Bonding Kitchen Revisited @ Orchard Gateway

Brought my colleagues to Bonding Kitchen to try Chef Danny's delicious food. Last visit was in April where my Primary school mates enjoyed the food during our rare gathering.

For guests visiting the restaurant for the first time in a group of 4 pax, I will recommend the set menu as it contains all the favourite dishes.

We pre-ordered the bakwan kepiting soup to share and added a bottle of red. After the meal, we realised that this combination could have easily fed 6 pax.

1st Appetiser

Keropok Ikan and Belinjo

Achar

The first appetisers were polished off before the rice arrived. The achar was pretty good. But better to eat it with rice.

2nd Appetiser

Kueh Pie Tee

Selected the Kueh Pie Tee for the team and helped to assemble for them, complimentary service. They seemed happy.

Wine

Housepour Gold Trees Shiraz (U.P $38)

Pre-Order Soup

Bakwan Kepiting Soup @$16 (pre-order)

impressive homely taste

The bakwan kepiting soup is pricey. And, first thing my colleague said was, "Where's the crab shell..."  

The soup was smooth, much like a cream soup texture yet not that full-on creamy. Soothing, comforting familiar taste with sweetness and savoury from the ingredients. The meatball was flavourful and slightly larger than a golf-sized ball. Enjoyable!

For the mains, I recommended the Hokkien Lor Ark, Ayam Buah Keluak, and Sotong Masak Hitam as one of my colleague, doesn't take beef. Otherwise, the Wagyu Beef Rendang is a must.

Main Course

Sotong Masak Hitam

Ayam Buah Keluak

Hokkien Lor Ark

They were pretty impressed by the sotong, as per my first experience then as well. Keke. For the ayam buah keluak, it came with additional paste for the connoisseur to add on to their rice. Very strong flavours there! Lor ark was lovely, as usual.

Otah

One dish that surprised everyone, was the Otah. This unassuming and common dish, was super tasty with the right balance of refreshing and spicy. So yummy!

Vegetable

Nonya Chap Chye

The portions were good and no one left hungry. All of us were super stuffed that night.

Dessert

Chendol (front), Gula Melaka Panna Cotta (back)

have some

We spent about $60 per pax. Reservation is recommended and happy to see Chef Danny again.

Bonding Kitchen Singapore

Address: 277 Orchard Rd, #02-18, Singapore 238858

Website: https://bondingkitchen.weebly.com/

Contact: 8860 9087

Business Hours:

Sat - Thurs: 11:00am–3pm, 5:00–9:30pm

Fri : 11:00am–3pm, 5:00–9:30pm

Enjoyable Time Delicious Food @ Bonding Kitchen Orchard Gateway

Decided on Bonding Kitchen for a mini gathering with Secondary schoolmates as the dishes by Chef Danny are something that I enjoy having, plus location is rather central. Reservation was made and confirmed via WhatsApp, a week earlier. The place is usually busy during PH and weekends, hence do make a reservation to avoid disappointment.

interior

lovely colour scheme

Set Menu

Decided on the Set Menu for 4 pax as that allows us to enjoy the signatures plus enough variety to try. And, as I mentioned during first visit, I'd be back to try the wine. The group prefers white, so we tried the Sauvignon Blanc. Tasted fresh, easy to drink with lemony notes.

let it pour

Gold Trees Sauvignon Blanc @$38++

Fish and Belinjau Keropok with fiery Sambal

Kueh Pie Tee Set for 4 pax

The kueh pie tee is a fun set, as the components were nicely laid out and diner could try their hand assembling it prettily. If you have friends that do not want to do that, someone in that party will have to step up as the assembler for all. Hahaaa!

beautiful prawn

lava quail egg? So dainty

kueh pie tee, assembled

The kueh pie tee was pretty to look at, and tasty with crisp shell. Just don't leave it out for too long. Loved that there's pork lard topping for those who enjoy.

For mains, we started with Wagyu Beef Rendang, followed by our choice of Ayam Buah Keluak. Enjoyed with blue pea rice (included in the set).

Wagyu Beef Rendang

Ayam Buah Keluak

blue pea rice

The wagyu beef rendang tasted as good as the first time, and those kerisik goes so well with the rice. Was impressed with ayam buah keluak. The sauce and those tender chunks of chicken were so good to eat. It's hard to stop at just one bowl of rice.

Sotong Masak Hitam

My friends were surprised by the taste of Sotong Masak Hitam. I know, because that was my first reaction as well. For me, the Nyonya Chap Chye at Bonding Kitchen is the tastiest from all the nyonya chap chye I've tasted by far.

Nyonya Chap Chye

While it was tempting to add another bowl of rice, actually one is enough as there's still dessert!

Gula Melaka Panna Cotta

The dessert was good too! Panna cotta was so wobbly and soft, yet retained abit of sticky-ness. Loved the gula melaka sauce as well with the right sweetness and fragrance.

yummy

I liked all the dishes presented in the Set Menu and everything was tasty. Come try!

Bonding Kitchen Singapore

Address: 277 Orchard Rd, #02-18, Singapore 238858

Website: https://bondingkitchen.weebly.com/

Contact: 8860 9087

Business Hours:

Sat - Thurs: 11:30am–3pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Fri : 11:30am–3pm, 5–10:30pm

Makan Time @ Xin Tekka Food Hall

So we just had breakfast nearby, but that didn't deter us from continuing our food hunt. We walked around the area for a bit to burn off some of the earlier calories before heading towards Xin Tekka. If you are not aware of the location of Xin Tekka, just head towards the Tekka Place building that's easily seen from afar.

Tekka Place

And soon enough, we found the Xin Tekka Food Hall. On weekdays, the place was rather quiet but on the weekend of our visit, the place was somewhat busy.

entrance to Xin Tekka Food Hall

Pang's Hakka Noodles 小彭客家面

Monday to Thursday: 10.30am – 2.30pm

Friday and Saturday: 10.30am to 7.30pm

Close on Sunday

Pang's Hakka Noodles

This stall serves Hakka delicacies curated by Chef Pang Kok Keong. We tried the Signature Hakka Noodles set with the chicken wings. On our first visit, the food took 20-25 minutes to be prepared.

Signature Hakka Noodles Set @$9.50

The noodles were flavourful as it was tossed in fragrant oil and minced pork. Pretty yums! The chicken wings were good too. During our first visit, the items were served in take-away style while on second visit, it was served in proper plates and bowls.

yummy noodles

Hakka Yong Tau Foo

chicken wings

Liang Ji 梁记

Daily: 10.00am to 8.00pm

Liang Ji stall front

I wasn't feeling adventurous that day, hence chose the normal char kway teow instead of their creative versions. The char kway teow was pretty generic with the sweetened soy sauce and has cockles, lap cheong, fish cake and bean sprouts.

char kway teow @$5.80

Casa Bom Vento Express

Daily: 11.30am to 7.00pm

Casa Bom Vento Express shopfront

Decided to get the Dry Mee Siam simply because it was a "Today's Special" that appears once a week and, the lady at the stall said, only a few portions left. Tell me something like that, and I'm easily convinced to try. Hahaa!

 

Dry Mee Siam @$7.50

The mee siam was actually very good. I liked it quite a bit. The flavours of the noodles was on point with balanced sharp tangy, sweet and spicy. That big prawn was aesthetically pleasing as well.

Ayam Buah Keluak with Blue Pea Rice @$8.50

The presentation for the buah keluak with blue pea rice was rather pretty. The kacang botol ulam and the pineapples cubes were good too. However, I still prefer the mee siam.

The kopi from the drinks stall was decent.

kopi

Thank you makan buddies; Shermaine, Tracy, Hence and Ivan for sharing the calories.

Xin Tekka 新德卡 Food Hall

Address: 2 Serangoon Road, Tekka Place Annex Building, # 01–55/56/57/58/59, Singapore 218227

Website: https://xintekka.sg/

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri: 8.00am–10.00pm

Sat-Sun: 9.00am–10.00pm

[Tasting] Bonding Kitchen Singapore @ Orchard Gateway - Unique Modern Peranakan Experience

Located at Level 2 of Orchard Gateway, Bonding Kitchen is a new place for us to indulge in Peranakan food. With his unique brand of modern Peranakan cuisine, founder Chef Danny Chew has curated daily Set Lunches that is inclusive of some of the signature dishes, which I liked, as the concept allows the diner to sample favourites like Ayam Buah Keluak, Hokkien Lor Ark before bringing over loved ones to try the mains later on. And believe me, I have tried and will want to bring my family and friends to try more (maybe all!) of Chef Danny's dishes. For this initial experience, special thanks to Kris (@msginginly) for the invite and Chef Danny and team for hosting the dinner.

Bonding Kitchen @ Level 2 Orchard Gateway

entrance

menu

interior

The restaurant has a modern vibe to it and comfortably spaced. Loved the blue on the seats. Was ushered into the inner section where the one could enjoy the wonderful private dining experience with Chef Danny.

Bunga Telang Lemongrass Pandan (Blue Pea Flower Lemongrass drink) @$6.50++

While waiting, we started with light snacks of keropok served with piquant and zesty sambal belachan. 

Fish & Belinjau Keropok with Sambal Belacan @$4++

more please

Next up, was Ngoh Hiang appetiser. We watched Chef Danny as he proceeded to plate the Ngoh Hiang.

Ngoh Hiang @$14++

deep fried beancurd skin roll of handchopped pork, shrimps, mushrooms, water chestnut

The Ngoh Hiang, a quintessential deep fried beancurd skin roll that brought a smile to our faces. Loved the generous fillings, bits of juicy mushroom and the likeable overall flavour of this classic dish. Seasoned just right with five spice, slight bouncy texture and crisp exterior. Sauce was minimal.

Next up, we were served with a gorgeous plate of impressive looking prawns. Marinated prawns with delightfully tangy tamarind juices, and pan seared to perfection. Flavour was on-point and I was practically licking off the sauces from its shell. Zesty and savoury combo that rejuvenates the tastebuds.

Assam Ko Prawns @ $28++ to $36++

With the private dining experience, guests could interact with Chef Danny and it was really interesting to hear nuggets of information pertaining to recipe of the food that we were about to enjoy. 

Babi Pongteh in the making

And, it is heartening to see the care and effort being placed onto our meal.

Babi Pongteh @$22++

One of the classic dishes of Peranakan cuisine, besides Ayam Buah Keluak would be stalwarts like Babi Pongteh. Comparatively to the other dishes that we were having that night, this dish was more genteel in flavours when compared to the rest of the mains. Hence, recommend to try this dish first before starting the rest.

Hei Bi Hiam Shimeji Mushrooms @$12++

When I first saw the plate of Hae Bi Hiam mushrooms, I thought of how comforting this dish would be with a bowl of porridge. Tasty, and easy to eat with a touch of heat. Alas, there is no option for porridge at the moment, but do get a bowl of that wonderful looking blue pea steamed fluffy rice.

steamed fragrant rice @$1.50++

eat the way you want it

We enjoyed the pace of the food, which allowed us to fully savour one or two dishes at any point in time. Next up, was the Wagyu Beef Rendang. 

Chef Danny presents the Wagyu Beef Rendang

Wagyu Beef Buah Rendang @$32++

Australian Westholme Wagyu beef ribs, stewed with coconut milk and various herbs and spices which resulted in flavourful meat that was nicely tender while maintaining its form. The dish reminds me of serunding (beef floss) actually but dig underneath to reveal chunky pieces that goes well with rice. Or, savour it with wine. I spied the wine prices here and they are really reasonable. I'll do just that next time, and keep you guys updated. Or, you are welcome to share your experience too!

Nasi Goreng Buah Keluak @$15++

Friend tried the Buah Keluak Fried Rice and enjoyed its nutty eggy flavours. Looks kinda cool, those black grains.

My personal favourite dish of that night, was the Hokkien Lor Ark. I don't think it was due to any bias because am a Hokkien myself, but more because this dish represented itself well enough. Strong flavours, consistently tender texture, meaty plus comforting homely feels. Chef Danny revealed that this was from a family recipe and further refined. The dish uses duck leg that had undergone 1 day of marination. End result was a bowl of yumminess.

Hokkien Lor Ark @$22++

Lastly, we tried the Sotong Masak Hitam. If you think you know Sotong Masak Hitam, try this version at Bonding Kitchen. I can only say, that was one intense flavour! I believe a glass of wine would complement this well.

Sotong Masak Hitam @$20++

And, we ended the meal with icy treat chendol. Lovely fragrance from the gula melaka, and glad that it was not too sweet. Liked the softer red beans too!

Chendol @$7++

A lovely meal with lovely friends. Thank you Kris for the invite, and special thanks to Chef Danny and team Bonding Kitchen for the delicious meal.

Here is a shout-out for the Daily Set Lunch, which I think is a steal for that price. Am eyeing that buah keluak and wagyu beef rendang meal...with a glass of red. See you at Bonding Kitchen!

image credit: Bonding Kitchen

Bonding Kitchen Singapore

Address: 277 Orchard Rd, #02-18, Singapore 238858

Website: https://bondingkitchen.weebly.com/

Contact: 8860 9087

Business Hours:

Sat - Thurs:  11:30am–3pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Fri : 11:30am–3pm, 5–10:30pm