Asian flavours take on a nostalgic and creative twist in Ding Dong’s new menu offerings
Asian Wagyu Beef Tatare
One of the hip watering holes along Ann Siang Road, Ding Dong is hard to miss with its neon pink sign, leading you straight into a three-storey bar and eatery.
With its high ceiling and chinoiserie décor complete with Chinese paper cut-out artwork splayed across the walls, the establishment wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel or even London’s Chinatown.
Asian Flavours with a Touch of Playfulness
Stylo Milo
I was glad to find that Ding Dong’s focus on Modern Asian cuisine wasn’t some half-baked attempt at infusing Asian flavours. In fact, the dishes were well-executed with just the right touch of playfulness.
Inspired by childhood memories, Chef-Owner Ryan Clift of Tippling Club together with Head Chef Jet Lo have created exciting new dishes and cocktails, putting a spin on favourites from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the rest of Asia.
Having acquainted myself with local-inspired cocktails at other bars, I was nonetheless impressed by the colloquial-sounding Stylo Milo ($20), which was served in a crumpled green cup resembling the ones given out at Milo trucks. The dessert-style cocktail was pleasantly sweet but not cloying.
Another tipple I fancied was the Singapore Fling ($18) — a Tanqueray gin-based cocktail with Cointreau and creole bitters. With a dash of grapefruit juice, Ding Dong’s interpretation of the Singapore Sling turned out to be refreshing and unexpectedly bittersweet.
Hometown Inspirations
Kon Lao Mee
For the mains, flavours from Chef Jet’s hometown in Sabah were re-interpreted in creations such as the Vegetable
“Kon Lao Mee” ($18) and the savoury “Nan Ru” Pork ($17).
The former substituted noodles with shredded root vegetables, which gave it a great crunch. Served with Mangalitsa pork imported from Hungary, it looked like a haphazardly-assembled pork salad at first glance but was the right blend of sweet and savoury.
Bearing a resemblance to the zi char favourite, prawn paste chicken, the “Nan Ru” Pork features a crisp batter made from red and white fermented bean curd. Paired with a side of chutney-like ginger and apricot sauce, it was a delightful melding of textures in my mouth.
The dish that was unanimously raved about was the Waygu beef char siew with pickled papaya & cherry tomato ($29). Slow-cooked for 48 hours, the slices of beef had taken on the tenderness and caramelised texture of fatty char siew.
Also, try the Frozen “Pulut Panggang” with Pandan & Coconut ($13), a modern take on the traditional grain dessert.
With theatrics courtesy of liquid nitrogen, the dessert was an interesting end to my meal, with the crunchy black sesame cracker juxtaposing well with the soft pandan jelly.
By Samantha Francis
Ding Dong, 23 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069703, Tel: 6557 0189
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