5 New Restaurants in The Centrepoint that You Must Try

When was the last time you visited The Centrepoint? There’s a good reason to head back now as the mall now features an exciting new food precinct spanning 3 floors worth exploring!

Shoppers can look forward to an enhanced retail experience at the mall during their ongoing revamp. Its new food precinct features several first-in-Singapore brands, such as Souper Tang, Honolulu Café and Mak’s Noodles, as well as well-loved local favourites including Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade Kitchen.

Here are my 5 new favourite restaurants at The Centrepoint (website / facebook).

New in the F&B industry, Ollie Kitchen & Bar is opened by a group of Taiwanese friends who have stayed in Singapore for years. The café is named after one of the owners’ puppy who had passed away. Even though they have a small kitchen, their menu is impressive, especially the gourmet burgers.

Every burger place needs a decent cheeseburger. Ollie’s Classic ($14.90) has way exceeded my expectations. The 180g beef patty is pretty much perfect just the way it is: a half-pounder cooked over the grill and tucked between two brioche buns filled with caramelised onion red cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise dressing. That layer of cheese drips and melts into every nook and cranny of a well-formed patty. Chef Lawrence griddles each patty with care, slightly charred yet keeping the moisture within.

Ollie’s BBQ Pork Burger ($17.90) is our favourite with its thick and juicy pork patty on tomatoes, caramelised pineapple and lathered in BBQ salsa. The sweet and tangy pineapple helps to cut the greasiness, which further enhances the flavour. Another option is the Teriyaki Chicken Burger ($17.90) with a delectable combination of red onion, citrus mayo and sesame seeds. Each burger is huge and it is almost impossible to get a complete mouthful in a single bite. Most of the burgers are less than $20 – we are talking quality burgers that are pocket-friendly too!

On top of a good range of burgers, there are also breakfast, salad and grill items for you to choose from. Pair it with coffee – the baristas make a really good cappuccino!

Chicken Up has been home to authentic Korean dishes since 2010. Their Korean fried chicken has been highly sought-after because each part of the chicken is specially treated to a 12 hour marinating process using the original Chicken Up recipe, and then double fried to seal in the flavours. I have tried it a few times and I can say that every piece bursts with succulent juices and tenderness.

This time, we are not here to share about their famous Korean fried chicken, but something more unique (and Instagram-worthy) – the Snow Squid Topokki Set ($35.10)! Suitable for 2-3 pax, the Snow Squid Topokki Set comes sizzling in a UFO-shaped cast iron pan with kimchi, corn cheese, egg pudding, kimchi fried rice and cheese. As one of Korea’s most loved snacks and comfort foods, soft rice cakes and deep fried squid are cooked in sweet red chili sauce. The spice slowly creeps up on me but dies down quickly, so it’s addictively easy to go on with the second bite. Oh and because the creaminess from the cheese definitely helps to tone the dish down, our whole table of girls simply could not resist this!

A new appetizer on the menu is the Doritos Chicken ($12++) – marinated finger-sized chicken breast coated with crushed Doritos Chips, smothered with Onion and Garlic Powder, deep-fried until its brown and crisp, served with Chicken Up’s Sourcream-based Jalapeno Sauce and Kimchi Sauce. They’re the perfect quick and easy bite for pretty much anyone to enjoy, and we’re calling this the ultimate finger food.

Bingsu created another round of K-wave last year. And Chicken Up has done it better with a MONSTER-SIZED serving. I am not kidding. Look at the Melon Bingsu ($20++) which looks so small compared to the Monster Watermelon Bingsu (Monster $30++, Mini $18++). Each serving comes with a mountain of smoothly shaved milky ice, generously stacked with scoops of Watermelon, topped with Red (Azuki) beans and a full scoop of vanilla ice cream, and delightfully presented with mint leaves, lime, blueberries, oreo, and pepero sticks on a watermelon shell. Unlike other bingsu, all Chicken Up Bingsus are basically made of frozen milk mushed finely together with a generous serving of fruity toppings on top. Even though it’s huge, we were still able to finish them because the refreshing fruits make it a lot less sinful and serve as the perfect thirst quencher.

Dapur Penyet’s owner Edy Ongkowijaya is considered by many as the first person to introduce ayam penyet to Singapore. He and a business partner bought a franchise from Batam’s Ayam Penyet Ria in 2005 to sell the famous ayam penyet, or flattened fried chicken, because the dish fondly reminded him of home. During that time, there were no other shops in Singapore well known for ayam penyet and the dish got famous only after Ayam Penyet Ria came to shore.

A few years later Edy started his own Dapur Penyet and set up his own ayam penyet outlets in Singapore.. Meaning to say, this is actually a home-grown brand! Just a few months ago, the new ayam penyet restaurant opened at The Centrepoint and has been very well received by locals.

Edy uses Indonesian spices, ingredients and herbs to maintain the authenticity of the Indonesian taste in the food. All the raw and fresh materials are treated with special attention, each served with the flavours and sauces that bring out their best elements.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ayam Penyet ($9.50), it is a traditional way of flattening the chicken, which is a unique way to tenderise it. Using rice flour and deep frying flour with egg as batter, the meat is not overcooked and retains a nice juiciness. The skin is wonderfully crispy, yet not hard. It comes with a batch of boiled kang kong, a piece of tempeh (fermented soya bean cake) and beancurd. One unique point of Depur Penyet is – they have 5 different types of sambal of varying spiciness, with origins from different parts of Indonesia.

Dapur Penyet has also introduced Ayam Bakar Kecap ($9.70) – a sweet tasting grilled chicken. The Satay Ayam ($8.90) has got chunky pieces of grilled chicken drenched in peanut sauce and served with lontong. For deep fried items, go for their dancing fish Ikan Joget Sunda ($12.50) with crispy and moist meat. I like the Tahu Telor Indonesia ($6.90) featuring soft fried beancurd with egg that’s not too oily.

Souper Tang is a well-known Malaysian restaurant chain which specialises in nourishing Chinese herbal soups and has just opened its first outlet in Singapore at The Centrepoint. The founders, Datin Sri Dato’ Cynthia Teh and her husband, are both qualified TCM doctors and have been running a medical hall 永顺参茸药行 since 1991. With a strong foundation in Chinese herbs, they decided to bring it a step further by opening Souper Tang in 2009 to serve nourishing soups to the table.

Through the skills of their experienced chefs and extensive knowledge in Chinese herbs, they have created tasty soup flavours that are pleasing to the palate. One of the must-try dishes is the Souper Tang Signature Soup ($26.90 for 2; $39.90 for 4). A huge pot of goodness filled with conpoy (dried scallop), shiitake mushrooms, American ginseng slices, ginseng root, cordyceps flower and fish maw. Simmered overnight, the addition of tender whole chicken and glutinous rice wine adds depth to the broth. It is supposed to help you regain vitality and also has an anti-ageing quality. Wah, I need to drink more! There are other choices for you to choose from including the Tian Qi Nourishing Soup ($13.90), Shi Quan – The 10 Herbs Soup ($13.90) and many other herbal soup choices.

Complete your experience with their Home Braised Pork Belly in Rich Dark Sauce ($18.90) that is steeped in oolong tea, angelica root, star anise and orange peel. You get that balance of sweet and savoury flavours from the sauce and the pork belly simply melts in your mouth. Pandan mantou and refreshing cucumber slices help to cut through the oiliness. Not forgetting the Homemade Caramel Ginger Beancurd ($3.90) that is silky and smooth. Just drizzle some ginger-infused caramel to bring a spicy warm contrast to the milky dessert.

Ministry of Food is not a stranger to many of us. I have had some good memories dining there as they bring mass culture Japanese and Western cuisine to great heights. Good news is, they have now opened a new outlet at The Centrepoint.

Their Western offerings include your favourite Italian-inspired thin-crust pizzas, savoury pastas and all American flame-grilled steaks. They also serve grilled chicken and lamb racks, and a whole range of roasted ribs to satisfy your greatest appetites at affordable prices! We had the parma ham thin-crust pizza (8” regular, $17.50++ and 12” large, $20.50++) topped with a generous amount of rocket leaves. It was so crispy and light, perfect for a quick healthy meal.

Their Japanese offerings include their wide variety of Japanese Desserts (something they are well known for), the signature hotstone rice, as well as Sukiyaki and Toji dishes which warms everyone’s heart. One can never resist the sizzling Unagi Hot Stone ($19.80++) rice with well marinated unagi drenched in their special sauce which tasted similar to teriyaki sauce. To top it all off, you should not miss their range of hot & cold desserts. The Matcha Imo ($7.20) came highly recommended. I prefer the Ichigo Daifuku ($7.20++) which comes with mochi (gyuuhi skin), Hokkaido red bean paste and juicy strawberries.

JOIN ME FOR THE CENTREPOINT FOOD TRAIL

Indeed, The Centrepoint has so many restaurants for you to choose from. If you love to eat and take photos, join me on a FREE food tour as we savour some of the best dishes the mall has to offer. THREE LUCKY READERS with their plus one will be selected. During the session, participants are encouraged to take many delicious photos as one lucky winner will walk away with attractive dining vouchers.

Date: 30 September 2016 (Friday)
Time: 12pm to 2pm

How to register? Please email olivia.woo@fraserscentrepoint.com with the following details:
1. Your name
2. Mobile number
3. Instagram / Facebook account (Please ensure these are not set to private.)
4. Name of your plus one

Selected winners will be informed via email by 23 September 2016.

This post was brought to you by Frasers Centrepoint.

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