Patchwork Kitchen

It does seem that there is starting to be a trend of dining establishments that had recently found a spot in the upper levels of the shophouses located at South Bridge Road of the late — after the opening of POUT Rooftop Cafe which we had mentioned about not too long ago, there is also the opening of the new Patchwork Kitchen right across from CMO Building at the other side of Carpenter Street. For those whom are fairly familiar with the area, Patchwork Kitchen is located at the 5th level of the shophouse at 42 South Bridge Road; this would be the shophouse that is located beside the one occupied by Legendary Bak Kut Teh — the access to Patchwork Kitchen is via a lift where the access to the lift lobby is situated from the back alley of the shophouse. Patchwork Kitchen occupies the entire level; the interior is being decked in a little bit of a haphazard manner but yet tasteful at the same time — the flooring comes with double yellow lines painted that reminds us of roads seen outside, while some parts of the walls see brick-like designs while some were being painted white; others being a bit of a feature wall with artful wallpapers that adorn the wall. The use of furniture with wooden accents attempts to give a welcoming vibe with the warm lighting, though the use of blue and orange in its dining furniture gives it a fun and vibrant look that is in sync with the design language for the entire space. Tables are arranged in a manner that suits patrons visiting in groups of up to four (4) pax, with a mix of high and low tables available especially for those visiting in pairs. The dinner menu at Patchwork Kitchen is split into categories such as Small, Medium, Large and Sweet — we were recommended to go for two (2) Large items and one (1) small item that would be just enough food for two (2) pax.

We visited Patchwork Kitchen during their initial days of launch when they are serving up dinner mains at $5. THE Pork Katsu is one of the items of which Patchwork Kitchen is serving up at $5 under the Large section of the menu — this is an item that is described to come with elements such as sweet potato puree and kimchi-tomato sauce; it also does come with a side of cabbage that has been julienned and drizzled with Goma dressing. Initially expecting the item to come with sweet potato puree that comes either beneath or beside the slab of pork cutlet, THE Pork Katsu surprised us in ways more than one — spiritually, this was an item that seemed to have been inspired from the Korean Donkasu and the Hainanese Pork Chop; the Pork Chop does come breaded and deep-fried like a typical pork cutlet with crisp and light golden-brown batter. It also does comes topped off with kimchi that is also accompanied by that of small tomatoes alongside it — this does seem to be a combination of both the sauces that typically comes with the Korean Donkasu and the Hainanese Pork Chop, though missing of the commonality of Worcestershire sauce that is used which helps to make the flavours less cloying and heavy; results in a lighter and tangier flavour that cuts through the deep-fried pork cutlet. It is interesting to note that the sweet potato puree is actually found within the pork cutlet itself — THE Pork Katsu being executed much like a version of the classic Chicken Kiev but with the cheese being replaced with the sweet potato puree that still comes with a yellow hue and oozes out of the pork cutlet when sliced apart; one with a smooth consistency, but gives the pork cutlet sufficient moisture whilst adding a slightly sweet note that offers the pork cutlet a bit of a balance of flavours within. A very inventive item that really reimagined the typical pork cutlet in so many different ways in one dish.

We also found ourselves opting for the Eggplant — yet another item that Patchwork Kitchen was offering at $5 as one of the dinner mains that was part of the promotion when they had first opened their doors. The Eggplant is described on the menu to feature elements such as grilled eggplant, yakiniku glaze and miso yogurt. An item that still features some unique twists, the Eggplant is still a well-executed dish overall, though one that is perhaps a little more conventional than the THE Pork Katsu itself. Going straight for the eggplant, the grilled eggplant does carry a soft consistency with an underlying hint of savouriness coming from the Yakiniku glaze that it seems to have been grilled in; one would be able to notice the Lao Gan Ma-esque chili that comes alongside with the dish which adds that hint slight smoky hint of chili oil fragrance with a slight element of crunch that flavours up the entire dish — almost similar to that of the variant of Fish Fragrance Eggplant that can be found at some dining establishments serving up mainland Chinese fare, while the addition of miso yogurt adds a creaminess that seems to gel all of the elements together with a slight tang that adds on to cut through the heavier notes of the dish.

Meanwhile, the Chicken Rice Arancini is an item that is being listed on the Small section of the menu, and is described to come with pickled cucumbers and chili gel. This is an inventive take that sees local elements being infused with Italian cuisine; think small chicken rice balls that is being deep-fried with a golden brown batter on the exterior — coming drizzled with dark soya sauce with chili gel piped atop. Taking a bite into the Chicken Rice Arancini, the exterior is crisp whilst the insides is filled with rice that is of a glutinous texture — sticky, but coming with an evident note of ginger and a slight hint of chicken brine that one would typically expect out of a standard plate of Hainanese-style chicken rice. Whilst coming with no traces of chicken, the rice itself comes especially fragrant, with the inclusion of dark soya sauce adds a sweetness just like how one would expect for a typical plate of Hainanese-style chicken rice; the chili gel adding that bright kick of spiciness that fresh chili padi and a mix of calamansi and ginger gives that would tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The pickled cucumbers provide a refreshing tang and crunch that gives a good break in between all of the carbs and heavier notes of the dish; all that whilst reminiscent of the sliced cucumbers that comes on the side of a typical plate of Hainanese-style chicken rice.

One of the Sweets that is being offered at Patchwork Kitchen would be their Yuan-Yang Misu, which is described in the menu to be an item that comes with elements such as coffee-infused lady fingers, milk tea mascarpone and almond crumbs. It is interesting to note that despite being pretty much a gastrobar, it does seem that Patchwork Kitchen does not seem to attempt to add any form of alcohol in their Tiramisu-esque offering. Served in a canned which requires one to pull the lid open using the tab just like a drink can, the lid does open entirely for easy access for the spoon. Digging into the Yuan-Yang Misu, we did notice that the lady fingers have been soaked in coffee so much that it has become all moist and cake-like, whilst delivering quite a caffeinated kick — this went well with the milk tea-infused mascarpone that is sufficiently dense while carrying a hint of milk tea fragrance almost to the likes of Hong Kong-style milk tea that comes with a milky fragrance and a strong tea aroma in its finish; the two elements providing a balance of coffee aroma and tea notes to achieve what one would typically expect in a Yuan Yang-style offering. The inclusion of almond crumbs were probably designed to add an element of crunch to the Yuan-Yang Misu, though these seem to have been softened after absorbing much of the coffee that was used to soak up the lady fingers.

Patchwork Kitchen describes itself as a “modern East Asian bistro celebrating flavours, textures and stories”, and we did feel from our visit to the establishment that they are indeed what they exactly preach — the thought processes involved with the dishes that they serve up so feel kinda deep, taking into account familiar flavours but also involved quite a number of their own unique twists that was not just well-executed, but also easy to understand. This resulted in quite a pretty comforting, yet unexpected mix of flavours and textures which not only showcases their culinary skills and passion for the craft, but amount of innovation and also the effort placed into the research and design of the dish that enables such storytelling to take place. We were lucky to have been able to give Patchwork Kitchen a try when they were offering their Large plates for dinner at $5 each whilst they had just opened their doors for business — the dishes at Patchwork Kitchen served up during dinner hours are priced in the range of $9 to $32; the lowest-price item being the Chicken Rice Arancini from the Small section of the menu, while the priciest would be the Steak & Butter. We are pretty interested in some of the items listed in the Medium category of the menu — think dishes like the Laksa Tortellini which we might be keen to make a revisit just to try them some other time!