Seafood in hawker stalls tend to go two methods: good, but it surely’s your normal tze char dishes, and unhealthy, as a result of it’s fish and chips from that western stall. However, Fin-ery Kitchen, which is situated in an unassuming espresso store in Bedok Reservoir, presents itself as a step above the others, with distinctive choices akin to paella and fish and chips the place you may select what sort of fish you need.
The proprietor of Fin-ery Kitchen, David, is a chef with over 25 years of expertise. He had stints as the manager chef of Paradise Group and was as soon as a chef at Michelin-star restaurant Saint Pierre.
He determined to start out Fin-ery Kitchen as he wished to teach the lots that fish and chips is extra than simply fried dory. This is why he determined to present diners the selection between three fishes: dory, barramundi and haddock.
Fin-ery Kitchen is at present within the means of getting its halal certification and is at present pork, lard and alcohol-free.
What I attempted at Fin-ery Kitchen
Despite its effort to enlighten the lots concerning the variety of fish and chips, Fin-ery Kitchens’ menu was fairly numerous and seemed like one thing out of a high-end Western cafe. You know, those which have phrases like “Eat, Pray, Love” on their partitions.
Apart from seafood, they’ve Grilled Lamb Cutlet (S$11), Buttermilk Spring Chicken (S$6/S$11) and even Grilled Tomahawk Steak (market worth)! Surprisingly, they even managed to squeeze in Gourmet Burgers with handmade patties akin to Grilled Chicken (S$5) and Beef Patty (S$6) with a aspect every.
Everything sounded pleasant on the menu however I used to be itching for seafood, and so went with an Individual Seafood Paella Rice (S$10), Prawn Fritter (S$7) and Dory (S$7) with two sides, Mac & Cheese and Pasta with tomato sauce.
I wished to get the Barramundi (S$10) which was a fan favorite, but it surely was offered out. In reality, fairly quite a few gadgets had been offered out throughout lunch after I acquired there, such because the Calamari Fritter (S$5) and sides akin to Roasted Pumpkin. I ain’t even mad, because it reveals that the meals was actually made out of scratch!
When my Seafood Paella Rice arrived, I used to be actually dumbfounded by how good it seemed. It didn’t gel with the espresso store surroundings that I used to be in, with previous people at a close-by desk laughing and a few others gorging on financial rice. It felt misplaced and I liked it for that.
It got here with a chunk of grilled fish completed with creamy sauce and a single giant prawn, in addition to a few grilled squids over a mattress of tomato short-grain rice.
Before even coming to Bedok Reservoir, I had an preliminary concern that the paella served can be an newbie’s tackle fancy fried rice, however that disappeared after my first spoonful. You might actually style the tomato paste in addition to spices akin to paprika. It was additionally well-cooked and remained on the nice aspect of each tender and chewy.
Similarly, the fish was grilled properly with a particular cream sauce offering one other layer of flavour to chop by way of the already wealthy flavour of the paella rice. I additionally appreciated how flaky the fish was, making it straightforward to scoop together with my rice.
Probably my favorite a part of the paella was the grilled squid. There should be a lot thought when it got here to cooking the tentacled protein, as its chewiness and QQ texture fully blew my thoughts and shattered my preliminary expectations of Fin-ery Kitchen. I now understood who the brand new child on the block was.
It may come throughout as over-seasoned to some, as they had been positively liberal with the cajun seasoning on the squid. This resulted in some items being saltier and packing barely extra warmth in them. Nevertheless, I’d somewhat have it over-seasoned than beneath, particularly when cooked this nicely.
You’re proper, I ought to have gone with the haddock, as really helpful by the chef however I felt compelled to strive the traditional dory fish. That afternoon, I simply wasn’t within the temper for fries (as you in all probability know what they style like) so I opted for pasta-based sides. It additionally got here with a slice of lemon and selfmade tatar sauce.
After making use of slight stress from my fork, the Fried Dory caved in with an honest crisp, revealing a barely mushy-looking inside. And my first chunk, sadly, confirmed my preliminary suspicion.
The mushy dory flesh jogged my memory of child meals and even tasted prefer it, with minimal flavours other than the same old fishy style. I went to style the batter, in hopes that I’d be saved by some kind of seasoning however to no avail. The batter was as fundamental as ordering fish and chips in a Western restaurant. I used to be left questioning how good it’d be if I had chosen the grilled possibility as an alternative.
The Mac & Cheese, although a tad generic, had precise flavour and was one of many saving graces of the dish. Its cheese sauce tasted like a mix of store-bought nacho cheese with cream.
The Pasta with Tomato Sauce was additionally surprisingly well-cooked, with the pasta being al dente and the sauce that was used tasted good. Who cares if it was from a jar or canned— it was extra flavorful than the precise Fried Dory itself.
I attempted the Fried Dory with the Tatar sauce but it surely simply didn’t reduce it. The lack of seasoning was what killed this dory for the second time. However, the truth that it makes use of precise fish and possibly selfmade batter made it a step above normal hawker choices, albeit a bland one.
Finally, I attempted the Prawn Fritters that additionally got here with selfmade tatar sauce. Though I might recognize how giant the scale of the prawns had been, it confronted the identical challenge because the Fried Dory with the batter being flavourless.
The precise prawn itself tasted naturally candy regardless of not being seasoned, but it surely was a tad dry.
Final ideas
Despite hitting a stumbling block when it got here to its fried dishes, I’ve all the arrogance on the planet that Chef David can enhance on them. I imply, have you ever learn the man’s resume?
I’ve additionally purposely not talked about how inexpensive Fin-ery Kitchen is. Seriously, a number of the costs are actually absurd for the standard and the individuals making ready them.
Established seafood chains beware, there’s a brand new child on the town and he doesn’t cost S$21.95++ for fish and chips!
Expected injury: S$7 – S$10 per pax
Other articles you may like:
Where to eat: 10 hawker stalls in Singapore opened by ex-restaurant cooks
17 best-kept secret kopitiam Western stalls in Singapore
Price: $
Our Rating: 4.5 / 5
Fin-ery Kitchen
Block 631 Bedok Reservoir Road, Nam Hua Coffeeshop, #01-885, Singapore 470631
Price
Our Rating 4.5/5
Fin-ery Kitchen
Block 631 Bedok Reservoir Road, Nam Hua Coffeeshop, #01-885, Singapore 470631
Operating Hours: 11am — 10pm (Daily)