Accessible via Telok Ayer MRT, this place oozes happening vibes in the evening. Think neon lights, attractive cocktails and tasty food. Great for nearby office dwellers, whom are looking for a place to unwind after a hard day at work.
Was invited for a dinner tasting at Basdban, so let's have a look at what's good there. Come with me!
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| entrance to Basdban |
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| let's eat spicy then |
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| all sorts of flavours |
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| nice bar, let's get some drinks! |
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| Flower in My Gin @$25 |
That's right, I go for the pretty ones. Hahaa, safest choice because it's Gin, Elderflower, Cucumber and Tonic. Not much of the cucumber taste. Volume is good and I can drink it for looong.
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| one more shot, because it's pretty! |
Take a sip of Kyoho, and you'll find it very very familiar. Pretty sweet, easy to drink, vodka based.
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| Kyoho @$23 |
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| Negroni @$28 (HH: 1-for-1) |
One could be childlike with Kyoho, but definitely adulting with Negroni. Smokey, bitter...herbal.
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| smoke gets in your drink |
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| Negroni, ready and sexy |
Drinks such as Kyoho, Oriental Flare and Sichuan Sour have their mocktails version as well.
Let's feed the bellies! First up, some slices of salmon sashimi swirled up in funky dressing. Contrary to its name, it tasted of good 'ol soy and nothing quite funky about it besides the catchy name.
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| Funky Fish @$18 |
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| Sticky Pork Ribs @$18 |
Fashioned after 糖醋排骨 , the sticky pork ribs with Sichuan sweet vinegar glaze were lip smacking good. Meat was firm to bite and decorated with crunchy pistachio. Housemade pickles were delish too.
The first two dishes were non-spicy, so we were eager to let our tongues tingle with the "Lalalalalala Fried Chicken" (why the name so long ah?). Served on a retro looking plate/shallow basin (?) and sprinkled generously with toasted white sesame. The Sichuan green chili looked dangerous.
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| Lalalalalala Fried Chicken @$28 |
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| lala (clams) and fried chicken |
Pro-tip: White rice with Lalalalala Fried Chicken equates to ooh-la-la kind of euphoria.
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| white rice |
Was it spicy? For sure! For me, it was like level 7 out of 10. But I think there could be some chilies in there that wasn't as spicy. My friends said so. I had my doubts because every bite of mine, it was super shiok spicy! What I liked about Sichuan green chili, is that the spiciness was sharp and strong at the front and eventually fades away after a short while. If it gets too much, I had Flower in My Gin to cool me down.
Next, was a vegetable dish. Wok-fried broccolini, caulini and minced tofu. Strong flavours of savoury salty. The leaves were juicy and sweet though.
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| Two to Tango @$23 |
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| BB Prawn Aglio Olio @$28 |
If you're wondering what does Sichuan style Aglio Olio tasted like? Hmm.. it is unlike a classic aglio olio. Definitely saucier, and slightly sweet. Prawns were of a good size, and juicy.
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| slurp it up |
If you want to eat 烤鱼 (grilled fish), order up the 'Wholey Fish'; Barramundi in mala broth.
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| Wholey Fish @$48 |
Was super duper full by this time but let's eat some Unagi Donabe! Portion was meant for 2-3 pax.
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| Basdban Unagi Donabe @$45 |
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| Sichuan waxed meat, Spicy sausage, Unagi, Dried Sole, Morel mushrooms, lard, special shoyu |
Must must eat the scorched rice. Good stuffs!
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| precious scorched rice |
And of course, we'd wrap it up with dessert.
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| Glutinous Rice @$15 |
Let's talk about Glutinous Rice done three ways; fried, pudding and boiled. Glutinous rice pudding was interesting. It has the aftertaste of 红糟 (wine lees).
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| Pick Me Up! @$15 |
Pick Me Up! is actually somewhat of a deconstructed tiramisu. There's sweet, bitterness from cocoa, crunchy, soft, coffee flavours, mascarpone and yes, contains alcohol. I like!
Thank you Kris for the invite and Basdban for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to Chef Eugene for feeding us! And Sharon, for taking care of our table. See you again.
Basdban
Address: 51 Telok Ayer St, #01-01, Singapore 048441
Website: https://www.facebook.com/basdban.sg/
Contact: 9755 1058
Business Hours:
Sun: Closed
Mon-Fri: 11am–3pm, 5–11pm
Sat: 11am–11pm
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