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The Lamb Kut Teh (S$32.00) was a modern twist of our locally-familiar Bak Kut Teh. This lamb version, however, might also remind others of Sup Kambing, just that this was on the peppery side.

The Kongsee was also going for a communal dining concept with sharing plate dishes, and this was one of them. But if the table had anyone who was selective towards lamb, likely due to fear of gaminess, then those who didn’t mind would be able to have this dish all to themselves.

And if a little char on the protein would appeal to you, they had also torched the protein before plating them atop the soup, so the meat would have both touches of crisp and juiciness altogether.

Though this item had made a hopefully-only-temporary exit from their current menu, this S$18.00 was surprisingly scrumptious, made with 48-hour air-dried pork belly and its skin nicely spiced up. Perhaps the drying process helped to soak the flavours in, because the meat was so well-seasoned in my opinion.

But of course, their Crack Oil (chilli oil) was a universal condiment for both this and the pizzettes. Let’s also not forget the crackling skin which sounded so satisfying as I closed my mouth.

The Vietnamese stall within Food Junction also had Bahn Mi available for dine-in and takeaway. Costing S$6.90, they seemed to have also toasted the baguette before stuffing the fresh ingredients in. Fresh stuff always tastes more flavourful in a Bahn Mi, don’t you think?

When I first had this for takeaway, I was delighted by the sheer crispiness of the baguette crust. Though things might have gone a little messy with the crumbs, I would classify this as a happy mess no less.

A beautiful sharing plates of BBQ Whole Squid (S$19.00) was something I would recommend to order. The seafood was cooked on point with adequate levels of smoky flavours, and the passionfruit dressing that came with it gave a good taste of acidity with a refreshing aftertaste. I personally also enjoyed that crunchy bits of passionfruit seeds that was blended in with the dressing, though not everyone might have found it unnecessary to have.

It was a little funny seeing RVLT sell their in-house Chicken Nuggets in the same denominations as McDonald’s, but this was the better deal for sure.

Priced at S$60.00 for 20 pieces, these bar snacks were made of full pieces of chicken meat, almost like chunks of Karaage. However, what really attracted me to this dish was that the nuggets were seasoned with tamarind powder to give it a sourish flavour, and if that was not brilliant enough, be sold to their home-made sriracha sauce which was kind of addictive to me.

In short, if you would want prominent flavours of chicken with elevated sour and spicy notes, this would be the perfect bar grub for you. Just take note that they might not be available when the price of fresh chicken gets ridiculously high.

The Huggs Coffee here had some savoury wraps for those who might not be big on sweets. Their Satay Chicken Wrap (S$6.00) had a decent portion of chicken chunks and Satay sauce, finished with some mozzarella cheese alongside.

At the moment, they had a promotion going on whereby each takeaway wrap would be half-priced. I found that this was quite a bargain, so do drop by to redeem yours before the promotion ends (which would be some time later this month).

When the Stir-fried Beef & Cheese Baguette (S$10.00) was first served, my first thought was “did they forget to put the cheese?”, because all I could see was the saucy beef slices stuffed into the Bahn Mi.

But as I sank my teeth into this S$10.00 Vietnamese baguette, I was totally sold. Just by having the light and crispy baguette that was a stark contrast from its creamy yet tender beef slices already could blow my mind. Not forgetting the presence of the greens that also helped to balance the flavours a little, this on its own made an appropriate light meal.

Dining in happens upstairs, but seats fill up quite quickly especially now that safe distancing is lifted. But I would seriously recommend this to be consumed in-house for maximum satisfaction.

For 12 pieces at S$23.88, this dozen of freshly shucked oysters might be one of the cheapest in town. Being slightly plump with a creamy texture, most of the oysters tasted really fresh to the slurp. However, when I ordered a second serving, there was a slightly fishy smell that was a slight turn-off, but the taste of the oysters were untainted.

Though most items on the menu seemed quite affordable, the seating capacity of the restaurant was quite small, so it would be advisable to make a table reservation before one should show up to avoid a long waiting time.

Enjoyed watching MasterChef Singapore Season 2 Finals, where contestant Leon Lim made this Rojak Roll with Churro as his winning appetiser dish? Now, you can actually taste this in real life, with the chef himself making this dish right in front of you!

The Rojak Roll with Churro (S$14.90 for 2 pairs) was a combination of the Vietnamese roll with the key ingredients for Rojak wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper, and a stick of freshly-fried Churro (resembled a Youtiao but with a crunchy texture). The Rojak sauce was packed separately and could be dipped or poured over, but I would guess that pouring under would give myself more control to how much umami I would prefer with every bite. For sure, the roll was refreshing both in taste and in texture, but of course I wouldn’t think anyone would reject more chopped peanuts to improve on crunch and fragrance.

Although this was a wonderful creation that debuted during the culinary competition and recreated by Leon himself, I strongly believed that he would not be standing behind the counter for the rest of his life making the roll for his customers. Maybe, this would also bring about a new wave of local-inspired reinvented hawker dishes in our local food scene. But for now, this would make a novel snack for those who loved the concept.

Going for some soft foods this time round, I was inclined to ordering this Hummus & Baba Ganoush (S$13.00) because I was in the mood for some hummus.

And I must say, their garlic pita bread was warm and crisp, and tasted really yummy when dipped into the chickpea and eggplant spreads. Why dip? That’s the fastest and most efficient way to make sure that the whole bread was coated evenly before they ended up in my mouth!

Imported from Hiroshima, these Hiroshima Oysters were plump and creamy. From S$5.00, one could get fresh oysters to start off a nice meal, perfectly paired with their range of cold Sake.

Apart from having them clean, the oysters could also come with Ikura (S$6.00), Australia Lime Caviar (S$7.00) or a combination of Okinawa Sea Grapes, Quail Egg Yolk and Dashi Shoyu (S$8.00). I personally enjoyed the Lime Caviar as there was a slight crunchy texture with perfect acidity to match the creaminess of the oyster.

#BurppleEatup

The Freshly Shucked Oysters were based on the daily supply of oysters that were brought into the restaurant. For S$6.00 each, enjoy them together with wedges of lemon, lager vinaigrette or tabasco.

The selections for this meal included oysters from local farms, France and New Zealand respectively. The New Zealand oysters had a slightly sweet aftertaste, whereas the French ones gave a slight crisp to their plump meat. But among them all, the local ones were the most satisfying. Coming from Ah Hua Kelong, these oysters were most balanced in terms of flavour and firmness.

And I was really appreciative of the waiter who was so enthusiastic to share his recommendations on the oysters. I would really suggest to check with the staff if one was not sure which are the ones to get, but most likely the local ones would be great to have.