Jiak Kim House has opened its doors
Photo: Jiak Kim House
Contemporary Asian restaurant Jiak Kim House has taken over one of the godowns that formerly housed the iconic Zouk nightclub. In place of strobe lights and blaring music is a sophisticated, well-lit 120-seater space with natural finishings interspersed with Southeast Asian touches.
Chef Seow Tzi Qin, or TQ, sends out imaginative riffs on familiar Asian dishes. The Tingkat of Memories ($36, good for two) sets the tone, deploying a quartet of snacks like a plump seven-herb crab cake with zippy Assam mayo, crispy lamb goulash croquettes, and a robust batang fish and prawn otak-otak. Also good are the earthy almost-creamy Mushroom Herbal Tea ‘Macchiato’ ($22) with green peppercorn foam that nods to bak kut teh (there’s a mini yu tiao too!), and the juicy bite-sized Hay-Smoked Wagyu Hamburg ($28) wrapped in aromatic shiso leaves.
For mains, the tender Kam Heong Sambal Grouper ($40) turns up the heat with black peppercorn and homemade sambal, paired with cilantro rice and a vibrant mangosteen salsa. Other options are the Herbal Scallop ‘Pao Fan’ ($42) in an angelica root dashi with crispy rice puffs, Beef Tongue to Tail ($42) in a rendang that leans sweet, and a smoky Garum Quail Pangang ($46) with truffle sauce and celeriac puree.
Don’t miss the desserts — a highlight is the Jiak Kim, a gold leaf-covered (‘Jiak Kim’ means eat gold in Hokkien) Earl Grey mousse with berries. And for buah keluak lovers, go for the Black Forest featuring chocolate sponge and Kirsch-soaked cherries, poured over with thick, rich buah keluak chocolate sauce. The cocktail programme serves up interesting options too, from the Emperor State with homemade durian liqueur, to The Asian Banana, with Filipino Brandy and Filipino banana liqueur.
Jiak Kim House is at 5 Jiak Kim Street, #01-16 &17, Singapore 169426. Visit its website for reservations and more information.
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