Pilot Kitchen

Hassle-back Potato 2/5
Cheese Balls 2/5
Lamb Rack 2/5
Butter Cake 3/4

Been hearing alot of buzz on this hip and trendy join run by young chefs, so being hip and trendy myself I obviously had to join the crowd. The restaurant was dark and atmospheric, though the tables were a little too close such that I could clearly hear the pair next to me conversing. Service was very friendly and attentive though, they enthusiastically explained the menu items when we said it was out first time.

Started off with the famous Milk Buns ($8) - pillowy with a hint of milkyness, and made even better with the Sour Cream & Onion butter that came with it. Sooo good that we asked for another serving of the butter.

Next was the Duck Menchikatsu ($17) and the Hasselback & Crack ($14). Menchikatsu was perfectly breaded and crisp, packed with shreds of juicy duck meat, which tasted even better with the spring onion aioli. As for the Hasselback, the potato itself was already delicious with a satisfying crunchy exterior and a fluffy inside. The accompanying sauce was, as the staff described, an homage to the Big Mac sauce but it became too heavy after a while and we switched back to the milky bun's butter instead.

At this point, we were already stuffed but still looking forward to our mains, the Holy Molee ($34), which was a slab of seabass - crispy skin and all - with an indian curry-inspired sauce and a side of refreshing cucumber & mint salad to lend some tartness to the spice. Seabass was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the sauce leaned more on the tomatoey side so not as spicy as expected. Overall, this dish was nicely executed.

Overall, love the vibes and the upbeat-ness of the staff. While the food wasn't 'wow', it'll definitely check most boxes and you'll probably leave with a good experience. As for me, I will definitely return to try their Butter Cake that I missed out on!

@pilot.sg run of divine dishes doesn’t just end at the big plates (mains), their fantastic form carries over to the deceptively simple sounding desserts.
⠀
The dessert on the specials menu, which was the Apples & Berries ($15++) is equally simple yet equally satisfying. Poached apples are married to a mascarpone berry compote, candied walnuts and milk ice cream for a perfect finale to a delightful dinner. All the vital textures and flavours are represented here: sweet, sour and salty are accompanied by crunchy, creamy, crisp and tender textures to maximise engagement with your whole palate.⠀
⠀
Even though Pilot is a little out of the way, I can definitely see myself flying down here a couple more times to dine at this small but superb restaurant.

@pilot.sg run of divine dishes doesn’t just end at the big plates (mains), their fantastic form carries over to the deceptively simple sounding desserts. The Butter Cake ($12++) sounds so painfully pedestrian that you’d pass over it without a second thought, but you’d be cheating yourself out of a shockingly superb dessert. The butter cake was astonishingly moist but not oily, and each soft & fragrant crumb of cake was a class complement to the salty & sweet camembert ice cream.⠀
⠀
Even though Pilot is a little out of the way, I can definitely see myself flying down here a couple more times to dine at this small but superb restaurant.

@pilot.sg Beef Short Ribs were long on flavour and tenderness, and was well worth the order despite the steep asking price of sixty eight bucks before taxes. Sixty eight. We were on the verge of greatness. We were this close. Besides being huge on flavour, the beef portion was pretty ponderous, ideal for sharing between four people or for sharing with you, yourself and thyself.⠀
⠀
The Black Angus short ribs were as tender as a quality ribeye, and the amount of effort put into making the short ribs this tremendously tender and perfectly medium rare is commendable. Each bite is blissfully beefy, the seasonings kept simple with a blend of salt, pepper and smoke from the grill allowing the superior quality of the beef to dazzle. ⠀
⠀
However, Pilot Kitchen serves the short ribs with a pinch of their own gunpowder spice mix, and a dollop of tzatziki. The beef didn’t require it, but firing a dash of that gunpowder spice on your beef resulting in an explosion of fantastic flavours. The spicy, salty and nutty qualities of the gunpowder spice blend made the beef even more exceptional, and I found myself sprinkling that gunpowder spice on everything. The tzatziki was nice and creamy, but felt out of place on the plate.⠀
⠀
Pilot’s main courses were magnificent, but their desserts are divine too.

Just to balance out the onslaught of meat, we got a portion of Pumpkin ($24++). The pumpkin was sweet & tender, and was roasted so well that even the rind was edible. The leek cream tended toward the sweeter side, but it was still quite addictive and we were busy scraping every last drop of it off the plate. I would say that the Pumpkin was more of a sweet dish, and could theoretically be a dessert.