[Tasting] The Quarters Experience @ Icon Village

The Quarters Experience brings forth the signature dishes cultivated out of the passion of Chef Chung Deming, who cleverly utilizes straits ingredients and ever willing to share his culture and heritage through food.

For just $60++ per person with a minimum of 2 pax, one could participate in this journey of Singapore inspired cuisine extravaganza at The Quarters Bistro and Grill - a cosy restaurant located within Icon Village at Tanjong Pagar. The Quarters Experience is available for dinner only and preferably to reserve 2 days in advance and features a 6-course menu.

The Quarters

The Quarters Experience began guests seated at the dining table, eagerly awaiting for the first dish. 

where the East and the West meets

Salted Egg Tebasaki

Salted Egg Tebasaki - Signature Salted Egg Aoili with Chargrilled Mid-Wing

Loved the smoky flavour of the grill in this first item, and the well seasoned wings. Makes one wants to grab a beer with this.

Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi - Chincalok infused steamed Egg with Ikura

The chawanmushi is the most subtle dish in the Quarters Experience. With only a hint of chincalok to tease the palate. The egg texture was smoothly firm and the ikura provided the contrast in texture with sudden spike in flavour.

Ooh La La!

Literally, a lala (clam) dish. Good play and very local. Served in a deep plate with Signature Chili Crab Sauce with Venus clams and croutons.

Ooh La La!

First impression, was that the chili crab sauce was a tad watery. The croutons were crispy and I'd spoon up a good spoonful of sauce, croutons and clams to eat at one go. Satisfying and strangely addictive. Can't seem to put the spoon down!

Fwah!

What? We are getting foie gras on kaya toast with scrambled egg?! Fwah!!!

The above was my exact sentiment. A piece of luxury in our ordinary favourite breakfast toast? Oh yes!

But foie gras with its rich, slightly gamey flavour on something sweet. Will it be weird? That was the other thought that ran in my mind.

Fwah!

It looked impressive when served. Loved the soft creamy scrambled egg on top of the foie gras. Was a happy person after the first bite. Foie gras on kaya toast with scrambled eggs was a hit for me. The rich savoury of the foie and the thinly spread sweet kaya paired well. More please!

yums!

Kueh Pie Tee

Kueh Pie Tee wasn't in The Quarters Experience menu, yet Chef brought it out for us to try. If you are trying to find out what's that secret twist in this kueh pie tee, "There's no twist in this dish." He said. This dish was about traditional flavours executed well in Chef Chung's bistro.

Kueh Pie Tee

Packed to the brim with ingredients, and a balanced flavour. Nice.

Rendang

Next up, was the main course of Wagyu Beef cubes with Heirloom Rendang sauce and Buah Keluak Fried Rice.

Rendang

Truly Asian dish, and enjoyed the deep flavours of the buah keluak fried rice. Am not a buah keluak person but this fried rice, I really really liked! Fried with enough fire, and the rice was well coated. The heirloom rendang played an important role, and it is a familiar tangy appetizing flavour which in my opinion, elevated the overall profile of the dish. Wagyu cubes were nicely tender with an enjoyable chew.

Duriancanboleh

Chef Chung first made a name for himself with "Duriancanboleh" which is his version of durian creme brulee. Watch as Chef torches the dessert right in front of you.

preparing the dessert

Duriancanboleh

sweet endings

If you are expecting the pungentness of the durian, there wasn't any. Instead, while the distinctive durian flavour is still there, it was a rather mellowed down version. I understand that even people who were initially adverse to trying durian, could take this version after they've tried it at The Quarters. For myself, am liking it. Durian creme brulee? Can! Boleh!

Come make your reservations today to enjoy modern Singapore cuisine at The Quarters!

Ala-Carte Dishes

Nasi Lemak Burger

Have you tried The Quarters version of Nasi Lemak Burger? Deep fried chicken thigh patty, topped with a pretty sunny side up and sandwiched between two grilled rice patties. Served with crispy ikan bilis and julienned cucumbers. The sambal's buried underneath the chicken patty.

Nasi Lemak Burger @$15

Ayam Buah Keluak Pasta

If you are a noodles person, then this is the pasta version where the noodles are tossed in the delightfully dark buah keluak sauce. Served with wagyu slices, done medium rare.

Wagyu Beef Buah Keluak Pasta @$24

The buah keluak taste in this dish is stronger when compared to the buah keluak fried rice (Rendang - The Quarters Experience).

Shio Bak

For the meatatarians, shio bak in Hokkien means roast pork. Done with ultra thin skin, the crackling was as expected with the meat remaining tender even with a higher ratio of lean to fats. Reasonably priced for the thick slices of meat. Good for sharing!

Shio Bak @$14

Thank you Ivan for the invite and Chef Chung for sharing your passion with us.

The Quarters Bistro and Grill

Location: 16 Enggor St, #01-09 Icon Village, Singapore 079717

Website: https://www.thequarters.sg/

Contact: 6834 4174

Email: info@thequarters.sg

Business Hours:

Mon - 10am to 4pm

Tues to Sat - 10am to 10pm

Closed on Sundays

Loof Rooftop Bar @ Odeon Towers

Tucked away at Level 3 of Odeon Towers at 331 North Bridge Road, there lies a cool rooftop bar called Loof. Suspected that it's called Loof 'cause pronounced the 'lao hong' (漏风) way so instead of Roof, it became Loof. No idea, but could possibly be true, right?

signage

menu, please

It's menu has fun things in it, tapas style. We ordered Bacon Lollipop, Twisties Charred Corn, Ichiban Fried Lice (yup, that's correct spelling alright) and Loof Original Ramly. Most extravagant single item in the food menu is the Original Ramly @$23++.

view from the top

Ah, and since it is a bar first and foremost, one would keep the tab open by supplying a card.

bar

Yes, not forgetting the drinks. Our teetotaller friends had mocktails while the drinkers had cocktails. Mine was Little Pink Dot, a pinkish concoction served in a lightbulb. It's made of marshmallow gin (first time seeing this!), mandarin rice wine, dark plum, orange, pink grapefruit, egg white and lavender bitters. Overall, it has a slight powdery texture and sweet. Alcohol content, probably on the lower side. It was a rather small bulb after all.

Little Pink Dot @$19++

Jackfruit Bubble Tea @$21++

There's also a MaMa shop once you exit from the lift. Nice retro things. A blast from the past, if you may.

old school biscuits and accessories

my toy when I was a kid

Service was efficient and our food arrived after a short wait. Liked that everything was served at one go. Nice.

[anti-clockwise] Ichiban Fried Lice, Twisties Charred Corn, Lollipop Bacon and Loof Original Ramly 

The fried rice at one glance, did have a whole lot of ebiko loaded and that provided crunchy texture for each bite. Yums! There's sakura shrimp and edamame too. Enjoyable and hey, it's carbs!

Had high hopes for the Twisties Charred Corn as I do have a gold standard that all charred corn now had to match against. The version at Loof was not it, but still nice. Appreciate that the service crew indulged us in our request to have the corn removed from its cob so that the four of us could share it easily.

In terms of value, the fried rice provided a better value at $18++ per plate when compared against the corn.

Twisties Charred Corn @$13++

The Loof Original Ramly was a thick Australian beef patty, wrapped in egg dripping in secret sedap sauce and served with waffle cut truffle fries. But the sauce was rather mild though.

Loof Original Ramly with waffle fries @$23++

patty wrapped in omelette in sedap sauce

The winner in terms of taste with a decision by unanimous collective agreement, was the Bacon Lollipop. Four sticks of succulent juicy, shiny thick pancetta glazed with sweet maple syrup. Salty, so best paired with a drink.

Bacon Lollipop @$16++

Expect to spend about $40++ per pax minimum if you intend to have a cocktail and a bar bite.

[Media Invite] The Quarters - Inspired Singapore Cuisine @ Icon Village

The Quarters is located at Icon Village and near Matchaya and Cold Storage. The Quarters serves local inspired flavours, executing the dish with a whole lot of passion and presenting it to diners in a comfortable cafe-bistro like setting. Was invited by Kris to join fellow foodie gang to have a taste of Chef Chung Deming's creations.


But of course, the direction-less me managed to get myself lost. But that's only because I didn't realise that The Quarters is located in Icon Village itself...so, here's a short video showing to to get there when you're at Icon Village doorstep.




Ok, the place is cosy and there are some on-going promotion for the month of August. Like the 1-for-1 main course (3 selected mains; Ma Jie Indulgence (chili crab pasta), Fish & Chips and Satay Burger), or get The Real McCoy (salted eggyolk chicken burger) with a dessert for just $20.

promotion board

coffee, beer or...

So what exactly do they serve here at The Quarters? Let's have a look at their menu board.

you're welcome

Ok, the names in the menu can be quite a mouthful. Let's have some starters while taking enough time to decide on the mains.
 

Shioks Fries aka Shoestring (double-fried of course!) Fries Half&Half in Salted Egg Yolk and Chili Crab Sauce @$14

Pricey fries, but oh so good. Real crab meat is included. Loved the way the mildly sweet spicy chili crab cuts away some of the richness of the creamy salted eggyolk sauce. The enjoyment is only possible because the fries were good. Still managed to retain its crispiness amidst being doused in double-sauce. As Tiara puts it, once you start...you can't stop.

If you have a beer/cider on hand, how about some har cheong popcorn gai (chicken) with power belachan dip? Liked the level of spice in the power belachan but together with the well marinated har cheong gai, the combo could come across as a tad too salty if it was eaten on its own without some soda or beer.

Har Cheong Gai @$9.50

Having tasted the appetisers, now let's proceed to main course.

First up, The Real McCoy. Imagine crispy oat battered chicken thigh meat that has been marinated for 24-hours in buttermilk and 'secret' spices. And coat this with lots of golden sandy velvety salted eggyolk sauce. The smell of the sauce was quite strong but its taste was interestingly balanced. Chef Chung shared that this was to allow all the three major components of chicken marinade, crispy oats and salted eggyolk sauce to be showcased.

The Real McCoy @ $14 (usual price: $16)

The Real McCoy was quite a substantial burger and we used the remaining fries to mop up the salted eggyolk sauce. Don't waste.

lunch crowd can opt for local flavoured donburis

The other burger we tried, was The Satay Burger. What's so difficult about a satay burger? Just slap on some peanut sauce and turmeric, onions, and lemongrass marinated grilled chicken meat lor. Hmm, not so fast and not so easy. Perhaps there's an easier way but Chef Chung has his own methodology of doing things due to his passion in delivering a dish that's not only packed with locally inspired flavours but made with heart.

The Satay Burger @$17

The Satay Burger came with Chef's choice of charred rice patties that's smokey and crisp on the outside and chewy on the insides. In between, we have well marinated chicken thigh and a small jar of Javanese peanut sauce. Assemble the julienned cucumbers and onions into the burger and that completes the satay experience when one bites into it. Right flavours but need a bigger portion of this. Upsize?

Or, get a dessert?

You have heard all about duriancanboleh created by Chef Chung. Why, here's a website dedicated to the pud: http://www.dcbcravings.com/

So we tried a different flavour, the passionfruit creme brulee. Soft and creamy.

Passionfruit creme brulee @$8.50

Or, try their Wonderffle topped with Lemongrass and Pandan ice-creams topped with gula melaka glaze. Quite lovely.

Wonderffle @$12.80

handmade ice-creams

Thank you The Quarters and Chef Chung Deming for hosting us and Kris for the invite. Plus, the enjoyable company of fellow foodies.

You can also get the Salted Eggyolk Chili Crab Fries and The Real McCoy from their outlet at Timbre+.

If you enjoyed their sauces, you can purchase their bottled sauces and recreate the local flavours at home.

bottled power belachan and salted eggyolk aioli