Modsin

(9 Aug 2018) "Homage to My Singapore" lunch menu on National Day. No better way to mark the nation's birthday (and enjoy a public holiday) than celebrate an award-winning modsin restaurant dedicated to raising the profile of local farms and suppliers.

Have to admit that I didn't use to think much of chef Han Liguang but this meal really changed my mind. His dishes are much more well thought out, with depths of flavours and nuances that make sense instead of just play acting with ideas and form. Service left me cold though, curt and somewhat unfriendly. Maybe they didnt want to be working on a public holiday? Will be returning for the food though!
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Snacks (starters) - Oolong tea egg using quail eggs from Uncle William's farm in Lim Chu Kang. Sometimes simplicity is the most genius. Perfect little starter.

Nasi Lemak Cheong Fun with chicken skin, ikan bilis and egg yolk gel. Texturally I would have preferred the cheong fun to be more cheongfunny less gelatinous but taste-wise it really got the essence of nasi lemak all in one mouthful, crunchy ikan bilis included.

Heartland waffle with local duck liver pate & goji berry jam. I loved this! Perfectly executed. I used to eat those pandan kaya waffles every day in JC so this was a sublime elevation of what really brought me joy when I was younger.

Mantou with coconut butter. Was this butter churned using coconut milk? I thought it was brilliant to pair this with a freshly deep fried mantou (too fresh - impossible to even pick up cos it was way too hot).

Plates (mains) - ang moh chicken rice dumpling. This was the dish that made the meal for me. It isn't pictured because I attacked it all. Leaps better than what Alvin Leung tried to do with his Bo Innovation chicken rice back in the day.

Nippon koi farm silver perch in herbal pepper broth. The broth was delicious, the fish itself was okay.. Leave the ulam rajah to your last bite to finish off the rich broth with some bright notes.

Toh Thye San farm french poulet. This was worth the $10 supplement. It's chicken done two styles - a roasted breast and a roulade.

Palate cleanser - clam leaf snow with rosella meringue and textures of grape. The presentation of this was offputting with the server plonking down a plant pot on the table, reciting "the underside of its leaves are purple" and whisked off the pot again like a bizarre botany demonstration. But the dish itself was great! The purple plant did nothing in terms of taste (i guess it just added colour?) but the bits of grapes were super refreshing.

Dessert was another winner - Cristal de chine caviar, kaya ice cream & sing hoong loong toast. The caviar and egg sauce were just distractions from the main attraction which was a lovely kaya ice cream sandwiched between two perfect slices of bruleed toast. Sounds simple but it was.. sublime and an absolute must-try.