The Quarters
16 Enggor St #01-09
Icon Village
Singapore 079717
T: +65 6834 4174
W: https://www.thequarters.sg/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thequarterssg
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thequarterssg/
Opening hours
Mondays: 1000-1600hrs
Tuesdays to Saturdays: 1000-2200hrs
Sundays: Closed
This invited tasting session was for the launch of The Quarters Experience, a 6-course meal crafted & curated by our local champion for Singaporean signature flavors – Chef Chung Deming.
I’m honored to share the table with the folks in attendance, Chubby Botak Koala, Littledevil_98, Purple Taste, Ivan Teh – Runningman, Msginginly, Little Tiny Sun, Her Pen and Fork, alexiusboy, Foodgem and The New Paper.
The Quarters is a cozy little eatery that has a modern retro feel in the interior décor, wall murals & pendant lighting. Capacity wise, I’d estimate seats 25-30pax comfortably. Patrons who’re aware of their existence, know they’ll be getting best bang for buck meals, that Chef & crew endeavors to deliver with pride and without prejudice – Singapore’s signature tastes/flavors.
Who is Chef Chung Deming? He’s a vigilante Chef who strives to fly the national flag high in the culinary aspect of things. He has an unwavering passion for straits ingredients, and fervent fanatic for traditional recipes. Coupling intercontinental culinary techniques with generational heirloom recipes, he is the originator of the much talked about, Satay Burger, Duriancanboleh and Singapore’s best Salted Egg Sauce.
If you haven’t already noticed, he’s occasionally featured on local TV & Radio, or called upon for guest chef shifts in kitchens elsewhere.
The Quarters Experience is designed for minimally 2pax, to a group of 20pax. A gastronomic 6-course dinner highlighting some of our culture/ heritage, via the palates. Priced at S$60++ per pax, reservations to be made 2 days in advance.
Salted Egg Tebaski is chargrilled chicken mid-wing topped with a little drizzle of Signature Salted Egg Aioli nicely plated with streaks of condiments. It was rather interesting that the aioli substituted ground salt. I personally liked the smoky hues on the mid wing, while the meat was moist & savory. A part of me wished I could just have it all to myself, instead of each a piece.
Chawanmushi is infused with the tastes of chincalok, but nicely moderated so the chincalok flavors isn’t overbearing. Topped with a slice of shitake mushroom, and little bit of Ikura. I think the texture is done pretty well, soft like silken tofu, albeit, I’m in favor of some pieces of chincalok among the toppings.
Ooh La La! A platter of Venus clams frolicking in generous proportion of Signature Chili Crab Sauce, accompanied with cubes of crunchy croutons. The flesh in the clams were nice & bouncy, juicy & a tingle of sea saltiness, while the chili sauce is savory sweet. The spice factor in the sauce is pretty mild for me, but I guess is intentional.
Fwah! Having tasted this, I think the tune of Jay Chou’s 霍元甲 was chorusing in our heads “whoa x 8”. Chargrilled slab of juicy tender Foie Gras, smoky & savory, on a house-blend kaya glazed toast, blanketed with a creamy texture scrambled egg. Loved it! I polished the plate clean!
Rendang was a platter of med-rare chargrilled beef cubes (I understand they were grass fed, short ribs), served with stir fried buah keluak rice and anchovies, and a good doze of heirloom rendang sauce. To be honest, the colors seemed a little intimidating at 1st sight, but once the flavors burst in the mouth, this too was polished clean off the plate. There’s a certain element of umami in buah keluak, like a cross-over between truffles and cocoa, lovely!
And to cap things off, the Duriancanboleh. Break through the caramelized sugar crust on top, and dig into smooth creamy custard made from MSW Durian. Impressive as there wasn’t any durian fiber to disrupt the indulgence.
While waiting for the succession of dishes for The Quarters Experience, Chef & crew surprised us in presenting features of dishes on & off their menu.
Kueh Pie Tee, ingredients kept true to integrity of the recipe, but I found the attention to detail pretty immaculate.
The crispy golden brown cups smaller than the size shot glass, filled with caramelized stewed turnip strips, finely julienned cucumber, bouncy & juicy poached prawns, ground red carrots, crumbled hard boiled eggs, underlined with a mild coat of sweet sauce. Pop it in the mouth & savor that sweet crunchy goodness.
Shiok Bak, Chinese roasted pork belly, not too fat, not too lean, cut into half inch slices. Served with a nutty flavored dipping sauce akin to the satay peanut based dipping sauce. I like that the roasted pork belly wasn’t too salty, leaved enough room for the blend of the dipping sauce. Worth a try!
Nasi Lemak Burger, is true to the name. Juicy succulent fried chunk of chicken topped with sunny side up, while the yolk is runny & ready to burst, sandwiched in roasted nasi lemak patties. Served with a bundle of julienned cucumbers & alfalfa sprouts, and crispy crunchy anchovies on the side. To enjoy this, I’d recommend not attempting it as a burger, but rather, indulge in it as you would nasi lemak using bare hands.
Wagyu Beef Buah Keluak Pasta, pretty similar to the earlier mentioned Rendang. The med-rare wagyu strips are nicely smoky & juicy, while the linguine pasta is thoroughly rolled into one with the buah keluak paste. Highly recommended for those who love digging into the buah keluak shell for the paste, because the digging’s already done.
I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with the overall experience, especially for such a small setup. And I’m certain this is not possible without a strong doze of passion & pride. I think Chef is probably a fan of Simon Sinek, because he’s vigorously clear about his “Why”, that is spelled in his actions & creations. And I will stay tuned, and I look forward to revisiting to try some of his other creations that I’ve yet to sample.
– –
Pictures taken using LG V30+
Epicurious Caniggia 