With the much-anticipated Potato Head Folk opening in Singapore, does it live up to the hype?
When word got out that the famous Potato Head Beach Club in Bali was setting up its first venture out of Indonesia in Singapore, there was much hype and buzz among foodies everywhere. Myself included.
I’ve been to Potato Head Beach Club in Bali and I was amazed by the beautiful décor, swimming pool and beachside view. The food was affordable and its quality was excellent. Of course, I wasn’t expecting a beach club in the middle of Keong Saik Road but I went with high expectations. Perhaps too high.
Reality Bites?
The new Potato Head Folk in Keong Saik Road houses burger joint Three Buns on the second floor, Studio 1939, an intimate bar, and a rooftop bar that will also be open to the public. Three Buns brought in Chef Adam Penny from London, who was the brains behind Patty & Bun, a place renowned for its burgers. The menu is quite amusing, with hip-hop inspired names such as the LL Kool Slaw but, unfortunately, I feel that the food could use some improvement.
When I was there, I tried the Baby Huey ($20), with a prime 150g beef patty, cheese, lettuce, and the Notorious T.O.M – house tomato sauce, pickles and spiced mayonnaise. The burgers do not come with sides and are served at a default of medium unless otherwise specified. However, I did specify for my burger to be medium rare but the burger arrived well done.
The burger did not taste bad; it was decent. But, seeing that diners would be paying a fair amount for the burger, I think the least they could’ve done was to have plated it nicely instead of having served it on a wooden plate in a paper wrapper, similar to McDonald’s. Some of the burgers didn’t even arrive properly wrapped.
Furthermore, The Honky Tonk ($19), a buttermilk fried chicken burger, arrived soggy due to the over-zealous amount of hot sauce on it.
Saving Grace
The cocktails at Potato Head Folk did not disappoint, the Queen La Tea-Fah ($18) with Tiro’s vodka, apple, rhubarb bitters and lemon is a refreshing mid-afternoon drink. And, unlike the mains, the side dishes actually fared much better.
The Naughty Fries ($9), homemade fries with spiced béarnaise, hot beef chilli, crisp shallots, parmesan cheese and sesame seeds, is excellent to share for a slightly sinful bar snack loaded with sauce.
The desserts are kept simple with pudding pots ($6) and come in two flavours, Zesty Lemon and Rich Chocolate. I preferred the zesty lemon for its tart flavour that cuts through the decadence of the cream pudding.
However, as with the burgers, we wish they’d put in more effort into the presentation of the puddings instead of having served them in disposable containers. On the whole, I was disappointed with Potato Head Folk and I do hope they improve the quality of the food and the presentation as time goes by.
Potato Head Folk, 36 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089143, Tel: 6327 1939
By Cheryl Chia
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