Resto review: The Disgruntled Chef
Prominent local chef Daniel Sia may be a respected name in Singapore’s dining scene thanks to his Dempsey hit The Disgruntled Chef (TDC), but he sure took his time to build on his success. Five years after setting up his first restaurant in Singapore, TDC expanded with a sexy new shop with the same name – but with an entirely different concept and menu.
The differences between the two siblings are pretty obvious from the get-go. At Dempsey, you trek down the wooden-panelled staircase to dine in an industrial-minimalist setting with understated furniture, concrete floors, and plenty of sunlight in the day. The new duplex address, however, is shinier (not because it’s new) and more opulent – think herringbone wood flooring, modern chandeliers, leather-clad booths (out front), plush designer seats, brass accents all around, and a swanky private dining room that sits up to 12. Got a client to impress? Book a table here.
Food-wise, modern European is still the order of the day, but the small plate-big plate gastropub grub of the Dempsey outpost is all grown-up over at Ann Siang. Comforting and familiar tastes have given way to sophisticated, Instagram-worthy dishes, where everything on the plate is made from scratch. To wit, the menu of the second TDC leans rather heavily towards fine dining, and highlights include Chef Sia’s signature bone marrow cooked in ash-burnt leeks, beautiful beef short ribs served in spicy kimchi mayonnaise, a memorable burnt onion charcoal bread that comes with fish floss and cream cheese foam, an excellent wagyu beef carpaccio topped with cep puree, egg yolk confit and crispy shallots, as well as the luxurious Maine lobster and chicken pot roast paired with fried quail eggs.
In the desserts department, you might find it impossible to resist ordering its strawberries and mascarpone creation, chocolate croquette with coffee jelly, Sumatra coffee cream and Kahlua, and the yoghurt with freeze-dried raspberries and an intriguing beet meringue. If sweets don’t sit so well with your budget, taste, or diet, finishing your meal with amazing cocktails like the Bee’s Knees and Tom Collins or some great wines (award-wining sommelier Shireen Sheikh is behind the superb selection) will also bring about a (seriously) happy ending.
The Disgruntled Chef, 28 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069708, p. 6808 2184, e. bookings@disgruntledchef.com. Open Mon-Sat 12pm-2.3pm; 6pm-10.30pm.