The group behind Birds Of A Feather at Amoy Street and Halcyon & Crane at Orchard Paragon has opened another new dining venue, 51 Soho at Telok Ayer.
It is located on 51 Telok Ayer, thus the name. (Though I personally thought the name neither gels with its personality, nor provide an indication on what it may sell.)
imilar to the other two concepts, attention is spent on the décor.
There is strong emphasis on usual natural materials such as brick and wood, a custom-built bar that runs the length of the space, and details on the decorations and utensils.
And oh, there is complimentary wifi as well.
It is hard to pin-point the direction of the menu though. I sense a 40% Birds Of A Feather; with the other 60% what the CBD crowd might have liked.
For breakfast between 8am to 11pm, you get wholesome items such as The Breakfast Overnight Oats ($9.90), Croissant with Ham and Cheese and Scrambled Eggs ($10.90), and Big Breakfast platter ($14.90) with sausage, hash browns, pan-fried tomatoes, sunny side-ups and an English muffin with marmalade.
One-bowl meals are offered during lunch for the calorie conscious, such as Pan Seared Chicken Breast ($15.90), Smoked Duck Breast ($18.90), Pan Seared Wagyu Shoulder Tender ($29.90) or even Pan Roasted Half Lobster ($29.90).
Price range, is on the higher side.
If you head between lunch and dinner and need some nibbles, recommended are the Fish Finger served with the house original 51 Chilli Mayo ($11.90), Chicken Winglets ($10.90), and the Shaky Fries ($7.90) dusted with house blend of spices.
While the deep-fried fish pieces might have been more or less ordinary, it was the part-sweet-mildly-spicy chilli mayo that elevated the taste.
There were some peripherals such as bonito flakes, which were more of a good-to-have though no necessary.
I appreciated that there were chopped French beans that went along with the Winglets – they provided that crunch; but would have worked better if they were not that oily.
During dinner time, the focus seems to be on the skewers, inspired by those served in Sichuan drinking houses.
There are sticks of beef, pork belly, pork soft bone, duck gizzard, chicken heart and more, grilled over charcoal and dusted with an original spice blend.
The touch of mala trickles the palate, and I particularly enjoyed the Chicken ($7.50) which was nicely-grilled, not overly charred and chunky.
However, my friend commented that the burner it was placed on seemed more for decorative purposes, as they did not help to keep the skewers warm.
There are also mains Spice de Canard ($30) – Asian braised duck; Lobster Rice Stew ($38), and Our Spicy Pasta ($24) with a side of tiger prawns and crab meat, and spaghetti cooked hot and sour (it was mala).
I was admittedly most disappointed with the desserts though, mostly priced $10.90 or $12.90 (crazy high for a slice of cake if you think about it).
Won’t have minded that much as they were of reasonable quality, but the Black Velvet Cake ($10.90) I had was a mere chocolate cake (unfortunately with cheap tasting cream) beautifully plated.
I would rather they skip that plate, and price it more affordably.
Attentive service, beautiful décor, though uneven menu and weird choice of music (Aqua and Vengaboys… that wave of ‘nostalgia’).
51 Soho
51 Telok Ayer Street #01-01
Tel: +65 9755 1058
Opening Hours: 8am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
Chengdu Restaurant (Amoy Street)
Birds Of A Feather (Amoy Street)
Halcyon & Crane (Orchard Paragon)
Fook Kin 福劲 (Killiney Road)
Dumpling Darlings (Amoy Street)
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