The Disgruntled Chef

We visited on a Friday afternoon, one of the few restaurants on Dempsey that could accommodate us without reservations. I got the set lunch, consisting of a salad/​soup, main and dessert, for $ 38++. It was decent though not fantastic, main gripe though, was that the service was achingly slow.
— Roasted pumpkin salad with Roquefort cheese: more pumpkin than rocket, and it was slathered in a heavy glaze. It was a bit heavy tasting, though the pumpkin went well with the cheese.
— Grilled Norwegian salmon, chorizo and shaved fennel: presentation was good and the diced chorizo in beans was tasty. While the salmon skin was nice and crispy, the fish was slightly overcooked, tough and bland.
— Sweet corn panna cotta, popcorn and truffle oil: slightly too firm but went nicely with the popcorn. The truffle undertone definitely added an interesting twist to the dish.
I also heard good things about the hangar steak and prawn linguine that my friends opted for.
Seems like the dinner items seem better than the lunch. Would love to return to try!

I’m actually quite a big fan of The Disgruntled Chef.
For one thing, the dishes are generally interesting, and while some may be more miss than hit, there are some dishes absolutely TO-​DIE-​FOR. Do note though that they recently changed their menu, so some of the items previous Unilocalers mentioned might no longer be available.
Before I get into the food, I do like their sangrias, and don’t like their brunch menu, so really, best time to go? Dinner, or weekday lunches where they have great value sets.
Okay. Ribs. Crispy lamb shortribs. OMG THESE ARE LIKE CRACK. They’re crispy, fall off the bone tender and flavourful, served with a yoghurt sauce and couscous. It’s just the bomb. I could work through a plate of these allll byyyyy myyyyyself. (Yes you’re supposed to imagine me sing that)
The fish skin. Deep fried. Crisp. Light. Super appetizing. If you’ve never tried fried fish skin, you need to try it. Think pork cracking, but well. With a SLIGHT fish taste. I believe the dish was called salt of the sea or something like that.
Beyond that? Many of the other dishes are pretty good, though those two are by far the absolute bests on the menu imho.
I’ve been with 3 – 4 different groups of people, so trust me when I say it’s generally a hit amongst most people I introduce to it.
The biggest compliment I would pay it though, is that I personally think a meal at TDC is far more worth it than Bacchanalia. Similar concept, in the sharing dishes and modernity. Totally different pricing, totally different feels… but for me TDC is so much better value, and so much more likeable. #truestorybrah

This swish little restaurant, tucked away in the Dempsey Hill area is a nice spot for something a tad upmarket.
For dinner and during the week, I’m sure it’s pumping with work catch ups, dates and small groups working their way through the menu.
We came here on a Sunday afternoon and it was very quiet, just one other table in the venue (also Australians, seems to be popular with expats) and a limited brunch menu.
On weekends, the menu is limited to brunch tartines (open sandwich) and a couple of specials only. We opted for the lobster tartine — definitely as fancy as it sounds. One big slab of bread covered in delicious lobster and toasted gruyère. We also opted for the special, which was truffled chicken. Also delicious and delicately portioned.
The food is expensive, but the ingredients are high quality too. I did scoff at the $ 20+ ‘Melbourne tartine’ of smashed avocado on toast, but then again they charge about $ 18 for fancy versions of that at home too.
The service was very attentive (almost too much given how few people were there) and it was a relaxing and quiet break after a full week of living on hawker centre food.

Delicious tapas amidst lush greenery.
I’m a little surprised about the low rating for this place. My friend and I went there for dinner last night and we were quite satisfied with the experience.
We didn’t have a reservation but the host was kind enough to offer to wipe down the table (it was pouring earlier) and seat us outside. They had mosquito coil under the table which I thought was a nice gesture, I was still bitten once but that’s not too bad.
I love the fact that the menu is not too big and the waiters seem knowledgable about the food. Quick individual reviews: Cod (extremely delicious and was our favorite, perfectly cooked; the mushroom and spinach and broth complement the fish well), cauliflower (tender inside with a slight crunch on the outside), lamb ribs (must try, very interesting spices), bone marrow (i’ve never had bone marrow with snails but good combination), strawberry basil sangria (a little too sweet, would have been perfect for brunch).
Minus: Slow service. Price is probably average for Dempsey Hill :)

The Disgruntled Chef (TDC) has got to be one of my favorite restaurants here in the glitzy neighborhood that is Demsey Hill. Ever since my first visit back in 2012, I’ve revisited a couple of times may it be for a quick bite or just a couple of after-​work drinks with my colleagues.
Two Sundays ago, me and 2 other friends decided to visit the restaurant for a casual brunch and to try out some new items in their brunch «tartines» menu. We reached at around 12-​ish and were greeted by the manager in charge, Max. The restaurant recently underwent some minor «face lifts» with nicely upholstered chair and the addition of 2 very modern /​zen centerpiece. But what makes this place so inviting anytime of the day is the beautiful natural light that shines through the glass panels from one side of the restaurant. The other side of the restaurant faces the «jungle» gives it a cooling and relaxing effect while you dine in.
For drinks, M and S ordered mocktails each while I opted for a cocktail (of course. by any given chance to get drunk on a Sunday). Their mocktails were refreshingly while my sea salt and chili margarita totally woke me up from my half-​sleepy state. Not too strong but still with a kick. Love the Ron Julio Reposado tequila they use as the base.
We had seared scallop Carpaccio and beet-​cured king salmon for starters. The bright color of the king salmon (from the beet) got us asking for more while we polished that plate of scallop carpaccio within minutes. Both starters were light, flavourful and perfect start to the afternoon. For mains, we had a plate of crackling suckling pig and grilled french quail to share. While we all agree that the mains should be bigger in portion, the flavors were spot on and the accompaniment definitely elevated the dish. The suckling pig was amazingly good with mashed sauerkraut and mustard while the grilled quail comes with bits of bacon sprinkled all over it.
From the newly brunch tartines menu, we tried 2 items — one savoury and one sweet. For savoury, we had braised whole egg plant with onion, garlic and tomatoes with pine nuts. I might be slightly biased and you can just grill an eggplant with salt and I would say it’s good. This one was phenomenal. For sweet, we had a bostock brioche with almond cream paired with prune and almagnac ice cream. Typing the description itself makes me really hungry now. FML. And if you’re here, this is something I would highly recommend you order.
For desserts, we felt that the poached pear was slightly undercook (hard) and could be executed better. I am not a big fan of poached pear so I just had a small piece and washed down with the lemongrass tea I ordered. My dining partner had a latte and was impressed to know they brew Vittoria coffee from Australia.
Service was attentive and our glasses were filled with water most if not throughout the meal.

I was rather disappointed by this place. I went with high hopes, bolstered by a slew of wonderful praises about the ingenuity of the food here, and the suspense was ever-​more built by the fact that I had tried to brunch here more than a couple times (and something always happened to stop it*).
*maybe it was the gourmand gods/​fate.
it’s a rather awesome menu — large, interesting-​sounding, and immensely enticing what with the descriptions. I massively love menus that tell me exactly what I’m going to eat — there’s something to be said for being held in suspense, but usually I like to order what I know I’d really want to eat.
I’ve come to a point where small portions are appreciated only when expected — usually as part of a many-​coursed meal — and I most certainly don’t expect it at brunch, which in itself is a hedonistic activity to ingest in a single meal what you would eat in two.
the amount of food we got irked me to no end, especially since the quality of cooking and execution here was pretty great. it’s a pretty refined brunch, dishes are colorful, and the flavors are more than decent.
an eggs cocotte was redolent with truffle and savoury mushrooms, and my halloumi dish was perked up with segments of peeled orange and a couple gren leaves.
the partner was the only one that ordered a brunch big of braised pork cheeks, all soft and tender and delicious over a bed of soft silky truffled mash.
but at twenty for my halloumi, I expect a little more than what would constitute only a small square of cheese and not even half an orange; and at thirty for the pork cheeks, perhaps some greens would have been welcome — not to mention quite a bit more mash or meat for a satisfying meal.
the desserts were even more spectacular in execution, but didn’t buck the (lack of) size trend.
this magnum-​like bar of roquefort & honey ice cream coated in dark chocolate was a play on contrast between the rather blue ice cream and the not-​too-​sweet quality chocolate shell that shattered upon impact. I can’t much tolerate blue cheeses, and this was almost too strong for me to take, but the chocolate helped temper the pungency — and I found myself returning for more.
the sticky toffee pudding was also darn delicious (and more sizable!): warm, moist pud sloping with its weight of delicious vanilla-​speckled ice cream all drizzled with a delicious caramel.
and also the peanut-​butter-​and-​chocolate fondant, which came super dark (almost black, really) with roast banana slices on the side with another scoop of that fantastic icecream. it was warm and oozey and satisfyingly chocolatey.
at the end of it, it was a fantastic meal flavor-​wise. the chefs know what they’re doing in the kitchen, and flavors are contrasting and complementary, and the plating is both beautiful and very modern — but with three courses needed for any measure of satiety, and lunch-​set portions what’s more, it’s a format of dining I think best left for more measured, formal meals than brunch.
the meal left me disgruntled for sure — I understand restaurants need to be profitable, but there’s a fine line between sustainability and miserliness, and I think they might have stepped over it.

My better half dined here for lunch and felt it was reasonable as they offered a set menu. We had a hankering so decided to go to the Disgruntled Chef for dinner.
Our server let us know the cuisine was modern European, tapas style and we were encouraged to share. So with that, we were off to explore and sample. Service was attentive and prompt, with helpful recommendations. The menu had nibbles, small plates and big plates. There were also sides but we were already mired in the decisions on the other 3, adding another category would only confuse us further. The waiter was helpful and suggested 5 – 6 small plates, or 1 big with some smalls. We ordered the following:
Nibbles
Salt of the Sea (Crispy fish skin & potato chips)
I liked this dish a lot. Fish skin had the right crackle and got us off to a great start. Served with a vinegar sauce that enhanced the dish. Portions were substantial. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be said about the chips. They were so drenched in oil and were soft and chewy. A bag of Lay’s would’ve been fresher.
Serrano Ham Bikini sandwiches with Brie
I get the fancy, descriptive premium ingredients but when it looks smaller than my morning kaya toast, it just doesn’t cut it. In Catalan Spain, grilled cheese sandwiches are named bikinis. Sadly I was thinking of the diet sized portion of this dish so that one can fit into that piece of swimwear. It is so small, I don’t think it should be served even as a nibble. It was dark and I didn’t want to do any more injustice than needed by accompanying this review with dimly lit, poor shots of our meal.
Small plates
Crispy Lamb Shortribs with Chilli & Cumin
This dish was lovely. Shortribs melted in your mouth. Lovely hint of spices. I almost didn’t want to share.
Momotaro Tomatoes with Arugula & Miso-​Burnt Butter Dressing
4 slices of soft, over-​ripened tomatoes. Maybe the vinegar from the crispy fish skin had overpowered our taste buds but the dressing didn’t come out. 4 slices?! It just barely qualifies as a whole tomato in my books.
Big plate
Fideua Negra (thin squid ink noodles with grilled squid, mussels & prawns)
I found this dish almost… there. You are served in the plate that the whole dish is baked in. The black squid ink noodles give a sweetness and very interesting taste. Lovely, but unfortunately what marred the dish were the very overcooked prawns that became pasty. Additionally for the price, the amount of seafood is underwhelming.
Dessert
Lemon Tart with Crème Fraiche & Blueberry Compote
I wanted to like this place more. Cool name for a restaurant, vibe is upbeat, and it looked like a place to hangout in the alfresco area. The menu was tantalizing with lots of dishes that we wanted to try. Unfortunately the food and the dining experience we had overall was average. There were more misses that hits and we walked away feeling that for the price points they were charging, there are better options in this city. Huge potential, fails to deliver.

We visited on a Saturday night and the place was surprisingly not busy. Food was not the usual Asian fare in Dempsey and was actually a nice change. Had their version of bone marrow, scallops and duck confit. All worthy efforts and if you need a change from the usual local style of food. We do feel the restaurant lacked any real ambiance and in fact felt sterile. It has a trendier feel, perhaps a bit out of place here, but worth a visit for their unique menu items. Like most places in Dempsey, expensive.

It was a late Sunday lunch and intended to go to PS Café at Dempsey Hill. It was a 1.5 hour wait so we walked out and went to the next restaurant which was The Disgruntled Chef. We are all pleasantly surprised as the food was quite good. For the appetizer, I had the crispy lamb shortribs which had like a mediterranean rub. It was very tasty and cooked perfectly — tender and juicy. For the main, I had the Roasted Miso Cod with mushrooms and baby spinach and it was fantastic. The flavor of the mushrooms and spinach did not over power the cod. The cod was perfectly cooked which was bursting with flavor. The winner was the dessert — Roquefort Magnum — roquefort and honey ice cream coated in dark chocolate. Don’t be deceived as it is looks like your grocery ice cream served in a bowl of ice. But take a bite and its a blue cheese flavored ice cream with the right balance of sweetness from the honey and dark chocolate. Perfect ending to a meal!
The only down side are — first, the menu is not so clear «Brunch Smalls» and «Brunch Bigs», who would have known it meant appetizers and mains? Second, the servers are not familiar with the menu so its quite frustrating if you want to know more about a dish. Lastly, the service is very slow. We didn’t notice it so much since I was dining with friends whom I have not seen so we were catching up. But we did notice that it took them 45mins to serve our dessert.

This was a nice quiet dining experience. When we arrived, I was surprised to find the restaurant nearly empty. i know it was a Tuesday night. But I had expected it to be slightly busier.
The room is modern, sleek, and comfortable. The service was timely, polite, and professional. The meal was paced well.
The menu is divided into small plates and large plates. We decided on four small plates and two large plates.
The food ranged from relatively good to very good.
I will review the dishes in the order they came out.
Serrano Ham with marinated melon — This was a very nice dish. I actually did not think the fruit was melon. But, it was sweet and made a perfect contrast with the saltiness of the Serrano ham. I would order this dish again in a flash.
Crispy Lamb Short-​Ribs — From a taste perspective, I enjoyed these. I also thought they went well paired with the ham that was served at the same time. However, from a texture standpoint, they were very dry.
Scallops — The scallops themselves were pretty good. But there was simply too much olive oil in the sauce. The flavor of the olive oil overpowered many of the other flavors. The small tomatoes were some of the best I’ve eaten in Singapore.
King Prawns al la Plancha — The prawns were good but certainly not the best I’ve had recently. The mushroom and chorizo ragout was very nice. I enjoyed this more than the prawns themselves. I would note that the two elements of this dish (prawns and ragout) did not really marry as a dish. It was more like two distinct dishes.
Steamed Mussels — We loved these. Lol, my companion wrestled the dish back from a server to insure she could have the very last mussel. They were quite small. But they were very tender and the citrus flavors of the broth were very refreshing.
Roaster Miso Cod — This was a nice dish. There wasn’t anything particularly fancy about it. But the fish was well prepared and the flavors were very delicate.
Apple Rhubarb Crumble — For dessert, I selected the crumble. This was very much a western style comfort dessert. The crumble part was a little harder than a normal crumble. This made it difficult to incorporate both crumble and fruit into single bites. But the rhubarb and apples worked perfectly together. I enjoyed this every much.
Passion Fruit Brûlée Cocktail — My friend selected a cocktail for dessert. It looked quite tasty and she certainly seemed to enjoy it.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable dining experience. While not extraordinary, the restaurant does combine a very nice ambiance, solid service, and, for the most part, well executed and presented food. I would return.

Hits & misses. Adventurous tapas with a local spin…
Fusion or confusion is always a fine line.
The first time I went, I like it better. The second time, not so good. So not sure when there will be a third time. The famed suckling pig tasted too «porky» the second visit.
What I like most is the space and the location. Wonderfully isolated, with a cool chic décor.

really good fusion tapas. i know tapas is quite trendy in SG now, but this place is actually quite good. my comparison is both local SG tapas places, as well as San Francisco tapas restaurants.

We were really excited when we heard that Daniel Sia had opened up his own restaurant and went to check it out as soon as we could.
We ordered the crabcakes with tomato chilli jam, baked sea scallops, baked bone marrow with sour dough toast and the crayfish mac n cheese.
They were all OK but not as good as we had hoped.

Tucked away in a quiet corner, the Disgruntled Chef at 26B is one of the newer additions to Dempsey Hill.
Award winning chef Daniel Sia has cooked up exciting modern European dishes. However, on a balance, we felt that this was not something mindblowing, and the waiters were rather inexperienced and mixed our still water with tap water however they were extremely apologetic about it.
The nibblets were surprisingly good. As we waited for our friends to arrived, we tried some siders — pulled pork sandwich ($ 3.50 each) and was amazed by the texture, taste and quality of this mini burger. Salf of the sea ($ 8) — which is essentially fried fish skin and chips was pretty good too.
What could be improved: The tartine of anchovy ($ 5 each) which was served on a piece of toast was a little too salty for our liking. Also, the crab cakes ($ 5 each) was a tad too spicy, and with such a small portion only just fitting a table spoon, it’s hardly satisfying.
For starters, we had the Eel and Foie Gras ($ 26) which was one of my favourites of the night as it had a perfect mix of sweet and savoury. Dripped with delicious sweet sauce (Kabayaki sauce), the foie gras was wrapped in the eel and served with a piece of cut nashi pear and apple chips to top it off. Also on my favourite list is the steak tatare with soft quail egg ($ 18) in the middle that added a dash of flavour, but all in all it much tasted like nigiri.
Worth a mention is their drinks. The Bloody Mary ($ 16) which was bloody good. It had the right amount of tobasco sauce, and was extremely refreshing.
For mains, I had the crackling suckling pig ($ 68) which was a really small portion of meat served with some pickled cucumber marinated with honey and clove sauce for sides. Taste-​wise, it is comparable to the suckling pigs you get in traditional Chinese restaurants like Imperial Treasure. However, portion-​wise, it may not even be sufficient to fill the stomach of one person.