[Invited Tasting] Dinner at The Quarters @ Tanjong Pagar

16 Enggor Street #01-09 Icon Village, Singapore 079717

Tel: 6834 4174

Website: https://www.thequarters.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thequarterssg

The Quarters is located at Icon Village at Tanjong Pagar - one of the most bustling business districts in Singapore, is helmed by Chef Chung Deming, also the owner herein. The restaurant serves up classic Singaporean dishes with fusion twists, constantly tweaking the menus to feed demand for fresh take on Singapore classics. Some of the signatures comprise Har Cheong Kai (prawn paste chicken), Shiok Fries (with salted egg sauce and chilli crab sauce) as well as an assortment of pastas and burgers.

I was honoured to be invited to try out the new menu. Upon arrival I noted the open concept of the restaurant - cosy and inviting. What appealed most was the chalk art on the walls, giving it a hipster-y feel but add a touch of class.

We started with Fwah! (SGD$18.00) - an innovative dish made up of melty foie gras with kaya on crisp toast, an interesting combination of sweet-savoury flavours; runny scrambled eggs cascade from the top of the deck, creamy and indulgent.

Next, Salted Egg Mid-Wings (SGD$12.00) - grilled mid-wings slathered generously with salted egg aioli, and artistically so, the juicy chicken wings almost looked like they had stripes. Nice flavour, not overwhelming at all; and there's even a small salad on the side to balance the meaty appetiser.

The Buah Keluak Ayam (SGD$12.00) - juicy slices of chicken with crispy skin and buah keluak rempah - elusive black nut paste, an essential of Peranakan dishes.

Final appetiser of the night was Ooh La La! (SGD$16.00) - succulent Clams in Chilli Crab Sauce - fiery and addictive. Tossed into the mix are also huge pieces of croutons, adding crunch to every bite.

Moving on to Grilled Vegetables, we had Vine Tomatoes with salt and special marinade (SGD$10.00), Shitake Mushrooms with salt (SGD$9.00) and Asparagus served with fermented soy bean and garlic (SGD$14.00).  The vegetables had a delicious smokey hint to it, and I believe even the non-veggie lovers would also enjoy this dish.

From the Charcoal Grill section, we had the Lobster (SGD$68.00) spread out beautifully - butter poached and charcoal-licked, served with fresh lemon wedges on the side. The lobster was fresh, luscious and springy in texture; no disillusion that one person could easily finish one lobster here.

Next, Baby Back Ribs (SGD$24.00) - moist, succulent and flesh off the rack easily; with special BBQ marinade to give it a sweet tinge, served with fries and salad on the side.

The Angus Ribeye Steak (SGD$38.00) - all 250 grams of it was tender with smokey hints, nearly crispy-edged. Fries and salad were served on the side. I have to add that their fries were really good - the right amount of salt, crispy, and remained crispy even after a couple of hours.

We also had the Quarters Fried Rice (SGD$14.00) - a traditional local zichar favorite composed of rice, eggs, salted fish bits and garlic.

The above items can be ordered on an a la carte basis, or if you have a group of 4, you can order the Quarters Platter (SGD$128.00), which includes Salted Egg Mid-wings, Baby Back Ribs, Buah Keluak Ayam, Angus Ribeye, Quarters Fried Rice and Grilled Vegetable Platter. This is totally value for money and allows you to try an assortment of some of their finer dishes from different categories.

Finally, desserts - the creative names of these desserts disguise the true nature of the dessert at first glance, but gradually the meanings sink in. We tried first the Duriancanboleh (SGD$8.50) which was actually Durian Creme Brulee, with a crackling caramel crust and utterly creamy curd redolent of durian's unique aroma.

Last item was the Kaya Bomb (SGD$9.00) - we were advised to pop the entire pastry into the mouth, and I did. The explosion of sweet coconut jam filled up the mouth deliciously, and the first word that came to mind was "shiok" (local lingo for "very good").

We have come to the end of the tasting session, and modsin food here is undeniably good - unpretentious, delightful, capturing the hearts of a true-blue Singaporean. Thank you Chef Deming for hosting us, and thank you Ivan for extending the invite.