Contemporary European-Asian fare at Imbue 

I first interviewed Kedah-born chef Lee Boon Seng in 2013, when he was the sous chef at Osia Steak & Seafood Grill at Resorts World Sentosa. 

In 2018, our paths crossed again when he moved to The Spot at Marina One, a contemporary European restaurant with South-east Asian influences. 

Now, aged 38, he is the chef-owner of Imbue restaurant, which opened in Keong Saik Road on Wednesday.

Like at The Spot, he focuses on modern European-Asian cuisine, but offers a more refined dining experience. 

Both The Spot and Imbue are run by hospitality group 1855 F&B, which also owns modern Asian Path Restaurant at Marina Bay Financial Centre and wine and spirits retailer 1855 The Bottle Shop. 

A decade may have passed, but chef Lee remains as humble and soft-spoken as before. His food speaks volumes of how he has matured over the years. 

Prices for the two-course lunch menu start at $58++, while dinner is priced from $158++ for the five-course tasting menu. Selected items are also part of the a la carte dinner menu. 

I try the eight-course dinner Simmer menu ($198++), which starts with a medley of snacks. The star item is his take on drunken chicken, with the succulent meat marinated in a doubanjiang emulsion and paired with Shaoxing wine jelly and Sichuan green peppercorn oil. 

Other highlights include a cold-smoked yellowtail kingfish marinated with lapsang souchong tea oil, lemon balm and pickled yellow mustard seed, topped with an apple buttermilk gel and pickled mountain yam. 

I also enjoy the horse mackerel with aged tangerine, raw vegetables and soft onion potato pancake – meant to be eaten Peking duck-style. 

The squid sausage claypot rice, though tasty, should have been cooked in the claypot for extra flavour and texture instead of merely being presented in it.

For dessert, the yuba pavlova – encased in crisp meringue shards – has a lovely lemon curd centre perfumed with sesame oil. 

Wine pairing is available (from $68++), as are Asian-inspired cocktails.

Where: 32 Keong Saik Road
MRT: Outram Park/Maxwell
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, Fridays to Sundays; 6 to 11pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays; closed on Mondays
Tel: 6223-7266
Info: www.imbue.sg

Hunan cuisine at China’s famed Nong Geng Ji 

Restaurant chain Nong Geng Ji, which specialises in Hunan cuisine, has launched its first overseas outlet at Collyer Quay Centre. 

The 110-seat restaurant, which has seen long queues since it opened on Oct 21, was established in Shenzhen in 2017. It has more than 100 outlets across China. 

I suggest dining with at least four people because portions are fairly big and good for sharing. Also, fair warning that several dishes are on the spicier side. 

These include the stir-fried pork with baby abalone and Hunan green peppers ($27.90); signature grass fish fillet with pickled chilli sauce ($25.90); and pan-seared green chillies with century egg ($11.90), served in a mortar to be pounded and mixed with a pestle. 

If you are intending to eat proper pieces of beef, I do not recommend the stir-fried beef with fried chilli ($28.90). 

While tasty, the dish is best mixed with rice for added flavour – like in China – and it is not easy to pick out the minced beef from the lashings of chilli. 

Plus, the heat will take away the sweetness from the rice, which is steamed with sweet potato and red dates. It is served dramatically at the table in a rice cooker ($7.90). 

Refresh the palate with Nong Geng Ji’s one-litre drinks, such as lemon tea ($3.90), orange juice ($3.90) and tangerine ($4.90). 

Where: 01-01/02 Collyer Quay Centre, 16 Collyer Quay
MRT: Raffles Place
Open: 11am to 9.30pm, weekdays; 11am to 2.30pm, 4.30 to 9.30pm, weekends
Tel: 6322-4887
Info: www.instagram.com/nonggengjisg

The Astor Grill goes permanent 

Following a successful three-month pop-up which ran from June to August, The Astor Grill concept is now a permanent fixture at The St Regis Singapore.

It takes the space of the former Brasserie Les Saveurs at the hotel’s lobby. 

The grill concept is helmed by Italian chef de cuisine Angelo Sergio, who has more than 20 years of experience in steakhouses and is well-equipped with butchery skills in dry-ageing, curing and working with lesser-known cuts. 

Under him, the menu has expanded with new primary cuts, such as the 500 days grain-fed full-blood autumn wagyu striploin ($138 for 250g) and 450 days grain-fed bone-in New York striploin ($158 for 500g), a cross-breed of Australian and Japanese wagyu. 

Signature sharing cuts include the 45 days dry-aged bone-in shell loin ($238 for 800g), which offers a striploin, ribeye and T-bone. 

The steaks are cooked over charcoal on a custom-built parrilla grill, which gives the meat a lightly charred crust.

There are new non-beef options as well, such as starters of grilled Spanish octopus ($36), grilled Kurobuta pork chop ($52) and grilled Boston lobster ($108 for 550g). 

As part of the decadent dining experience, each order of signature sharing, primary or secondary cuts comes with a choice of sauces and salts as well as a steak knife to dine with. 

To finish, go for the flambeed baked Alaska ($68, good for two to three people) or classic chocolate mi-cuit ($22), with a lush fondant centre. 

For best value, the weekday set lunch is priced at $58 for three courses.

Where: Lobby Level, The St Regis Singapore, 29 Tanglin Road
MRT: Orchard Boulevard
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, Mondays to Saturdays; 6.30 to 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6506-6860
Info: www.theastorgrillsingapore.com