Fern & Kiwi

Food was perfectly tasty. However I went to use the toilet after the meal and discovered much too late that there was no paper of any kind in there and that resulted in a very embarrassing situation. For what it’s worth, there was also no soap.
Completely unacceptable in a restaurant with nearly $ 40 entrees. Makes me wonder about their kitchen hygiene.

Not a bad little bar/​club. We went in on a Friday night around 10:00. There was no cover charge. Drinks are not overly expensive for Singapore. The place is a bit of a bowling alley, long and narrow. The right side of the place has booths that are reserved only, the left side tall bar tables. A DJ played until 10:30 and then the band kicked off. Band was a Filipino cover band that played lots of good danceable music and worked the crowd nicely. Overall, not a bad evening and a place I’d go back to if I was on Clark Quay.

This is our go-​to bar at Clarke Quay, they always had a table for us and we would order bottles and enjoy the live music. I spent last New Years at this place and had a blast listening to music and counting down to 2014!

We came here looking for desserts as we could not find TCC (I got my directions mixed up), plus at 10ish pm, not many places were still serving food.
We had a table downstairs, near the door. It felt warm, as it was not an enclosed place, plus the weather probably did not help. It was noisy when the band started playing, so forget about having conversation with your friends. But the music was good and they band played pretty dance-​able tunes. I did see people dancing nearer the stage and at their high tables.
Washrooms were located upstairs at the main dining hall (closed at 11 pm). It was so much cooler up there and was blessedly quiet after the din below. Get a table here if you just want to have a meal in peace, and go earlier than 10pm.
We ordered the ice cream trio, hot chocolate pudding and fried onion rings.
The onion rings were huge and crispy and non-​oily.
The hot chocolate pudding was also excellent, with its molten chocolate center and a light crust.
The trio ice cream had the typical vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors. The vanilla ice cream was so-​so, only because I got used to having vanilla ice cream where real vanilla beans were used. The strawberry ice cream was refreshing and chocolate ice cream seemed to have a hint of cinnamon in the center part.
I would love to go back again for a meal some day.

I am actually too lazy to write a review but the chocolate pudding is an absolute must try here. My dining partner was having oral orgasm eating it so Despite my laziness, I had to pen a short review of it (I also had some of the pudding, crispy on the outside and soft, lava chocolate oozing out. Ahhh …

Fern & Kiwi is a Clarke Quay restaurant that sits breezily along the river’s glitzy, touristy main watering hole. It aspires to embody everything New Zealand, from its national symbols, sports, and uh, cuisine, whatever New Zealand food is supposed to be. After dining at this blissfully nationalistic establishment, I’m sorry to say I’m still none the wiser as to what Kiwi food is, besides nebulous generalizations like indistinct at best and disappointing at worst.
I guess if I was forced to conjure a description of ethnically Kiwi food based on my experience at Fern & Kiwi, I would go with Western with delusions of fusion — the restaurant has a heavily meat-​centric menu (all good, in my book. It only tastes good if it bleeds sums up my food philosophy) with seafood and pizza thrown in for good measure. But at almost $ 20 a starter, $ 10 a side and $ 30 to just under $ 50 mains, that certainly made me feel slightly queasy.
That being said, if the food was worth the price tag, I would definitely find myself returning. For a quiet afternoon, a small gathering with friends, or a romantic night out (I could easily envision a girl being impressed with fancy restaurant prices and the fancy restaurant that came with them) it was perfect. The dining area upstairs had large windows framing lush, street side greenery, and letting in lots of natural light into the spacious interiors. The tables were dabbed with small, classy touches, like white table linen, flowers, and complemented with wood paneled walls adorned with themed abstract art.
(Read the rest of the review, with pictures and reviews of dishes, here:
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…
According to my husband, the NZ beer was just what it professed to be, stark, modest, and naturally brewed, and nothing much to write home about. The service, however, was pretty abysmal even by Singapore standards. Water took ages to be served, and when it was, they forgot to mention it was $ 12 a bottle, I suppose it just slipped their mind. Perhaps it’s just too classy a place for me — maybe the patrons who aren’t clutching dining deals have too much money to notice the price, the poor service or the lack of (justifiably significant) quality. I had expected a Kiwi restaurant to feel more like New Zealand — pleasant, laid-​back, presented with fresh, unpretentious food, but perhaps it’s my fault; I should have known better than to trust a predominantly European country with fusion.

To promote yourself as a New Zealand pub, there is one critical component that you MUST get right…
No it’s not the food (although important)
Nor is it the staff (but this is another criteria)
And nit’s ot the drink (well…actually, you must at least have some NZ beers /​wines on tap)
But you absolutely MUST be able to show LIVE ALL BLACKS RUGBY GAMES.
We went to F&K on Saturday night for an ANZA (Australia New Zealand Association) event — live screenings of the Bledisloe Cup (for the un-​initiated, this is an annual tri-​series of rugby games between arch-​rivals, Australia and NZ i.e. a pretty big deal), free-​flow booze for a few hours, and a burger for dinner. Ok so they got the last two right, however this was all over-​shadowed by the fact that… THE TV’S WEREN’T WORKING.
I am surprised they didn’t have a riot on their hands. Fortunately they managed to get ‘some’ screens working, although the one we moved to also fizzled out just after half-​time.
What didn’t warm me to the place any further, was the lack of compromise and apology from the staff. Also, according to the organizers I spoke to, the screens were not tested until far too late on the Saturday…
This is my third time at the F&K and probably my last. Granted, the food is actually decent so I give them points for this. but if you can’t get the basics right (sport and friendly service), then I may as well just go round the corner to another antipodean pub (that shall remain nameless).

I’m a bit torn with Fern & Kiwi. I want to like this place, i really do. Unfortunately after a visit here, all i could muster up was. «meh»
I wasn’t impressed with the amount of food to dollar ratio. Portion was pretty tiny! We ordered entrees, and i know it’s not main course, but at $ 15 – 20 per entrée there better be an impressive amount of food, or really really tasty ones.
Ok, I have to say the food itself was actually pretty good. We had their venison slider, beef carpaccio and hand-​cut fries. The slider was amazeballs! and the beef carpaccio was fresh. I really just wish there was more of it to justify the price!

Tried the cooking at Fern and Kiwi due to a blogger event. The dishes were specially created and are not available on the actual menu but the execution was quite good.
The pan seared pacific snapper was really well done IMO. Nicely pan fried with a golden crust and then topped with a sweet kiwifruit coulis. The taste of the purée was quite similar to that of an apple pie filling. I reckon this was made using the golden kiwifruit as it is sweeter and smoother.
S took the lamb dish so that I could sample something different. I thought the meat was very nicely grilled and juicy but we weren’t that big a fan of the kiwi relish.
The duo of kiwifruit panna cotta was very interesting. One side was the cream version and the other was a kiwifruit pudding with a meringue base. O delightful sweet aerated puffs.
The food at Fern and Kiwi wasn’t too bad. Wouldn’t mind checking their menu another time.

Went with a colleague to try the Ladies Night promotion.
We were seated upstairs (which is a nice cozy area. If you are going on a date this is a nice ambiance) to have our dinner as the downstairs area is a bit noisy. I had the fish and chips which is a bit pricey for $ 29 but nothing to rave about.
We got there prior to 7pm and they still have the 1:1 promotion. The succeeding hour is something like drink all you can for $ 40 and we were told by the waiter that the upstairs doesn’t offer that promotion.
Infact, he just graciously extended the 1:1 offer to us but it was only for downstairs.
Something that was clearly not explained by the hostess when were asking for seats.
I would maybe back for happy hour.

the food here surprised us, and the place warrants returns: it was huge servings, good flavors, considerable quality and friendly service — though at a rather large bill.
this is my first time having new zealandic (is that right?) food — and I have to say, just as with australian cuisine, that I wouldn’t recognize its provenance at all. it’s a modern type of cooking with a focus on clean, strong flavours, and seems more fusionish than anything else.
we went through about half the dishes on the menu that intrigued us, and they all came monstrously huge, and at standards that far surpassed what we expected. we started off with a beef carpaccio; a large plate of thinly sliced raw beef drizzled with a creamy mustard-​type dressing and topped with a mixture of grated cabbages and tasty hard-​cheese shards. very good — especially with the pop of those little red pomegranate seeds. the salt and pepper squid was also very good.
an entrée-​portion of pork spare ribs arrived stacked in a cute contraption, sticky with an asian-​fusion hoisin glaze (that’s the stuff you eat with peking duck). I liked this: the ribs weren’t overtly fatty, had a fair amount of meat and that glaze was tasty, though a bit cloying after a while — especially since we were rather full.
I have quite a bit of praise for the food here — my only gripe truly are the prices — and I hope the place stays in business. it’s in a rather quiet corner of clarke quay with lots of (more) boisterous competition — the restaurant itself is served with a bar on the ground floor (that apparently hosts a live band come nighttime), with a more formal (though relaxed) dining area on the second. the staff were attentive, the food came fast, and we were pretty much ready for a nap by the end of the meal.
I recommend it for a casual post-​work night out, with great food and a large range of beers on tap (I know that matters to some of you), and an environment ready for rambunctious gatherings.

Tried Fern & Kiwi last night for the first time on a Tuesday. Staff was helpful and prompt. The rib sauce was amazing (the ribs themselves were a smidge on the fatty side) and the portion size was huge! House pour Sauvignon Blanc was great, and I will have to come back soon to try the L&P!
Neil, the DJ was fabulous and we ended our night with some dancing, after being treated by live acoustic music courtesy of Kirk & Marsha. The TVs were on, but with no volume which would make it a great place to watch sports.
For those of you driving, the carpark was SO handy, just around the corner! For those of you in taxis, be sure to mention that the location is across from Fort Canning!

My wife and I stopped in after walking around the river. It was early and no-​one else was in, but the staff was fantastic, recommending and discussing drinks and dishes. I ended up ordering the lamb stew pizza (Cadabrian, I think) which was unique and very good. My wife, who very rarely eats sandwiches, ordered the sirloin sandwich and raved about it. The bartender talked us into trying L&P and for any displaced Kiwis out there, apparently this is the only place in Singapore you can get it. For other Westerners who may not know, it’s a lemon, fizzy drink a little like Upper10 (if anyone remembers that), but richer in taste. We also had our own personal DJ while we ate. And again, the staff was great — very friendly and interested and even slipped us a couple of L&Ps for the road.

We went to try this place out on a Friday night. We expected to have to wait for a table given the location but fortunately we did not. We did however have to wait for someone to greet us and show us to a table. That set the tone a little bit for the evening as far as service was concerned.
The wait staff were not that quick at coming to take our drinks order but after we ordered the drinks appeared pretty quickly.
We ordered some food and it came out quickly despite the busy restaurant upstairs. The waiting for drinks service allowed us to check out the décor in the bar which was actually very nice apart from the row of bar stools on one side of the bar which when you sit on them leave you way too high to drink at the bar, let alone eat. These were minor quibbles though and the bar actually has a very nice feel with a good mixture of expats and locals. As mentioned previously the food was very good, the venison sliders were small, but had good flavour. Overall the food would make a return trip more than likely. Now if only they could step up the mediocre service.

Even though the cuisine is similar to Australian style, I would say one will not be disappointed with the quality of food here. Classic Lone Star Spare RibsFabulous larger-​than-​usual spare ribs that stacked up on top of some coleslaw. Try it and you will know why it has always been the star dish of it’s main restaurant Lone Star back in NZ. Its sweet, not too tough, and have some fats that literally melts. This is not that kind of lean spare ribs with little meat but those that are meaty and highly satisfying to eat with just our hands. This entrée size was so big that it can be a man’s main course. Good for sharing between 3 – 4 if you plan to try other dishes. Well pan-​fried kingfish on both sided and the tartare sauce is thick but not too creamy. Its also more tangy than the usual kind. Garlic toasted Brioche burger bun is toasted till the outer skin in golden to dark brown. Crisp but not hard or dry. Beef and venison sliderThe meat patty here is average and slightly dry. Not much difference from a typical burger. Would recommend the Cajun fish version instead of this. Another hidden star-​venisonWorth trying this if you are sick of braised lamb shank. An under-​rated meat, this one is grilled medium well but yet it is so much tender than a beef fillet. But a caution is that those who prefer heavier taste might find it bland. Its side dish of steamed bak Choy might be too simple for some. This is another dish worth trying not because of the spinach risotto but because of the fish. You might think salmon is so common but to grill it till its meat is still moist and not too greasy is not that easy. The spinach risotto has a sticky texture perhaps due to mixing with the dill sauce but this is much tastier than the black ink risotto at ochreSemi open kitchen concept Fresh oysters ½ dozenNot worth ordering for the size if you like plump fatty ones. Lone Star coleslawAn overrated dish. Disappointed with this as its dressing is not those creamy kind but simple vinaigrette style. Health-​conscious ones will like this lighter version that is matched with toasted pine nuts. This cheesecake is highly recommended if u want to know what Moro bar taste like. That aside, the cheesecake is neither those of the rich dense American style nor the light mousse version. It is actually sticky but not too heavy for a dessert. First time encountering this kind of cheesecake (hard crunchy base – not the usual digestive crust kind) Inner sweet sticky surprise of chopped Moro bars :)Pavlovas– crunchy meringue with fresh chantiliy cream and fruits A traditional nz classic dessert (named after ballerina dancer Anna Pavlova) executed well, try this once if you haven’t. Of cos this is not the only place tt sells i