It’s no secret I adore what @mustardseed_sg has been and is doing. Regardless of the form they have taken - be it private dining in their home, an intimate counter-seating-only restaurant or the current delivery / takeaway mode, the food that Chef @mkthehansum conceptualises and creates, with his fiancée Chef @xshinyinx, always manages to surprise, charm and immensely satiate.
Their most recent takeaway set menu ($138, feeds 2) was based on the theme of “Exploring Rempah” and it’s the strongest to date (in my opinion anyway). Most likely because there’s been enough time for the team to find their groove as they adjusted to the government’s guidelines for this Circuit Breaker.
As expected, I had my favourites from this menu. The first of these would be the “Penang Hae Mee Tng with Sea Prawns” which I’d kill to have again. The fresh crustaceans were indecently sweet but I was more enamoured with the stock-rich broth and its slow-rising heat from the dissolved sambal. I hope Chef Ming Kiat will deign to repeat it because it’s much too cruel to serve this once.
Also maddeningly delicious to me were the “Meatball Masak Merah” (which I felt, bore a close similarity to the “Masak Merah Duckballs” Chef Ming Kiat had served at one of his earlier private dining sessions), and the knock-your-socks-off-fragrant “Potato and White Curry Gratin” which tasted more complex than its appearance suggested.
The “Sambal Timun with Jambu Air” knew how to ensnare my heart as well. Unlike my maternal grandma’s heavier, drier version, Chef Ming Kiat prepared his with a lightness, reframing the traditional for me, in an appealing new way.
Fragrant, tangy and medium in spiciness, the “Grouper Perut Ikan” fish dish was flooded with small pieces of vegetables and pineapple. I found plain white rice to cushion the piquancy of this dish best.
The “Ayam Panggang”, marinated in turmeric rempah, toasted “soto” spices and shio koji, was smoky and tender.
Dessert was a mini but decadent “Kueh Jongkong”. I cleaned my cup completely of the pandan-flavoured custard with gula melaka and fresh coconut milk. I was happy that it was not too sweet either.