Today let me be your guide to trying some of the best eateries in Singapore, from exclusive fine dining all the way to tiny corner hole in-the-walls. I guarantee you will not be disappointed as no tour will ever match up to where I am about to take you.
Singapore has over 20,000 restaurants to feed its 5 million person population. There is quite a variety of food in this small island-country where Thai, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese and even Vietnamese food can be easily found. As life is very fast paced in Singapore, eating out has become a lifestyle, especially for breakfast and lunch when people are racing against the clock. Dinner, on the other hand, is the time to socialize with family and friends and to enjoy fine dining. It is not therefore strange to see a significant rise in world-renowned chefs based in Singapore.
The first restaurant I will introduce you to is Burnt Ends. “Burnt Ends†is slang for charred parts of meat, especially the fatty ends that give the meat a smoky aroma. This is the concept of the restaurant. There are only 4 to 6 tables in the front and back areas. I recommend sitting at the counter bar so you can witness the commotion of this open kitchen while head chef David Pynt and his team use special techniques in preparing your meals from roasting, grilling and smoking, to cooking directly on hot coals using 2 of the restaurant’s 4-tonne ovens.
I started off with “artichoke & taleggioâ€. I always thought that only the bases of the artichokes can be eaten. In fact, one can peel off the burnt layer and eat the remaining white fleshy petals together, with the Taleggio cheese as recommended by the chef.
Next was “leek, hazelnuts and brown butterâ€. It is eaten similar to the artichokes, where you need to pull off the burnt parts exposing the sweet-tasting softer insides. The leek is accompanied by hazelnuts, chopped capers and parsley mixed into brown butter cream.
Next on my list was grilled “whole baby snapper†served with fennel & seaweed salad. Its exceptionally tangy flavoured sauce is “contained†by adding a bit of rock salt giving it a perfectly blended combination.
My last dish was “pigeon & plumâ€. The very soft pigeon meat, eaten medium rare, goes very well with the sweet plum paste.
Other Burnt Ends’ popular menus not to be missed are Sanger and Onglet. “Onglet†is a hanger steak served with burnt onion and watercress. The mouth-watering softness of the steak is complemented by the exquisite taste of the sauce. “Sanger†is pulled pork with tangy coleslaw placed between a slightly charred brioche burger bun. The highlight of this burger is hidden in the chipotle aioli sauce.
Burnt Ends Singapore is owned by Chef Andre Chiang, owner of the Andre Restaurant (#37 World’s Best Restaurant) with Loh Lik Peng and Chef David Pynt as head chef and co-owner. Burnt Ends is located on Teck Lim Road in Chinatown. Tel +65 6224 3933. Open Monday to Saturday. Reservations for the counter bar can be made between 18:00-18:30. For more information please visit
www.burntends.com/sg
or www.facebook.com/BurntEndsSG.
