Mustard Seed

The meal I was looking forward to most at this start of the year, Mustard Seed really delivered a comforting and delicious line-up. Having tried more than a handful of times to get a coveted reservation slot, I was so glad that I finally got it at the end of last year!

And so a little throwback; the January/February menu ($190) was a fun mix of local and Asian (Japanese and Korean) flavours. A truly enjoyable meal.

Scallop + Guava - A refreshing starter to kick off the whole experience, mine was a special replacement as I don’t take oysters. The light guava granita was so lovely with the sweet scallops, juicy pulps and I love that you get that zesty lime flavour lingering in the cooling mix.

Squid Rojak - The tender mollusc was done exceedingly well. Together with the tangy rojak sauce, spices, crushed nuts and sweet sliced pineapples, it really whet one’s appetite. Got to love the deceptively simple combination.

Superior Stock Chawanmushi - Like a fish maw soup on steroids, the egg custard made with chicken and dried scallop stock was delightfully silky. Using ingredients found in a typical banquet-style soup, it was so comforting and savoury. Giving the LNY vibes, the sauce also had black moss and a few drops of vinegar.

Turmeric Frog Legs - Dusted with herb salt made from dehydrated curry and laksa leaves, the finger-licking-good legs were uber succulent. Wonderfully plump and moist - way better than chicken. The batter was perfect too, not soggy at all and not too thick.

Hakka Radish Meatball - My favourite at the table and at this point, I don’t want the meal to end. Swimming in that tasty pool of pork trotter and coriander seed gravy that was seasoned with aged tamari soy sauce, the radish meatball was placed with braised cabbage, shiitake and their house-made abacus seed. Kinda like a mini pen cai. Made from stir-fried Kurobuta pork collar and belly bound together with tapioca starch, house-made fish paste and shredded daikon, the meatball flavoured with dried cuttlefish and shrimp was the best - amazingly supple.

Penang Hae Mee x JJamppong - Turning up the heat, this marriage of Penang prawn noodles and Korean seafood noodles sees bouncy ramen noodles with wok-fried vegetables, sweet prawns in an aromatic concoction of lip-smacking prawn broth enriched with rempah.

Duck & Burdock Rice - Right before dessert, a surprisingly light rice dish seasoned with a bit of sansho pepper and on the side a marinated stir-fried lotus root.

Kuri Kinton, Rum Jelly - Very nicely balanced, the slightly boozy rum jelly went so well with the earthy roasted sweet potato ice cream and candied chestnut.

Strawberry Kuih Lapis - Following the instruction to have it layer by layer, the steamed dessert was exceptionally good. Love the natural fragrance of the fresh coconut milk and the fruity red layers infused with strawberry juice.

With each visit to Mustard Seed, it’s difficult to fathom how they can top your previous meal. However, they still manage to excel and also keep things interesting.

September’s menu was arguably one of the best menus I’ve had at the cosy and intimate restaurant, each item was almost faultless.

From the appetite-whetting chilled tomato soup with lobster and sambal matah, to the addictive and tangy Laksa Johor with grouper, each dish is an explosion of flavour, yet delicate enough to not de-sensitise the palate.

My favourite of the evening was the oxtail nasi ulam accompanied with a teapot of beef broth. So good and hearty that I forced myself to muster the courage to ask for a second helping (which they generously obliged)!

Mustard Seed is an incredibly difficult reservation to make so go score some good karma points. December bookings are available from 1 Oct, 10am. Good luck!

To cap the meal, Mustard Seed presented their take on two local desserts -- pandan purin with coconut and putugal with bingka.

For the former, a Japanese-style pandan custard with freshly squeezed coconut milk is topped with shaved ice made from young coconut milk. I am no fan of coconut milk but this was super creamy, rich and full of flavours. I love the pandan custard in particular. We did find it a little gelat towards the end.

I thought the putugal and bingka were a nice decent way to finish the meal though I wish there was something sour to cleanse the palate after the pandan purin.

Gukbap (국밥) or hot soup rice, is the Korean equivalent of the Chinese 泡饭 or 汤饭. The broth used is usually ox or pork bone soup.

Mustard Seed's rendition of gukbap is a spin on our local favourite, bak kut teh. Niigata rice is topped with sliced pork cooked shabu shabu style. A pork bone broth with garlic is poured into the bowl and the dish is served with a side of picked burdock and fried lard.

We loved the hearty and peppery broth with a subtly sweet dangui after taste that warms the cockles of our heart. Gimme a side of kimchi please next time to go with this!

For the 4th course, we were served frog legs "inche kabin". This deep fried frog legs dish was inspired by a fried chicken dish served by Hainanese cooks serving aboard British ships. The term "inche kabin" means Mr Cabin in Malay, a homage to the roots of this dish. The frog legs are marinated with spices and coconut milk, deep fried and served with an ass-kicking fiery dip made of chilli, pickled garlic, soy dauce and calamansi juice. The frog skin was shattering crisp with a nice hint of the coconut and spices. I wish my fried chicken tasted like this!

This was followed by grouper moolie & herb salad. A pan-fried wild grouper is served with a mild curry sauce and homemade coin prata. She loved the curry and prata. The curry was light and reminded me of pumpkin soup. And that homemade coin prata --- woah, give me more please!

For our belated 3rd anniversary and Fourth of July party, we checked out this intimate and small chef's table restaurant which serves a tasting menu inspired by local flavours.

Chef Gan is an alumni of Candlenut and Goto Kaiseki and this showed in the Peranakan flavours and Japanese-style cooking.

He started off with a luffa & scallop chawanmushi. Inspired by a local dish, stir fried luffa, eggsi with Hokkaido scallops is steamed in a dried scallop stock, and topped with charred luffa. We love the intense and flavourful chawanmushi and the plump juicy scallops.

Chef Gan followed up with my favourite dish of the night, summer salad with sambal matah. Seared squid and prawns, and seasonal vegetables is topped with raw Balinese sambal and finished with calamansi juice. I like that Chef Gan made slits on the squid so that it will retain its soft tender texture during the cooking process. The sambal was piquant, flavourful and appetising. I love the melodious blend of sweet, sour and caramelised flavours.

For the crab dumplings in broth, the consomme-like soup was prepared using chicken and live flower crab stock. The crab dumping is essentially a giant meatball made of fresh crab meat and pork belly. The soup was warm and soothing. I loved the use of lime zest to give it a slight acidic note. The dumpling was full of sweetness and umami. They definitely did not stinge on this!

This was definitely a great start to their 8-course tasting menu!