Food Picks: S-E Asian ingredients at Province, pasta with Singapore flavours at Pastaro

Province’s summer menu

When I interviewed chef Law Jia-Jun about his restaurant, Province, in 2023, I wondered if he would be able to stick to his guns and use only ingredients from South-east Asia. It is a tall order, and other chefs have tried and given up.

A year and a bit later, the 29-year-old has not given up. He has been able to source more interesting ingredients. His cooking is also more confident, and the plating and flavours in the eight-course ($148) dinner are on the money.

From Cameron Highlands, he gets sweet, juicy momotaro tomatoes, which he serves chilled with confit tomatoes, marinated tomatoes, crunchy puffed quinoa and a quenelle of very intense shiso sorbet. Thick, velvety pieces of squid are paired with sambal mata and fermented kedondong. And a perfectly cooked piece of white trevally is topped with seaweed XO sauce, curry emulsion and wild ferns.

I usually lose my interest in tasting menus when the main course arrives, but this is the strongest course at Province.

A thick slice of Sarawak pork, aged 10 days, is grilled over charcoal so it gets a crisp skin but is perfectly pink. It is juicy, sweet and delicate. On the side are edamame beans and a quenelle of mustard. There is also pork jus, but I am happy to eat the pork just on its own.

The carb course is another standout. Housemade la mian is topped with shucked clams and slices of okra lined up like soldiers, and chicken consomme poured over at the counter. It is warming and just plain comforting.

The two desserts showcase bounty from this region. Some, like wild sumac, I did not know were available in this part of the world. It is used in a granita topping osmanthus aiyu jelly, compressed melon and delicate ulam raja leaves, with their green mango flavour.

Pineapple takes centre stage in the second dessert, grilled and glazed with gula melaka and coconut yogurt ice cream.

Course by course, chef Law is showing that being a locavore in this part of the world is endlessly rewarding and delicious.

Where: 153 Joo Chiat Road
MRT: Dakota
Open: Lunch seating: 12.30pm; dinner seatings: 6.15 and 8.30pm (Wednesdays to Sundays); closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Tel: 8075-1896
Info:

province.com.sg

Singapore flavours at Pastaro

The rules of pasta, if you want to be a stickler, are many. No cheese on seafood pasta. No spoon, fork only. Al dente is the only way.

Pastaro breaks some of those rules. There are chopsticks at the table. And that black pasta sauce is not made with squid ink. That is buah keluak. Yes, chef Willin Low’s newest restaurant features pasta with Singapore flavours.

The 35-seat restaurant, which opened on Aug 9, features spaghettini, spaghetti and fettucine made in-house. And they are deployed in dishes with a distinct Asian accent. This has been the hallmark of the 52-year-old chef’s cooking since his first restaurant, Wild Rocket, opened in 2005 in what was then a backpacker hotel.

Pastaro is in another unusual location – it is suspended above Cold Storage supermarket at Chancery Court. The cosy and casual space is no fuss, no muss; just well-priced, delicious food.

There are seven pasta dishes on the menu and the three I try are terrific.

Buah Keluak Spaghetti ($21) is deep, dark and flavourful, with chopped chicken as the protein. I would like more calamansi served alongside because it adds zing to the dish.

Singapore Fried Noodles ($26), with crustacean oil, prawns, chilli and makrut lime leaves, is perky, not too rich and much more interesting than the travesty that is Singapore Noodles, a dish which does not, thankfully, exist here.

Lion Spaghettini ($18) gets its name from lion’s mane mushrooms, which, together with pearl oyster mushrooms, supply plenty of bite. Walnuts add richness and crunch. I do not miss the meat.

Two of the sharing dishes must never be taken off the menu.

The most important one is Charred Napa Cabbage ($14), a ring of said cabbage topped with miso butter, nori and bonito flakes. You unfurl it layer by deliciously charred layer with chopsticks.

The other is Har Jeong Fritter ($14), which tells you nothing. What you get are chunks of pork belly coated with prawn paste and deep-fried until the skin is airy and crisp. Anyone attempting prawn paste anything should figure out how chef Low manages to cram in maximum flavour without sodium overload. That piquant dipping sauce is an excellent accompaniment.

Pre-order Purin ($13) for dessert because it often sells out. This is the chef’s take on the Japanese pudding, but with a Singapore accent. Aromatic pandan infuses the dessert and it is served with gula melaka caramel. When that hint of salt registers on my palate, I know I am home.

Where: 02-45 Chancery Court, 36H Dunearn Road
MRT: Newton
Open: 11am to 3.30pm, 5.30 to 10pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 10.30am to 10pm (weekends), closed on Mondays
Tel: 8824-0245
Info: @pastarobistro on Instagram

Summer Hill’s Trolley Brunch

At a time when restaurants are struggling to fill seats, Summer Hill, a French bistro at Claymore Connect, has been packing them in on weekends.

That is when chef-owner Anthony Yeoh, 42, runs what he calls a Trolley Brunch ($69 a person, $34.50 for children aged four to 12). The value proposition is undeniable: staff wheel a trolley around the 60-seat restaurant, serving guests with plates of food large and small. People can have multiple servings during the two-hour seating.

The current Provencal Pique-Nique theme, which runs until mid-October, features an unending wave of food. Pace yourself.

My favourite from the selection is the trio of dips served with slices of baguette. All three – artichoke, piperade and whipped goat’s cheese, honey and olives – are good, but the last one is particularly delectable. There is also a very addictive 3-Cheese Mac & Cheese that I eat way too much of.

Plump Clams Marinere are ladled from a cocotte, and the white wine broth is supremely slurp-worthy.

But save yourself for the Provencal Roasted Pork Belly, one of three main courses, aside from fried chicken and lamb shoulder parmentier, sort of like a shepherd’s pie. It is a beauty, with crackling skin, and served with a soupy bean stew and a kicky green chilli persillade.

On the day I dine there, guests get an extra plate – grilled tri-tip steak topped with a French take on chimichurri sauce, with added marjoram, thyme, tarragon and chives.

At some point, smoke blows out from the tall cupboards, signalling snow-cone time. Guests get glasses filled with shaved ice and then help themselves to syrup, fruit and other toppings to make their own dessert. I have not had so much fun in a long time.

When I get back to the table, there are three more desserts waiting for me: Cherry Frangipane Tart, an excellent Lavender Milk Cake and the restaurant’s signature Chocolate Stout Cake. Mercy, and merci.

Where: 02-17 Claymore Connect, 442 Orchard Road
MRT: Orchard
Open: The Brunch Trolley is available on weekends and public holidays with two seatings: 11am to 1pm and 1.30 to 3.30pm. There will be an additional brunch session on Sept 27, with seatings from 11am to 1pm, and 1.30 to 3.30pm
Tel: 8690-5907
Info: 

summerhill.sg