Whet your appetite for spicy and robust flavours at this cosy all-day diner
Photo: Birds Of A Feather
The spacious all-day dining, cafe and bar is an eclectic mix of contrasting elements.
I stepped into Birds Of A Feather with nary an idea of what to expect, aside from knowing it served contemporary Western cuisine with Sichuan influence.
What seemed like an odd marriage of East and West turned out to be one of the most memorable meals I’d had in a while.
Flock home to your nest
The spacious all-day dining, cafe and bar is an eclectic mix of contrasting elements, while evoking the laid-back and serene city of Chengdu — where the owners hail from.
Lush greenery blooms from a feature wall, brought to life with leaves imported from Chengdu; while handcrafted copper pipes and bulbs add an industrial touch.
With wooden partitions and cloud-shaped lamps dangling from the high ceilings, the newly-opened restaurant is a haven of relaxation and calm.
Simply add the Sichuan Spicy Soy Bean Powder and shake the bag like your life depended on it.
East meets West
We nestled ourselves on the sofa and kicked off our meal with the Fried Calamari with Yuzu Tartar Sauce ($19). The typical bar snack is taken to new heights here.
Coated with light-as-air meringue batter and sprinkled with appetising Sichuan chilli powder, the calamari is best enjoyed with a generous dollop of the accompanying yuzu tartar sauce.
Our lesson in the varying nuances of Sichuan spices continued with the Crispy Pork Trotter in a Bag ($19), which features pork trotters braised in Sichuan lu shui (braising broth), then deep fried.
Simply add the Sichuan Spicy Soy Bean Powder and shake the bag like your life depended on it. The result? A beautiful snack bursting with spicy-sweet flavours.
Following the fried dishes, we moved onto the healthier items on the menu. The Fortune Skewer in Szechuan Pepper Broth ($19) is inspired by traditional fortune-telling sticks, except, in this case, luck’s always on your side.
We picked out skewered prawns, lotus roots and broccoli, which had nicely soaked up the essence of the rich and peppery broth.
If you’re craving for something comforting, the Hot and Sour Chazuke will fit the bill.
Comforting flavours
If you’re craving for something comforting, the Hot and Sour Chazuke ($28) will fit the bill.
Spicy pickled mustard broth is poured into a dish of Niigata rice and charcoal grilled barramundi; soaking up all of its contents and yielding the softest grains.
Here’s a warning — don’t underestimate the clear broth; it’s packed with tongue-numbing spices.
The Organic Mapo tofu burger is a must-try.
Like the dishes we’ve enjoyed so far, the burgers on their menu feature Sichan flavours as well.
The Organic Mapo tofu burger ($22) is a hearty mashup of house-made mantou buns with a tofu and parmagiano patty.
Frittered to perfection, the patty is then drenched in a flavourful and meaty mapo pork ragout. Consider this a must-try!
To round off the satisfying meal, we had the Deep Fried Glutinous Rice Cake ($12).
Each morsel is coated with kinako (soy bean powder), ready for you to dip into the sticky-sweet Okinawan black sugar syrup for the sweetest ending of all.
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