Western

The chefs behind the open kitchen counter may be young, but their food speaks beyond their years. With the seasoned hands behind Ah Hua Kelong and its restaurant amongst its team, @pilot.sg focuses on constantly evolving and experimental dishes sure to pique your palate. While the small plates and desserts tread adventurous ground, the large plates are in more familiar territory, such as this ravishingly toothsome roast pork on the bone. A pleasing smokiness enveloped the lusciously fatty meat, and the classic pairing of mustard - in this instance, hot honey - and pork was a marriage made in heaven. Even the roast cabbage slaw was not merely a sidenote, bringing bags of spiced flavour to the dish.

Textbook perfect roast chicken, where all the fat has been rendered to leave behind a delicate, golden brown skin encasing juicy and succulent meat, all marinated in Pilot's very own lively peri peri mix. The silky sunchoke puree contributed sweetness and the watercress salad, a welcome burst of freshness.

What a beautifully cooked piece of meat, blushing pink within and charred to crusty perfection without. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper and perfumed with smokiness from the grill, the lush slices of tender, slightly fatty meat required no further adulteration, but were brilliantly enhanced by a cracking salty, savoury gunpowder spice and astringent padron peppers. Thoughtfully provided was a dab of refreshingly creamy tzatziki to tame the heat.

Sat plump in a pool of Vichyssoise-esque leek cream, the oven-roasted pumpkin was intensely sweet and melt-in-your-mouth. The garnish was a riff on the famed Typhoon Shelter dishes from Hong Kong, comprising of crunchy crumbs of Khong Guan biscuit and chilli scattered over the plate. Vegetarians will certainly appreciate the creativity and thought behind this main.

As a tartare aficionado, I have tried innumerable permutations both classic and modern. This sits firmly in the latter category, with coarsely chopped chunks of raw beef coated in a savoury fermented chilli butter. The narcissism of small differences however, leads to the most boring conformity. What enamoured me were the crispy Savoy chips. Elated by its artistry; breathtaking in its minute scale, magnificent in its comprehension of flavour and texture, these petals of dehydrated cabbage seasoned with prune powder shattered satisfyingly with the slightest bite, exploding with a burst of sweet and sour flavour.

Even those on the other side of the fence of this divisive vegetable would be hard-pressed not to thoroughly enjoy @pilot.sg 's rendition. Roasted to peak sweetness and crunchiness, the charred greens were paired with an addictively tangy and creamy whipped brown butter and tomato vinaigrette sauce that made it hard to stop eating.

Deep-fried till golden perfection, the panko-crumbed crunchiness gives way to a moreish mass of savoury shredded duck that when schmeared with the spring onion aioli, bursts with deep umami.

I never tire of variations on charred baby corn, which have been increasingly making an appearance at modern casual restaurants. Here, the salty nuttiness of dukkah and creaminess of cauliflower puree ensure a balance of textures and flavours that adds to but does not outshine the star of the dish.

On @pilot.sg specials menu were these ridiculously scrumptious balls of crunchy cheesiness, where the nuttiness of Gruyere meets the salty sharpness of Pecorino, balanced playfully with a subtly fruity pineapple ketchup.

Utterly tender escalopes of veal that have been coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a crisp, golden brown are served with a homely potato and cucumber salad, as well as a cranberry sauce that acts as a sweet counterpoint to the slight oiliness of the schniztels. Having had these in Germany, I can vouch for the authenticity of its taste, now made even tastier with an extremely good deal of 1-for-1 schnitzels on #burpplebeyond !
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Taste: 3/5

Typical German comfort fare, the combination of plump veal sausages, mashed potato, sauerkraut and dijon mustard may not win any awards, but still manages to warm the belly and soothe the soul.
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Get your 1-for-1 sausages on #burpplebeyond at @frieda.restaurant!

Taste: 3/5

Soup may not immediately come to mind as the most exciting of foods, but this seasonal special from Frieda's Wild Garlic & Beer menu commanded my attention with its rich and comforting flavour. Each spoonful was practically blooming with the essence of wild garlic, essentially a more delicate and sweeter version of regular garlic. Tempered with the mellow creaminess of creme fraiche and jazzed up with crunchy croutons, this deceptively simple dish is sure to win your tastebuds over.

Taste: 3.5/5