Food Picks: Hot stuff

My brow is beading with sweat. My heart is racing. My tongue is on fire.

The brain yells: "Stop. Stop right now!" The heart says otherwise. "Go on, another spoonful. You know you want it."

Yes, I do. I want more food from Kotuwa. Not that I have not ordered enough. There is food to feed several armies. But how else am I going to get a sense of chef Rishi Naleendra's Sri Lankan restaurant?

When it opens, it will be located at the Wanderlust Hotel in Little India and Sri Lankan head chef Nizran Yazid, 32, will preside. For now, the food for takeout and delivery comes from chef Naleendra's other restaurant, Cloudstreet in Amoy Street.

The two chefs make no concessions for chilli cowards like me. The meat curries I order - Lamb ($22) and Chicken ($20) - are both fiery. But what makes me go back for more is the complex interplay of spices. Heat, there is plenty of, but also earthiness, tang and a hint of bitterness.

That hint of bitterness shows up in Beetroot Curry ($16), cooked, the menu says, with cumin and fresh green chilli. It is a calm oasis compared with the curries but here, it is the curry leaves, not the cumin or green chilli, that take centre stage. The aroma is mesmerising and completely different from the mild, sweet beetroot curry I made in a Sri Lankan cooking class I once took in Sydney.

I am in love with Polos Ambula ($16), chunks of baby jackfruit in a coconut milk-enriched curry that also sings an aromatic spice song. It is delicious spooned over Polos Kottu ($18), chopped rotti prata cooked with baby jackfruit and vegetables. Finely chopped rotti is much more compelling than rice, and tames the heat of the Polos Ambula admirably.

From the Short Eats offerings, Beef Rolls ($12 for two) come crisp and greaseless, the ground beef filling not at all fiery.

But I get hot and bothered again biting into a Crab Cutlet ($12 for four), innocent golden-brown balls hiding a lethal blue swimmer crab filling.

By the time I get to dessert, I'm completely strung out.

Chocolate Biscuit Pudding ($12) is sweet relief. Marie biscuits (I have so missed them) are layered with Valrhona chocolate parfait to make a refrigerator cake of sorts. I would like the chocolate to be darker, but after all the drama, I am happy to eat this nursery dessert, brightened with candied orange peel.

I am so glad nobody is around to see my meltdown.

Please chefs, make sure your restaurant is cold like a meat locker when it opens?

WHERE: Kotuwa by Cloudstreet DELIVERY TIMES: 11.30am to 10pm daily TEL: 6513-7868 INFO: Go to kotuwa.oddle.me/en_SG to order. Islandwide delivery available for minimum order of $50; free with orders of $120 and up; $10 otherwise

---

AN UNUSUAL WELLINGTON

Trying times, I am convinced, bring out the best in people. Look at all the grace under pressure that restaurant owners and chefs are showing.

Patisserie G has stopped retail sales at its Millenia Walk and Downtown Gallery stores, but has come up with some beautiful looking and tasting food for delivery islandwide.

Its Wellingtons - beef or salmon - are gaining traction on social media. Or at least among the foodies I follow. I love the idea of a fish Wellington because not everyone eats beef.

I do, but I figure I would give the Salmon Wellington (from $70 for a two-person portion) a try.

Perfectly cooked - which is to say not overcooked - fish is encased in housemade puff pastry, together with mushrooms and chopped egg. The dome, with prettily latticed pastry, looks almost too pretty to cut. I do anyway.

It is delicious. I wonder how the chefs manage to get the fish to be just cooked. It's tricky. And even the beef version is medium rare.

I try and think ahead to other meals, and order two sandwiches to stash away. If not eating them immediately, consider doing as I do, which is to order them untoasted.

Then it is a simple matter of heating them up in the toaster oven or toasting them in a pan and pressing the sandwiches down while they toast. I place foil on top of the sandwiches and weigh them down with a heavy pan to simulate a sandwich press.

The Cubano ($9.90) makes a substantial meal for one and is filled with honey glazed ham, miso pulled pork, cheese and spinach. Sweet relish makes it a little extra. Corned Beef ($12.50) is just as good, mainly because the beef is not out of a can and is sliced thin. Adding oomph are caramelised onions, mustard and cheese.

Oh, and if you like good bread, consider the Olive, Cornmeal & Rosemary Sourdough Loaf ($14 each). It has a great texture and makes excellent grilled cheese sandwiches.

WHERE: Patisserie G DELIVERY TIMES: 10am to 1pm, 1 to 4pm, 4 to 6pm daily TEL: 8317-8314 INFO: Go to www.patisserieg.com for the menu and to order, at least a day in advance. Islandwide delivery is free for orders $60 and up; otherwise, delivery costs $20

---

HOMESPUN FOOD

Is it possible to have comfort food without a whole lot of carbs? Yes, if you order from zi char eating house Sik Bao Sin in Geylang.

My must-order dishes there are the Black Chicken Soup ($26), Steamed Pork With Salted Fish ($17) and Steamed Fish Head ($26).

There is no fuss, no muss. I order a couple of hours before lunch and it is delivered to me freshly cooked and piping hot.

The steamed pork with salted fish has just the right amount of fat in it. The meat is not chopped too fine, so there's plenty of texture. Yes, the gravy would be delicious over rice. But it is perfectly good on its own too.

A well-made herbal chicken soup is warming and comforting, and that describes Sik Bao Sin's version. It tastes just like it does when dining at the restaurant.

The biggest surprise is the fish head. I hesitate before ordering because I do not want to spend money on overcooked fish. But my fears are unfounded. It is cooked just right and some of the lard croutons are still crisp. Do finish it though. Steamed fish is not good reheated.

WHERE: Sik Bao Sin Eating House, 592 Geylang Road OPEN: 11.45am to 2.30pm, 5.45 to 9.30pm, closed on Mondays TEL: Call 6744-3757 to order INFO: Go to str.sg/JQXH for the delivery menu. Islandwide delivery is $20, paid to the driver

---

BRUNCHING IN

What happened to those halcyon days when people rolled out of bed on Sundays and headed straight to a boozy brunch by the beach? Gone. And who knows when we will get back those carefree days again.

So this weekend, order in brunch from The FOC Group and give that most important meal of the week a Spanish accent.

There is an option of brunch for two to three people, or four to six. The smaller version has enough food for at least four.

Like in a restaurant, you can curate brunch by choosing from a list of options. The difficult part is figuring out what to choose, since everything sounds so good. So I'll try and help you out.

From the tapas selection, where you can pick four, order Bread With Tomatoes because that crisp crystal bread is fantastic. You'll just need to revive it in the toaster oven.

Then Roasted Cauliflower for fibre; Mushroom Croquettes because the earthy flavour is beautiful; and thick-crust FOC Pizza topped with pork sausage and wedges of brie.

There are three options for paella, but you should get the Black Mediterranean Squid Ink one because the rice is so flavourful, you don't need the prawns and baby squid toppings. Spoon the aioli onto the rice and eat them together.

The price of brunch will depend on what main course you choose. For half a juicy roast chicken, potatoes and red bell peppers, the cost is $138+. If you choose Grilled Fish, with 250g of the catch of the day, confit potatoes and salsa verde, you pay $168+; and for Braised Beef Cheeks, mushrooms, black truffle sauce and confit potatoes, you pay $188+. These are prices for the smaller brunch. I would pick the chicken.

I suggest adding a seafood platter to the mix. It comes with Argentinian prawns, Steamed Alaskan King Crab with shells cracked for easy access, lobster cocktail and grilled Carabinero prawns.

A half portion costs $65+ and a full one is $100+. If you order the larger version, you get either a bottle of cava or 700ml of sangria.

Dessert comes, well, FOC. You get a Swiss roll and the mirror-glazed black chocolate ganache one is smashing.

There is also a box of churros with a choice of dips. Now, here is where I get fuzzy because I love all the dips. The chocolate one is rich and dark, the caramel one has a hint of salt and the tiramisu cream is a dream. None of them are overly sweet.

You're on your own here. I trust you will make the right choice.

WHERE: The FOC Group INFO: Weekend brunch is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Order at least 24 hours in advance at www.foc.group. Free islandwide delivery is available from 8am to 9pm