Hadramawt Kitchen reopens at Hotel Boss with new Yemeni dishes

SINGAPORE – Yemeni restaurant Hadramawt Kitchen officially opened on Sept 6 at Hotel Boss, after moving out of its Lavender Street premises at the end of its lease as the property is up for redevelopment. 

Owner Alwee Ahmad Bakhamees, 63, who is Singaporean, started Hadramawt Kitchen as a catering company in 2022 and reworked its former premises to include a 40-seat restaurant.

Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers, who hailed from Yemen, settled in Singapore in the early 1900s, and Mr Alwee hopes to preserve and share the flavours of his family recipes at his eatery.  

The relocated Muslim-owned restaurant, which now seats 50 diners, is marking its new chapter with several new dishes, available from Oct 3.

The star is the Mandhi Brinjal ($13.90+), a vegetarian dish power-packed with flavour and texture. A brinjal is sliced lengthwise into a thick slab and grilled until tender, then topped with cubed eggplant oven-roasted in a luscious mix of bell pepper, onion, garlic, fresh coriander and dried mint. 

The grilled brinjal comes on a bed of Mandhi rice with coral lettuce and cucumber slices. The fluffy, orange-accented long-grain basmati rice is redolent with a host of spices, including black peppercorns, cloves, fennel and cumin.

The rice is served with sahawiq – a spicy Yemeni chutney that resembles salsa, made with diced tomato and green and red finger chillies. There is also housemade garlic sauce, blended from fresh garlic, olive oil, milk and dried mint. 

Another new dish is Mandhi Fish ($20.90+), with grilled golden pomfret and a plate of Mandhi rice served separately.

The fresh fish is marinated with tomato, garlic and spices, including cumin and coriander, before cooking. Each fish weighs between 400g and 500g. Though meant for one person, the dish can easily feed two. Portions are generous at Hadramawt Kitchen. 

Also a new item on the menu is Fahsah ($17.90+), shredded mutton in gravy served with Yemeni pita. Chilled mutton is simmered for three hours, shredded, then cooked to order with onion, garlic, fresh tomato, cumin, coriander and turmeric, before being served in a heated cast-iron bowl to keep it piping hot at the table.

The mutton has a pronounced gamey aroma, which may be too strong for some diners. 

New desserts

Round off the meal with two new Yemeni desserts.

The Masoub ($12.90+) is a comforting mash of ripe banana and crumbled flatbread mixed with butter, cream and honey. A topping of cashews, raisins and black sesame seeds adds texture.

The Areekah ($12.90+) is similar, but uses mashed dates with crumbled flatbread instead.

The honey and cream used for the desserts are flown in from Yemen. Yemeni honey is high in viscosity, while Yemeni cream is thick and not sweet. No sugar is added to make the desserts, which rely on the honey and fruit for sweetness. 

Hadramawt Kitchen 

Where: 01-11 Hotel Boss, 500 Jalan Sultan
MRT: Lavender
Open: Noon to 11pm daily
Tel: 8011-3222 
Info: @hadramawtkitchensg on Instagram