Comfort Food

The Chick'n Shack ($9.20) has finally graced our shores. I sneaked a bite, and found it to be a generally agreeable chicken burger. Some find it too salty, but I say, try it for yourselves. I’m no chicken burg’ connoisseur, so trust your taste buds.

Out of the three Concretes, only the Eye of The Tiger ($7.50) was in stock. We were greeted with a messy-looking vanilla custard blended with lychee, raspberry, shortbread, and a sprinkling of lemon zest. Think raspberry ripple. That is all.

What did I have? Well, I'm all about the 'Shroom Burger ($10.80), baby. The Shack Stack ($14.30) used to have my heart, but the beef no longer does it for me.

I loved the Shack Stack ($14.30), but was it really the "best of both worlds"?

One cannot deny that the pillowy potato buns and Angus beef patty were excellent in their own right, but they were no match for the juicy fried portobello mushroom.

Get the 'Shroom Burger ($10.80) so that you can, even if only for a moment, slip into molten cheese-induced ecstasy. Vegetables reign supreme after all.

If you can only order one thing from here, make it the Salted Egg Chicken Chop ($9). Juicy, charred chicken is slathered in a salted egg sauce the consistency of thick curry gravy – zi char taken up a couple notches?

The sauce does look different from what we’re used to, a promising mustard yellow flecked with spices, curry leaves, and who knows what else.

As I took bite after bite, I waited for a little tingle of the tummy, or any slight discomfort, but there was none. Didn’t feel like trash afterwards, as I usually do after consuming a rich salted egg dish. Joy in the absence of jelak!

This is served with garlic rice that wasn’t garlicky enough, and cucumber achar. If carbs = calamity is an equation you go by, this may just change your mind. You have the gravy to blame.

Fat Belly’s Alternative Experience Menu ($78) is evidently gaining traction within the Burpple Beyond user community. Although I marvelled at the sear on the Wagyu Tri-Tip Steak, the “Most Memorable Course” award has got to go to the Char Siew Beef Ribs.

Let’s just say, my taste buds were confused in a good way. I kept thinking to myself, “is this really beef?”

It. Tasted. Like. Pork.

Every slice of char siew was glistening, pink in the middle, and wickedly caramelised. A “love me tender” moment that left me crooning with sweet fervour. Even better, I spotted many a slice with those unctuous fatty bits – my ultimate demise!

As for the crisp kale, it’s a reminder of why kale chips exist. That wonderfully deceptive “potato” taste gets me every time.

I don’t see this pumpkin and burrata ($22) being talked about a lot. It’s a fairly straightforward dish that’s meant to be slowly savoured, the kind you'd order on a Friday night or Sunday morning.

While the pairing of burrata and woodfired pumpkin with a pistachio dukkah crust is guaranteed to leave you grinning, the pumpkin's caramel-like sweetness is further enhanced by orange blossom and molasses.

Burrata's not the best on the market, but hey, it’s burrata. I may or may not have also eaten it with bread dipped in olive oil.

I'm honestly such a sucker for sweet potato fries. The fries ($15) at TCS, with garlic, paprika and house seasoning, ain’t half bad. Could use more parmesan shavings, but they're especially tasty dipped in sriracha mayonnaise.

Granted, it's a pricey plate of fries, but sometimes all sense of reason is pushed aside once those intense junk food cravings hit.

Other than being bang for your buck, the 1-for-1 Wagyu Ribeye Set (available on Burpple Beyond for $49.99) does not limit you to two portions of Ribeye. Feel free to choose from any Single Meal Set - every set consists of a soup, meat, vegetable platter and staple item.

I enjoyed the US Black Angus Short Rib ($35.99/set) a lot more than the Ribeye, my palate somehow gravitating towards the marbling and flavour of the former.

The Braised Pork Rice was my staple of choice, as per recommendation, but the unctuous, creamy fat of the pork belly was a bit much. If you prefer to stick to white rice or noodles, by all means.

You know what the burnt honey soft serve & sea salt ($6) reminded me of? Werther's Original caramel hard candies.

Luscious and silky, yet icy enough to be the chocolate salty pie ($6)’s perfect match. My friend and I dramatically tipped the entire cup of soft serve onto the pie, and dived right in. No regrets whatsoever.

WEEKEND BRUNCH MENU
In SG's competitive food scene, it's commonplace to see restaurants come and go. I was, however, deeply saddened to hear of Bird Bird's closure in end-2017, as I genuinely loved the concept. Didn't help that the fried chicken was bomb.

Well you can imagine how ecstatic I was to see the familiar Lebanese Fried Chicken ($25) on the menu!!!!!! I almost shed tears, being greeted with crispy, gorgeously caramelised skin (za'tar honey I love you) that peeled away to reveal astoundingly juicy and tender drumstick meat. Served with a garlic toum dip, crunchy pickles and crinkle chips - you're all set.

Little needs to be said about these two wildly popular sandwiches, having captured the hearts (and stomachs) of many, even way before PBD emerged as a participating merchant on Burpple Beyond.

The Patty Melt ($17) is, to put it simply, a cheeseburger in sandwich form. Slices of rye house the essential elements of a burger: beef patty, caramelised onions, PBD sauce, pickles, and of course, gooey cheddar cheese....a welcoming sight. Some may find this slightly too greasy, but I beg to differ. That's the way it should be.

The Fried Chicken ($16) is not to be missed. For goodness sake, it's a whole slab of tender and juicy buttermilk fried chicken, with jalapeño cabbage slaw, cucumber slices and sriracha mayo on white toast. Need I say more????

Well, if a little more convincing is needed, there is the added bonus of crispy skin and crunchy bits of batter for you to pick at. Bless.

Are we now in the season of trendy toasts? It seems like it.

I decided to go for the raved about Beef Teriyaki ($7.40), which also happens to be the priciest sandwich on the menu. It's a lot like an open-faced sandwich; this was graced with a mound of juicy beef and caramelised onions, a drizzle of mayo, and a sunny yellow yolk perched right on top (shutterbugs and/or fans of yolk porn rejoice!).

Those familiar with the Korean-inspired toasts scene should know that sweetness is the name of the game. It's inescapable, so once again, I emphasise that if you believe in strictly savoury food items.....don't bother!!!!

From the looks of it, a thick slice of buttered toast was sliced vertically downwards for the filling, leaving the bottom half intact. That means once you're done with the meat, all that's left is plain bread. I get that "soggy bottoms" are not welcome, but it's a bit of a waste.

The Best of both Worlds ($12) was a little lighter on the palate, but didn't fall short on flavour. Surprisingly, it was a lot more complex than just "sweet and savoury", consisting of almond butter, spiced peach jam, bacon, and crunchy green apple slices.

The concept works, just like the sweet and salty pairing in an Elvis sandwich (peanut butter + bacon + banana). How can I go back to regular peanut butter and jelly now? It appears there's no turning back.....