of Rolls Royce Rendang Beef Short Rib ($52), fall-off-the-bone from 48 hours of low and slow cooking. Cashews and coconut milk thicken the sauce magnificently.

But then I would have to miss out on Kup Rice ($18), named after the sound of a metal bowl of yam rice being flipped onto a plate before serving. That rice is a smoky umami bomb, with dried shrimps, chestnuts and mushrooms. It is good enough as is, but the dish also comes with a shiny block of braised pork belly.

Rounding up the best four is White Pepper Crab ($14), reimagined as chawanmushi. No need to get the hands dirty either. The silky egg is a great foil for the very peppery crabmeat.

Where: 01-07 Mercure Singapore on Stevens, 30 Stevens Road
MRT: Stevens
Open: 11.30am to midnight daily
Tel: 8511-1478
Info: @enjoyeatinghouse (Instagram)

Yan

Hairy crab is appearing on Chinese restaurant menus everywhere. Yan, the upscale Cantonese restaurant, has a six-course Hairy Crab Feast ($198 a person, minimum two to order) that showcases the crustacean.

The male crab I get is crammed full of creamy milt and the best part is that the staff do most of the hard work – the leg meat is semi-liberated for easy eating. The crabs are a good size too, so the effort is not wasted. Hairy crab meat and roe appear in another course, in a sauce spooned over tofu, diced ham and greens. Order additional crabs at $98 for 220g.

But save room for the luxurious braised whole South African abalone that comes with the set and the fantastic stewed noodles, so very springy. It comes sprinkled liberally with dried shrimp roe to provide a blast of umami and the skin on the accompanying slices of roast duck breast are beautifully crackly.

Where: 05-02 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road
MRT: City Hall
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm daily
Tel: 9272-7522
Info: yan.com.sg