The short rib was a delightful. Tender and beautiful, but a tad too charred on the exterior for my liking. But I supposed that's what the Chef was going for charred in a literal sense. So I let this go. I was so intrigued by the "sweet bread", which was the cow's pancreas. Soft, and hardly sweet or bread-like in texture, the pancreas in fact looked like parts of the brain, savoury but definitely yummy. Nothing screamish about them. Think of them as nicely grilled tofu. But personally I love the pomegranate mousse on the side. Oh the pomegranate was brought through, strong and all. I felt like I was literally having a whole fruit. The natural sweetness balanced the savoury. And it played with my tastebuds quite nicely, giving it hint of surprise once in a while. Commendable.
The photo is not doing the dish justice. The short rib melts in your mouth and the Promegranate cream takes it to the next level. Sensational.
Other than this near-flawless dish of fork-tender short rib topped with sweetbread and elevated by the dream-like pomegranate cream on the side, about 15 dishes at 5th Quarter exceeded all expectations. The restaurant is set in the new boutique Vagabond Hotel along Syed Alwi, and I was quite taken aback by the heavy velvet curtains and the astonishing amount of red in the dining room, but once the food hit the table, I was completely transfixed! Focusing on techniques like salting, curing, brining and grilling, this meat-centric menu plays out like an adventure that was perfect to share between the 4 of us. What can I say, just go, trust their friendly service staff to recommend you the best dishes, and you're gonna have a kickass meal. Just a few pieces of advice - skip the charcuterie and the pork collar to save space for all 4 desserts (seriously), and don't be afraid of words like tripe, tongue, and tail, and you'll be rewarded handsomely. Come here for your next celebration with 3 good friends, expect to pay about $80 per head. It's worth every penny.
One of the absolute favourites of the evening we couldn't stop raving about, the perfectly cooked short rib boasts a charred, burnished sheen and tender, smoky flesh packed with meaty, intense flavour. Small cuts of succulent sweetbread dotted the plate, appetizing targets for my fork and playful prelude to the main cut of meat. The pomegranate cream is almost black magic and its light sweetness paired unexpectedly well with the savoury rib. Someone even remarked that there ought to be an ice cream version of the cream for dessert, it was that good!
Taste: 4/5
