Cast Iron Restaurant 铸铁
7 Fraser Street #01-32/33
Duo Galleria
Singapore 189356
T: +65 6581 0159
FB: https://www.facebook.com/castironsg/
Photos: IG @o_oican
Opening hours
Mon to Fri: 1145 – 1430hrs (Lunch), 1730 – 2230hrs (Dinner)
Saturday: 1730 – 2230hrs (Dinner only)
If you don’t already know it, DUO is the latest talk of the town. This mixed use development that comprises residences, offices, a hotel and a retail gallery, is bordered by Ophir Road, Rochor Road and Beach Road, towers just diagonally from Bugis Junction.
The residential tower clocks 49 floors, while the commercial tower clocks 39 floors. Where un-obscured, residents, office tenants & vacationers gets to admire the city-scape & night skies of the city, with luck, even the seas beyond the Marina.
Located at Duo Galleria, Cast Iron recently threw a bash for their soft launch in October 2017, and they look set for their official launch in January 2018. The concept is something that’s intimate to my heart & palates, for I love Japanese Sashimi/ Sushi, and Steaks make my day (any day).
Cast Iron ensures their quality of ingredients are procured intercontinental & air flown regularly, and almost every dish they serve, are made in-house from scratch. And since they have the luxury of freshness, I believe nobody should deny themselves the Omakase experience.
Their Japanese fairs are found on their white backdrop menu, while all things relevant to their Western fairs are found on their black backdrop menu. And their beverages are found on a brown backdrop menu.
Special thanks to Msginginly & Cast Iron for hosting & including me for the session. I was also privileged to be in the company of folks from; Her Pen & Fork, Little Tiny Sun, Ivan Teh Runningman and Purple Taste.
Note: Some of the items we’ve tasted aren’t on the menu yet, as they’re in the midst of fine tuning the content on their menu.
Upon entry, the blackened ceiling & smart use of spots & track lights draw your attention towards the open kitchen, wall painted dragon motifs, as well as their collection of high octane beverages on the wall. The warm hues of the lighting is cozy & replicates that of Japanese shrine interiors.
The kitchen is L-shaped, with a long bar counter were diners/ patrons get to witness the Head Chef & his trusted wingman assemble the platter, and/or Omakase treats, and indulge in the sushi/ sashimi prepared & served straight up.
And then, there’s the grill station where one gets to marvel at how the meats sizzles over the licking of flame, before they’re left to cool off, cut & sliced over the carving board and plated.
While waiting for the chefs to bring on their recommendations, the appetizers came on real quick, and i thought they make pretty good Izakaya dishes too.
The Grilled Stingray Fins is to me a novelty, because it’s really rare that local joints feature this. The texture is somewhat similar to grilled cuttlefish, but they’re not rubbery. A good clean bite, and easy to chew. Served with a little blob of Japanese mayonnaise, sprinkled with tobiko, and decked with stalk of leafy parsley.
I believe we have consensus round that table, that the smoky marinated chunky bites are pretty addictive.
The Grilled Tofu isn’t the typical block & chop type. Though plain & simple, there’s something rather unique with the texture. Skin is smoky and thin, while the moisture of the tofu is nicely retained. Your teeth would sink through the tofu like razor – nicely soft, and as you chew along, the light hue of alkali is rather refreshing.
The Dried Overnight Sea Eel is nice & soft, barely any trace of eel bones, smoky mirin marinate gives it some layered flavors over the sweet savory meat.
The Chef’s Sashimi Selection is available at varied price points, and subject to preference of catch & budget. Featured herein is a platter for 6, comprises of 8 types of sea catches; Aji, Akamutsu, Kanpachi, Otoro, Tai, Iwashi, Botan Ebi and Uni. Thick cuts, fresh and naturally sweet, with a mild hue of the sea. Presentation is accompanied with carved carrot flowers, watermelon radish, and fresh ground wasabi. Must try.
The Grilled Iberian Pork Platter is a quintet of different cuts, as well as different finishes, plated like a star. Comprising of; Yuzu Marinated Iberian Boneless Pork Collar (Aguja), the citrus hues gives the fatty sweet meat some layers to the taste. The Salt Marinated Iberian Pork Jowl (Papada), is chewy tender though somewhat heavy on the taste. The Salt Marinated Iberian Pork Belly (Solomillo) was neat & natural. Salt & Pepper Marinated Iberian Pork Galbi (Secreto) is topped with apple chutney, sweet & juicy. And the Miso Marinated Iberian Pork Belly (Pancetta) is moist & succulent, but I found the flavors to be a tad too heavy. Pretty shiok.
The USDA Prime Beef Tomahawk / Ribeye Bone-In Double Cut, is done in 2 Ways (I’d call it the Jekyll & Hyde). The large chunk is nicely charred over the flame grill to a medium-rare finish, pink, juicy & tender on the inside. There is already sufficient salt sprinkling on the cuts. But if you prefer, ground sea salt is available. I strongly recommend this!
On any given day, I’d request doneness to be rare, but the thick cuts of pink medium didn’t disappoint me either.
The meat is carved down the middle, with the bone in the middle. The variation of fatty & lean cuts made this quite an adventure. The Jekyll portion was sliced & served as it is, and the Hyde portion is served blanketed with a chimichurri sauce. The herbal green scent & tangy flavors brought the tastes to a different level.
The Bone Marrow Butter has a creamy umami, herbal scent & taste, was well received by most of us at the table.
The BMB also goes well with the Assorted Grilled Vegetables, comprising of a concerto of; sliced sweet potatoes, shiitake mushroom, corn on the cob, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, watermelon radish & yellow squash, sprinkled with feta cheese powder, and drizzled with truffle oil. Shiok!
To cap the night, there’s the Matcha Ice-cream & Yuzu Sorbet. Perhaps in lieu of the heavier tasting protein rave, we found favor in the Yuzu Sorbet over the Matcha, as the bitter-sweet citrus nodes were pretty refreshing.
All in all, I enjoyed the experience at Cast Iron Restaurant. Service crew was very attentive, able to provide recommendations, and introduce the dishes as they’re served. Another point to note, they clear your side plate regularly too. Food quality is good, portions are generous too. A good cozy location for casual communal meals. There are 2 huge reasons for me to revisit, Omakase, and the Western grills. So I should be revisiting for dinner soon.
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Pictures taken using LG V30+
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Epicurious Caniggia 
Awesome post.