田 Magic Square

This young man’s menu, even on the second day of service, was already a polished statement-maker with its Singaporean ingredients-inspired theme.
After Manager Jose did his introductory spiel, things got rolling promptly with a fascinating confluence of hot and cold where grilled sweet corn kernels met a quenelle of frozen corn and butter sabayon in a roasted buckwheat tea with masala chai spices.
Then, an appetisingly balanced cold appetiser of Sri Lankan mud crab with green tomato chutney, diced tomatoes and green apple in a pandan leaf oil-laced green apple juice sauce. While slices of pickled and cooked celtuce (chayote) added crunch, ginger flower and lime zest enhanced the aroma.
Chef Jonathan’s interpretation of laksa was the basis of the next course, another cold creation featuring Hokkaido scallops, kabu and lemon.
The silky-skin duck leg-stuffed dumplings in a duck broth perfumed by a touch of Szechuan spices were tasty but the accompanying bowl of rice managed to outshine it a little. Cooked with “hum choi” also known as “sian chye”, and finished with crispy duck skin, that carb was extremely fragrant and tasty.
I thought his take on 茶叶蛋 (“cha ye dan”) was brilliant! The black tea foam-covered egg sat with lily buds and sautéed Maitake mushrooms on a base of fermented mushroom purée and fermented mushroom juice. Everything about this course was spot-on.
Another winner in my book, the pan-cooked 4-day-aged Sawara (Spanish Mackerel) from Japan. It was just impeccable in done-ness and flavour. And so delightful when savoured with the green rempah purée, green onion fish stock sauce and smoky wok-fried Dragon Chives.
To me, the meat course was a clever East-meets-West dish as the 10-day-aged Irish duck was glazed in tamarind caramel and spice glaze which gave it an Asian taste profile. Yet because it came with citrus elements of kumquat chutney and a duck jus made from roasted duck bones and reduced orange juice, there was a decidedly French influence as well. Loved the black banana purée too.
The palate cleanser reminded me of a more sophisticated version of Solero / Jolly Lolly ice popsicles as it combined a lemongrass sorbet, kaffir lime, green tea and little chewy bits of attap chee. A surprise spicy heat made it all the more beguiling to me.
Coming full circle, Chef @jonathan_gan closed the meal with another hot meets cold creation. This dessert was a love letter to the Jerusalem artichoke as the tuber’s versatility was on full display. To complement the mochi balls, it took on different forms - as a veloute with coconut milk, and a crumble from its skin being fried and tossed in sugar and peanuts, as well as an ice-cream. Without a doubt, dinner ended on a high note.

Our second visit to @magicsquare.sg 2.0 was to have Chef Eugene’s (@abangkau) menu. He’s the first of the four young chefs in this current version of 田 Magic Square.
Manager @itshozay kicked things off that evening, sharing some details about this incubator for the benefit of the first-timers.
Supported by Chefs @jonathan_gan and @pristinamok (@lawjiajun was on medical leave), Eugene presented nine courses based on his interpretation of Chinese heritage cuisine blended with his knowledge of French techniques.
Although it was bracing cold and upside-down, the first item had me immediately thinking of “chwee kueh” (our local breakfast favourite) with its mushroom duxelles, onion consommé and rice pudding.
Number two paid tribute to a dish found in both French and Teochew cuisines - the Aspic Terrine. The jelly which was formed by chilling the collagen-rich braised pork trotter and pork belly, was accessorised with a tiny dollop of red chilli jam for a punch of sweetish heat, and pickled onions and cauliflower. Yums.
One of my favourites from that evening was the Bone Marrow Chawanmushi. Finished with a delicious “pot au feu” broth and barbecued gingko nuts, it had tiny cubes of crunchy bamboo shoot buried in its silkiness. If only second helpings were available…
The succulent frog legs wrapped
in sheets of old cucumber with
mint and chervil were delectable. I liked them even more swooshed through the roasted garlic aioli.
For the fifth course, Giant Tiger Prawns were wrapped in chiffonade-cut beancurd skin for crispiness and extra flavour. Laid on a purée of roasted kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) and dressed with a luscious Dijon mustard chives and parsley creme fraiche, it was a dish that showed off the quality produce very well.
Local barramundi was the sixth. Steamed to perfection, it came with a garlic, ginger and aromats sauce, beurre blanc made from the fish’s own bones, as well as wok-fried “nai bai” vegetable, pickled white fungus and chrysanthemum flowers. In contrast to the soft flesh, its skin was transformed into crunchy “chiccharon”.
Chicken was the star in the seventh, and it tasted distinctly Chinese as the slices of tender breast meat were stuffed with glutinous rice cooked with “lap cheong” (preserved pork sausage), “yun cheong” (liver sausage) and mushroom, Surrounded by pickled daikon was a small liver ball which wow-ed me.
To refresh our palates after that, Chef Eugene and his team mates served a unique herbal-style pre-dessert that brought pomelo sorbet, barley amazake and chrysanthemum oil together.
Dinner ended with an astonishing creation of black sesame ice-cream crowned with a meringue made using the beef garum by Chef @markerpenn (Head of R&D at @nakedfinn). Utterly brilliant pairing.
Am looking forward to seeing what the other Chefs have up their sleeves in the months ahead.

Lucky enough to get a spot to dine at Magic Square in their penultimate week of the pop-up.

Since the beginning of June 2018, three young talented chefs have had, what I could only imagine to be, an arduous but fulfilling journey. They’ve been honing their craft, adapting their menu until these recent weeks in which they’ve fine tuned it to offer the best of the best.

This “best of the best” menu ($78++) consisted of 9 amazing courses. Each course was a star in their own right and did not overpower each other.

Pictured from 1st row L-R: (1) Hokkaido scallop, white fungus, chrysanthemum vinegar, yuzu kosho; (2) Mozambique lobster, aged tangerine, sesame; (3) cheong fun, gado gado, fermented prawn emulsion: (4) Japanese turnip, flavours of roasted chicken; (5) mantou-prata, candlenut miso, rempah oils; (6) duck liver tart, black citrus powder; (7) 10 day aged local duck, alliums, shaoxing; (8) osmanthus marshmallow, persimmon nectar; (9) corn miso pudding, smoked caramel, burnt bread.

It was a seamless culinary journey but I took my time to consume each dish to take in the wonder of it. You’ll never find similar dishes elsewhere. For the sake of all foodies, I hope that this pop-up will continue because I need more.

What’s for lunch?

3-course lunch (S$28++)
Available on Friday & Saturday 12pm - 2pm at @magicsquare.sg .
Starter : Duck liver tart
Topped with citrus jam and black citrus powder
The bitterness and tart taste balanced each other.
.
Main : Duck confit with curry with coconut milk rice
6 different types of oil in the curry which was very rich and lemak.
Just curry 🍛 with rice very delicious 😋 liao.
.
Dessert : Corn miso pudding
Made with corn miso fermented in-house.
Topped with Caramel and burnt bread 🍞 powder.
Interesting salty plus a bit ‘Chao Ta’ taste.
.
Accompanied with still/ sparkling water.
.
田 Magic Square
Address 🏡 : 5B Portsdown Road, # 01-02, Singapore 🇸🇬 139 311
Tel ☎️ : 8181 0102
Open ⏰ :
Tue - Sat : 6pm - 8pm, 8.15pm - 10.15pm
Website 🌐 : http://www.magicsquare.sg
MRT 🚇 : One North (CC23)

2 more mths till the first run is over and I’m already looking forward to the second run, this time with 3 female chefs! Anyway here are some of my favorite dishes by @abelslc in Jan. The artichoke, broccoli, and corn. More on www.ms-skinnyfat.com link in bio.

This dish exemplifies the outcome of the new restriction imposed on the 3 young chefs. For this month, they are only allowed to use a maximum of 3 ingredients per dish. And this dessert uses only one. It's all roselle, in different textures, and it's really good.
🔸
My second visit here, ever since my first visit on their opening day on 2 May. This is the cosy restaurant at Portsdown, helmed by 3 hardworking young local chefs @abelslc @markerpenn and @dzzfizz, led by Ken Loon @kenloon, under the stewardship of Gabriel @gabesterzz.
🔸
Here, expect innovative fishes created with lots of thought and heart, using house-grown produce and top quality ingredients sourced from the same suppliers as @nakedfinn.
🔸
But this is only for a limited time, because the last day for Magic Square is some time in end April. After that, there'll likely be a Magic Square v2, but it won't be these 3 chefs anymore.