MARTINA'S KITCHEN

Got to know about Martina’s Kitchen whilst scrolling through social media — these folks are the latest addition to The Oval within Seletar Aerospace Park area; the neighbourhood had recently seen the addition of other F&B establishments such as that of NOMADS (not to be confused with the similarly-named NOMAD at Depot Heights Shopping Centre that we have written about previously). Occupying the space of a black-and-white house at 8 The Oval, the house that Martina’s Kitchen is being situated is fairly similar to the one occupied by 5 by Sans-Façon that is located just several steps away at 5 The Oval. From the outside, Martina’s Kitchen does look like an old-school Chinese establishment of the olden days; the entrance adorned with old-school red Chinese banners with calligraphy and old-school lanterns, whilst the doors are foldable wooden doors with green-tinted frosted glass that presents a very nostalgic, old-world vibe. The space inside does resemble the looks of an old-school house with Peranakan-style drapes hanging over the washroom entrances, while one can also find a display shelf showcasing Peranakan sandals and purses alongside some pictures hung in frames on the walls. Using furniture and fittings that exudes a slightly more opulent vibe; the use of chairs with a gold frame and red cushions matched against the interior that comes with white walls and wooden floors. Towards the back of the space, one will find a bar counter that exudes a retro vibe with ornaments such as tingkats amidst different bottles of alcohol, while the end of the space sees an area that is set up as a stage for live band performances. Martina’s Kitchen is an establishment that describes itself as a spot that serves up modern Peranakan cuisine; the food menu is being segregated into categories comprising of Starters, Vegetable and Eggs, Seafood / Fish, Poultry, Desserts, Western, Mains, Sides, Pizzas & Platters, Individual Sets, Breakfast and High Tea. The beverages available at Martina’s Kitchen would comprise of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options — the non-alcoholic beverages consisting of specialty coffee, canned drinks, tea, as well as some tea options that are sourced from TWG Tea; just to name a few.

To start of the meal, the folks at Martina’s Kitchen would serve up a complimentary serving of Belinjo crackers with a saucer of sambal chili — something similar to the snacks that some Peranakan / Chinese establishments would serve up before everything else. The Belinjo cracker still retained its crispness, whilst carrying the slight bitterness that is inherent with the Belinjo nut — dipping them in the sambal chili served on the side added a savoury note with a spicy kick that should be manageable even to those whom have a lower than moderate tolerance to spiciness.

For those whom are dining individually or in groups whom aren’t quite wanting to sharing around the table by ordering the communal dishes that one can find on the menu at Martina’s Kitchen, the Individual Sets section of the menu at Martina’s Kitchen would be the one to look out for — this section comprised of several of their Seafood / Fish and Poultry dishes served in individual portions together with rice that would be appropriately-sized for a single diner. The menu describes the dish to feature elements such as slow-cooked duck in Nyonya curry — all that served with achar and blue-pea rice; the slow-cooked duck in Nyonya curry is being served in a bowl separate from the achar and blue-pea rice which sits on a plate. Patrons can also opt for Roti Prata to come with the dish instead of the blue-pea rice at a top-up of $2 on the menu-listed price of the dish. Digging into the slow-cooked duck in Nyonya curry, we note how the Nyonya curry here is done in a way where the rempah spices does exude a nutty flavour amidst the rich and lemak curry here — there is a also sufficient Nyonya curry that came within the bowl to drench into the blue-pea rice which is just essentially white rice that has been coloured with specks of light blue due to the infusion of blue-pea flower. The duck meat itself does come off the bone relatively easily; whilst not the most moist and tender duck leg that we had come across, this was still rather decent without being particularly dry nor too gamey as well. The Nyonya Curry itself at Martina’s Kitchen was one that we found to not carry much of a spicy note — definitely one that even non-spicy eaters would be able to appreciate. Meanwhile, the achar that came on the side does provide a tang and a slight crunch with a bit of nuttiness from the crushed peanut which makes it a pretty good palate cleanser.

We had also given the Deep-Fried Century Eggs a go; an item which we found to be rather interesting since fried century eggs isn’t something which we had not come across often in menus, and is a dish that somewhat exemplifies Martina’s Kitchen as an establishment serving up Peranakan fare with a modern touch. Whilst being a dish that is somewhat predictable in terms of its namesake, Martina’s Kitchen does describe the Deep-Fried Century Eggs to come with a savoury and spicy (mild) dressing. Whilst we did expect the century egg to be soft and jelly-like and being encased in a crispy, bread-crumb coated exterior that is being fried to a golden-brown consistency, it was the zippy and lightly savoury, and soft spiciness of the savoury and spicy (mild) dressing that really gives the dish a refreshing note that kept us wanting to go for more — there was a lingering hint of herbs that lightly perfumes throughout the dish; the addition of onions also helping to give a crunch.

We are usually on the lookout for places that serves up Chicken Corden Bleu and we were glad to have found out that Martina’s Kitchen does carry a variant of that named the Le Corden Bleu Chicken that is being listed in the “Western” section of the menu. Martina’s Kitchen describes the Le Corden Bleu Chicken to be a deep-fried rolled chicken breast dish that features alternating layers of honey baked ham and cheddar cheese — one can also observe from the plating of our order of the Le Corden Bleu Chicken to come with cherry tomatoes and mashed potatoes. Slicing the rolled chicken breast apart, one could definitely see the layers of chicken breast, honey baked ham and cheese within — unlike the other Chicken Corden Bleu dishes that we had come across at other establishments thus far, the Le Corden Bleu Chicken doesn’t come with cheese that is melted and gooey that would give that cheese pull effect; the cheese here does feel more like a cheese sauce instead. The golden-brown, deep-fried batter of the rolled chicken breast is crisp and not greasy; the rolled chicken breast is also not too thick here and is rather easy to chew / slice through without being particularly dry, making the dish already easy to eat on its own. The honey-baked ham and cheese provided the dish with different dimensions of savouriness, though it was the mashed potatoes and the sauce drenched above both the rolled chicken breast and the mashed potatoes that we found were a little overwhelming — the mashed potatoes are a little bit on the denser side in terms of its consistency with a saltish note, while the sauce drizzled was one that is likened to a barbecue sauce with a significantly sweet note which we thought was a little too strong; might have worked better with a sauce that came with a lightly savoury note weaker than that of the mashed potatoes that enhances the flavours of the mashed potatoes whilst providing it with a smoother and moister consistency.

Admittedly, the items that we have had at probably aren’t quite representative of what Martina’s Kitchen has to offer — perhaps a better gauge would be with their items from the Vegetable and Eggs, Seafood / Fish and Poultry sections of the menu. That being said, we do find that their food is pretty decent though slightly towards the pricier end especially for those whom are intending to try out the dishes listed in the Western section of the menu. Being located at an interesting location away from all the hustle and bustle in town and regular neighbourhoods, Martina’s Kitchen does seem like an idyllic establishment with a unique concept to boast; the availability of live band performances further adds on to Martina’s Kitchen having something else that other Peranakan-themed establishments do not offer. Seletar Aerospace Park does present as a rather challenging environment for F&B establishments to be situated at considering the overall accessibility of the location, though it will be interesting to see if Martina’s Kitchen would be a right fit of an establishment in this area.