192 322
WINE&DINE
192
July14
We sample the island’s newest restaurants,
so you can decide whether to follow suit
the
TASTE
TEST
This month:
PLUCK
MANHATTAN
LE COMPTOIR
OUTPOST BAR & BISTRO
THE CLIFFORD PIER
BÉCASSE
SPRIGS
MUST-TRY DISH:
Slow-cooked egg, maple-glazed sweet
corn and chicken skin crisps
Pluck
90 Club Street
6225 8286 | ohpluck.com
Gastro bars aren’t new to Singapore, but
the recently opened Pluck (branded as
“:pluck”) is one to get excited about. At
this casual and unpretentious eatery, it’s
all about sharing plates with your closest
mates; the menu is categorised by
small, medium and larger plates, each
one ideal for splitting among friends,
allowing them to “pluck” at the different
items they like the look of.
The intimate 45-seat restaurant’s tiled
walls – reminiscent of a NewYork subway
– and long bar lend an industrial-chic
diner feel, and its open kitchen provides
for some viewing pleasure as head chef
Brandon Teo and his team whip up
mouthwatering concoctions with fresh
ingredients, distinctive flavours and
imaginative textures.
Small-plate standouts include
curry-
roasted cauliflower
with almonds
and sundried grapes ($14),
scallops
with roasted apples
, hazelnuts and
bacon crisps ($18) and
slow-cooked
egg
with maple-glazed sweet corn and
chicken skin crisps ($13) – be sure
to soak up every last drop with garlic
sourdough bread. Heartier highlights
include a perfectly
pan-roasted sea
bass
with cumin and carrot puree and
lentils, topped with fish crisps ($23), and
pork neck
with roasted chestnuts and
caramelised pears ($22).
Save room for sweet treats like the
scrumptious
bananas, malt and honey
($10) – crispy, battered bananas, burnt
thyme honey and malt ice cream – and
a refreshing
cucumber and Thai Tea
($10) featuring pineapple sponge
cubes, Thai tea ice cream, candied
peanuts and pickled cucumber. Wash it
all down with one of the bartender’s own
cocktail creations; try
The Matriarch
,
comprised of rum, orange bitters,
Cointreau and five-spice syrup with
infused foam and forget-me-not flowers.
Amy Greenburg