Mo’mor? The name reminded me of the Japanese peaches Momo – sweet and special. Mo’mor (comes with that extra ‘r’) is a contemporary izakaya with Japanese and European elements, managed by local veteran chef Martin Woo.
A short 10-15 minute walk away from Orchard MRT, the Tanglin Post Office building can be considered quite a dining nucleus with Nassim Hill Bakery, New Rasa Singapura, Swiss Butchery and now Mo’mor Izakaya. (Mo’mor took over the space left vacant by Maca Restaurant.)
If you are looking for a dining place within the city, yet still away from the hectic buzz with tranquil vibes, this restaurant can be it.
Chef Martin Woo should be a familiar face to many, having appeared in several Channel 8 cooking and food-related programmes, though he has focused more on his consultancy business Wmartin of late.
His choice of focus on the food is European cuisine with a Japanese touch, so not ‘Japanese-izakaya’ per se.
Signature dishes includes Charcoal Grilled Whole Japanese Squid, Australian Wagyu on Skewer, Apple Cured Salmon Sashimi, Hokkaido Scallop Tartare, Plum Tomato Ceviche, Pan Roasted Chilean Seabass, Slow Cook Charcoal Grilled Iberico Pork Collar and Matsusaka Wagyu Striploin.
I will start with its wallet-friendly set lunches. Despite being a new entrant to the area, Mo’mor has already seen the crowd packing in during the weekday noon.
Many like me, are attracted by its wallet-friendly set lunches. A 2-course meal ($15) comes with one main with a tapas or dessert, and topping up $3 to a 3 course ($18) with get you one main, tapas and sweet item.
Not just any main, but quality that you would expect in a mid-high end bistro or restaurant. The week I went down, the Main included a Saikyo Miso Ginger Free Range Spring Chicken, Minute Steak, Grilled Hamachi Collar or Tiger Prawn Linguine.
For those who work nearby and intend to return regularly, the set lunch menu changes weekly, so diners can discover new surprises with each visit.
I had an ala carte order, a Jumbo Crab Meat Linguine ($26), with garlic, tomato and fresh herbs.
The ‘jumbo’ here should refer to the size of the plate, but the chunks of sweet crab meat, and you get a bite of those every spoonful.
A friend has told me the owners are seafood importers, and thus has access to some of the best seafood around.
The pasta which was made by a local supplier, was cooked al dente, with just-enough seasoning, allowing the crab to be the star of this dish. I can have seconds of this.
While aesthetics may not be the strength of the Charcoal Grilled Saikyo Miso Ginger Spring Chicken ($22), its tenderness and marinate was on-point – evenly grilled, juicy flesh, a touch of Asianess in the usage of ginger and spring onions, but the main flavours came from it natural jus.
Many ingredients are procured from Swiss Butchery, one of Singapore’s pioneering premium butchers to ensure the freshest ingredients.
If you are up for something more lux, the signature is Matsusaka Wagyu Striploin (S$9 per 10 gram) drizzled with tangy ponzu sauce. Actually, the meat slices which was buttery-tender with naturally-enhanced flavor was good enough on its own.
As for the dessert, I liked one, not so much the other as it was way-tangy and sweet. Though I am overall feeling neutral about the sweets.
The Lavender Pudding ($13) consisted of a sponged texture cake, pineapple with coconut ice cream. The pineapple and coconut together felt summer and tropical, like a Pina Colada in a dessert.
Just not too sure what was the lavender pudding doing there, as it allowed its lead to be stolen by the accompaniments.
Generally, I reckon that more Japanese influences in the desserts could help establish a stronger branding for Mo’mor.
This is one of those places where you actually won’t mind some al fresco dining in perpetually hot Singapore, as Mo’mor has its dining area well-covered and designed, surrounded by greenery. Quite an ideal spot for communal dining.
Upon walking in, I noticed a group of 10 just sitting by the long table having chats. Don’t worry, there is also an indoor area if you need air-con. Okay, time to bookmark this for the next reunion.
Mo’mor
56 Tanglin Rd #B1-01, Singapore 247964 (Tanglin Post Office, opposite Tanglin Mall)
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm (Mon – Wed), 11am – 1am (Thurs – Sat), 11am – 11pm
Telephone: +65 6463 8080
http://momor.com.sg
https://www.facebook.com/momorizakaya
* This post is brought to you in partnership with Mo’mor.
The post Mo’mor – Modern Izakaya at Tanglin, Just Simple Good Food appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.