Pierside Kitchen and Bar

Would you like to start with some warm bread while you wait for your friend?

Why yes, my good man.

Now hold it, what ever happened to good manners? But.. but that's a question I can't say no to, kind of like "Would you like to update your wardrobe with Bruuns Bazaar and Proenza Schouder?" or "Would you like to win $10 million dollars, so that you can chuck your corporate rat race plans and learn how to bake artisan bread in France?"

See I knew you would understand.



Anchored at One Fullerton and headed by a Chef Robin Ho, a Les Amis alumnus, Pierside Kitchen and Bar is Marmalade Group's answer to the corporate folks who like it chi-chi on the weekends but casual-chic during weekdays.

I had time to scrutinize both the set and ala carte menu and sussing out the MMM-I-LIKE-THE-SOUND-OF-THAT and ok-maybe-next-time. For starters, it was a tough choice between the lobster & sweet red pepper bisque with CRISPY SQUID and BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN royale with sauteed mushroom and black olive tuile.



Eventually, we bit the 'crispy squid' bait and opted for the lobster bisque. Partially submerged in bisque, the squid centerpiece could have been crispier but otherwise, the bisque charmed with a robust lobster aroma.



For mains, the chef pitted pan roasted japanese sea bass with quinoa tabouli & shaved fennel, lily bud vinaigrette against the CONFIT PORK BELLY with braised cabbage and steamed potatoes, dijon mustard and green pea emulsion.

My friend chose the Japanese sea bass. Personally, I would have gone for the confit pork belly but I was trying out this new thing called, Hold Thy Tongue Let Others Decide For A Change. The pan roasted sea bass was agreeably good but like most pan roasted fish, wasn't pandemonium material. I didn't like the citrus-spiked quinoa tabouli. Not. One. Bit.

From the ala carte menu, I dismissed the famed miso cod for something unusual, something out of the water. Two items stood out: snapper PIE, smoked tomato & white TRUFFLE oil and whole roast SPATCHOCK, PARMA ham & TRUFFLE mash.

Ahhh, Truffle Thursday.

It sounds more a racket game but the spatchock is actually a baby chicken (or other game bird) exclusively used for roasting and broiling over a grill/spit. Upon hearing the word 'chicken,' I went for the fish pie.



Lo and behold, snapper pie, served with smoked tomato & mashed potato. Piercing through the puff pastry, the aromatic white truffle oil wafted through, creating an air of anticipation. Just imagine: chunks of snapper simmered in truffle oil, cream and fish stock- it was sea-riously good. Needless to say, I loved my snapper's pie.

Incidentally after our orders were placed, the gentleman on the next table asked his waiter if he would recommend the roast snapper or snapper pie and the waiter replied (catching me off guard), "roast snapper". Well, after a nosy-neighbour peer-over, I think I scored a bigger catch. Haha.



For dessert, we could had a choice of either cheese platter OR souffle and genoise, served with Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry coulis. Like duh, of course we went for the souffle, genoise & ice cream! Under the lemon souffle top, hot chocolate sauce trapped within soft spongy walls of the chocolate genoise, begged to be released and we happily obliged.



Awashed in natural sunlight and minimalist-chic decor, the restaurant was popular with corporate folks who met up for leisure, rather than business. Interestingly enough, most of the men seemed to display a fashionable proclivity towards graphpaper-print shirts. Oh well, whatever floats their boat...