When Wok & Barrel closed, regulars lamented over the loss of a hang out place, but all the more a restaurant which was able to reinvent our local delicacies. The good news is, you are able to get the taste back at Restaurant Ujong Raffles Hotel.
Chef Shen Tan, more commonly known as Madam Tan, has made a timely comeback at Singapore’s famed Raffles Hotel, filling a void from Ah Teng Bakery.
Some of the Wok & Barrel favourites will still be found at the new restaurant, such as the Nasi Lemak ($16.90-$19.90) and Ba Chor Mee Pasta ($25.90), except that it will cost a few dollars more.
The new dishes unique to Ujong include Yusheng Slmon Ceviche and Salad ($25.90), Singapore’s Claypot Rice ($19.90), Hae Bee Hiam Mentaiko Capellini ($25.90) and Prawn Flavoured Har Zi Meen ($17.90).
Restaurant Ujong’s standout dish is easily the Nasi Lemak. After all, Madam Tan made fame for this dish since her days at Maxwell Food Centre.
The fragrant rice is still painstakingly cooked by twice steaming over a three-hour period, ensuring a fluffy texture and a lemak taste which is not too heavy. This is complimented with its unique brands of both home-made sambal belachan and sweet nasi lemak chilli.
The Beef Rendang version ($19.90) we had offered chunks (we counted four) of fork-tender meats.
My next favourite dish was the Har Zi Meen ($17.90), a dish of prawn flavoured noodles in an Indomie-inspired dressing of kicap manis (sweet soy sauce), onion and garlic.
Its verdict was divided among our table though. While I like the springiness and tasty marinate of the thin noodles, the crispy pork’s batter might have went too heavy in flour, thus giving a powdery outer layer. And we wondered why the oil did not taste fresh.
Similarly, while we generally liked the hint of prawn paste in the crispy Chicken Wings ($16.90 for 6), but the oil was not well-drained and left a weird lingering after-taste.
We suspect this could be a case of creative innovation faced with inelegant execution. (Madam Tan wasn’t in the kitchen anyway, and we understand that the restaurant is still very new.)
Both the signature desserts, the Puloh Hitam Pudding with Gula Melaka Butterscotch ($15.90) and Shendol Coconut Pannacotta with Gular Melaka Syrup ($15.90) were inventive takes on familiar desserts, but presentation could be enhanced.
The ice cream melted in one, and wasn’t aesthetically well-scooped in the other.
Service was excellent, in typical Raffles Hotel ‘gentlemanly’ style. While taste-wise is uneven at its start, the team would probably need some time to iron out the details. And to fans, it has probably been a long wait.
Ujong at Raffles Hotel
328 North Bridge Road, #01-10 Raffles Hotel Arcade Singapore, Singapore 188719 (City Hall MRT)
Tel: +65 9107 3028
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm Daily
Other Related Entries
PappaSan (Dorsett Hotel)
Madam Kwan’s (Vivocity)
The Sleeping Rhino (Klapsons Hotel)
British Hainan (Carpmael Road)
Academy Bistro (Supreme Court)
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