Hathaway

It has been a while since we last visited Hathaway and these folks had recently made their move out of their previous premises at Dempsey into a new space in the Central Business District — Hathaway now sees themselves located in a shop unit that is situated at the ground level of Capital Tower, being neighbours with the Mr Bean outlet that is situated there. One can find Hathaway pretty easily when walking around the perimeters of the building; the shop unit being especially visible if one were to be passing by Robinson Road. Occupying a fairly big shop unit, the entire interior design of the establishment exudes Balinese vibes — there is a large use of soft yellowish lighting that is matched against the wood and wicker elements for its furniture and fittings that fills up the space; the result is a very warm and inviting vibe that is surprisingly modern yet cosy, whilst reflecting the sort of establishment it is. Hathaway is a concept by the same folks behind Bread Yard at one-north, though Hathaway is a concept that is best known for being an establishment serving up dishes with a Straits influence apart from the more usual brunch and western plates that one can also find in its menu. Serving up both set and ala-carte menus, the ala-carte menu is being split across sections dedicated to Brunch, Easygoing Lunch, Small Bites, Seafood & Meat, Accompaniments, Dessert and Pastries — some sections of the menu are made available throughout the entire day from 11am to 9:30pm, while Brunch and Easygoing Lunch are available only from 8am to 5pm and 11am to 5pm respectively. Beverages available at Hathaway would include House Special Cocktails, Classic Cocktails, Beer, No / Low Alcohol, espresso-based specialty coffee, chocolate and matcha, as well as tea, juice and sodas. They also do have a wine list as well.

Dropping by Hathaway during lunch hours, we found ourselves looking forward to try a dish from the Easygoing Lunch section of the menu which consists of individually-sized mains for more fuss-free experience catered to the office workers of the Central Business District. Of the various dishes being listed on the menu, the Nasi Ulam with Snapper seem to stand out the most for us especially considering how this is one of the items that brings out the concept of Hathaway as a Straits-inspired establishment heavily. The menu describes the Nasi Ulam with Snapper as a dish that came with elements such as rice with fresh herbs, red snapper and Assam Sambal. Served in a format each of the elements listed is being served on a different plate, the Nasi Ulam with Snapper is particularly tasty even though it does look like a simple affair. For those whom are uninitiated, Nasi Ulam is a steamed rice dish that comes with an assortment of herbs and vegetables — the Nasi Ulam served at Hathaway features long-grained rice, and seems to have been infused with turmeric with its yellow appearance. The most noticeable notes of the Nasi Ulam here would be that of the lime leaves that made the rice especially appetising with its zingy and zippy notes, whilst the texture was incredibly light and fluffy and therefore easy to have. The red snapper fillet comes with firm flesh that provides a bit of bite whilst still being still moist — the fish fillet is also drenched with a sauce that can be described as something similar to that of Kecap Manis (i.e. Indonesian sweet soy sauce) which gave it a sweet and earthy note that was surprisingly well-rounded. Pairing the red snapper fillet with the Assam Sambal, the Assam Sambal provided a savoury yet zingy kick of spiciness that tickles the tastebud for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — further adds on to the dish.

We also took the opportunity to give the Jicama Pie Tee from the Small Bites menu a try. Described to come with braised jicama (i.e. turnip) and chili, what really stood out to us with the Jicama Pie Tee was the juicy crunch of the jicama itself; we also found a gingery note lingering on the tastebuds that is almost similar to that of the ginger paste that is typically served with Hainanese chicken rice that gives it an extra zing — pairs well with the Hainanese chicken rice-esque chili that came along which we found to be especially refreshing. We also liked how the golden brown Kueh Pie Tee shell to be light and crisp without being particularly greasy or soggy from all of the elements contained within. Having tried their Kueh Salat in the form of the Princess of the Straits in our previous visits to Hathaway, we decided to give the Kueh Ko Swee from their Pastries section of the menu a go instead — it is also worth noting that all of the items in the Pastries section of the menu are also displayed prominently at the counter just right beside the entrance as well. Coming in a serving size of two (2) pieces per portion, the Kueh Ko Swee is described to come with market Gula Melaka per the description on the menu. These were soft and chewy; yet not sticky in the way of getting stuck to the teeth as one chews through it. The Kueh Ko Swee does come with that earthy sweetness that Gula Melaka is known to bring; all that whilst the level of sweetness is being well-controlled. These desiccated coconut that covers the Kueh Ko Swee is fresh and carried a slight saltishness for a flavour contrast, while there is no alkaline-y aftertaste that some Kueh Ko Swee from other establishments might carry due to excessive baking soda used.

Interestingly, Hathaway brews their espresso-based specialty coffee using beans roasted by Vernacular Coffee — an establishment known to roast their own coffee beans whilst also serving a variety of Viennoiseries situated at Guillemard Road. Hathaway does provide with their patrons two different single origin beans to choose from for their espresso-based specialty coffee beverages — one being of a Brazilian origin, while the other is a single-origin bean originating from Kintamani, Bali, Indonesia. We opted for the latter for our order of the White which turns out to be a rather intriguing cuppa that came with a medium body which we found to be especially easy to drink — carried a floral note whilst being well-pulled, being smooth and creamy as well. Hathaway was an establishment that is pretty much known for serving up dishes with a Straits / Peranakan influence ever since their days being situated at Dempsey — their offerings had always been pretty on-point, managing to fuse familiar flavours within the region with the contemporary plates that they serve up which creates a local-fusion element that works across all the dishes that they have to offer. Whilst its move out of Dempsey sees some part of Hathaway’s rustic charm fade away, the underlying soul of Hathaway remains alive through the various dishes that they have to offer; the quality of the food being still consistent to what we recall them to be. With suitable changes made to their operations to appeal to the crowds at the Central Business District such as that of the items on the Easygoing Lunch and more westernised dishes, it does seem that it would not be too long for Hathaway to be a spot that the folks in the Central Business District will think about for dates as well as business lunches in time to come!