A fine dining restaurant without the fuss and stress
By Nicole-Marie Ng
Why is Chef Daniel Sia so disgruntled? Is he perpetually irritated like Gordon Ramsay in an episode of Hell’s Kitchen? Or is he more of a Marco Pierre White, broody yet brilliant?
As it turns out, when he was naming the restaurant, Chef Sia was disgruntled about something else entirely. After spending years cooking at fine dining restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and London, he wanted to shake up the fine dining scene.
Fed up with the unnecessary formalities of fine dining and snobby service, the chef-owner wanted to make fine dining more enjoyable to the diner and bring the focus back to the food. As one of the pioneers of the small plate-big plate menu concept, diners are encouraged to order a variety of dishes to share.
His concept was a hit and six years on, The Disgruntled Chef has opened a second outlet at The Club on Ann Siang Road. The new outlet boasts a bigger menu with a mix of new small and big plates. Here are our picks on what you should not miss at The Disgruntled Chef at The Club.
Bread and butter
While many restaurants don’t pay attention to the bread rolls served at the start of the meal, the bread at The Disgruntled Chef was one of the highlights of the day. We tried two different loaves of bread, the Burnt Onion Charcoal Bread ($9) served with a fish floss and cream cheese foam and the Truffle Brioche ($9) with nori butter.
Both were soft and moist, served fresh from the oven. Thanks to the larger kitchen space, they are able to make the loaves in house which is not possible in the original outlet.
Big plates for sharing
The star of the meal was the Cote De Boeuf ($168) that comes with a side of truffle macaroni and cheese, soft baked onions and baby romaine salad. Served table side, the friendly wait staff will carve the 800g to 1kg slab of beef in front of you, revealing a perfectly pink medium-rare centre.
For something lighter, try the Crispy Golden Snapper ($32). Served with its scales still on, the filet is fried till the scales are puffed up and golden, adding a crunch to liven up the dish.
Delicate desserts
Instead of the usual chocolate dessert, end your meal on a tangy note with the Lemon Posset ($14) topped with pistachio sponge, stewed blueberries and lime meringue. The Lemon Posset is one of the rare desserts that perfectly balances sweet and sour, leaving you refreshed even after such a heavy meal.
For a restaurant that serves award-winning food in a fine dining setting, I was surprised by how affordable the meal was, especially when shared amongst friends. The dishes I tried were top-notch and yet not exorbitantly priced, with dishes starting from $9.
People looking to have a quick gourmet lunch can also try the two-course or three-course lunch sets priced at $33++ or $45++.
The Disgruntled Chef at The Club. 28 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069708. Tel: 6808 2184.
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