Social Dining at Platters

Late night revellers have been happily occupying the pedestrian-only streets on two evenings a week at Ann Siang Road and Club Street. The dining enclave is touted to be the Lion City's answer to the hip Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong with her pretty conservation shophouses and heritage charm.  The closure to traffic during wind-down Friday and Saturday nights has certainly turned up the tempo a notch higher with dining-under-the-stars and partying-in-the-streets becoming a reality. 

Too spoilt for choice? Out of all the dining establishments in the area, you might like to check out Platters Bistro & Wine Bar advocating the convival concept of "social dining". This is great for groups as well as  easily bored and finicky eaters. A medley of food items are served on a wooden sharing platter so diners are able to trade the dull price of a main for variety instead. 

Ongoing till October, Platters is presenting their Guest Chef Edition: 5 with Chef Karl Dobler and Chef Eugenia Ong from Table at 7 at the helm. Every four months, a guest chef from a local restaurant is invited to design 6 dishes on the signature wooden boards. Great news for jaded diners hankering for something new each time!

The lions couldn't wait to try the dishes by the two chefs with impressive resumes. Chef Dobler started the Salut group of restaurants whereas Chef Eugenia honed her skills in traditional Indonesian cuisine managing her family-owned Jawar Timur restaurant years ago.

Asia's Ultimate Star Burgers: Rendang Mini Burgers, Chicken Satay Mini Burgers
and Curry-kaffir Lime Fries. $32 half-board /$60 full board
These bite-sized babies were initially created to feed hungry Zouk flea market visitors.
They proved so popular that they made their appearance at Pasar Bella for a season and
are now part of this edition's menu. The lions preferred the rendang version made
from soft, succulent beef shin in coconut-y gravy. The fries are also sinfully addictive.

The Oceanic Ensemble: Mussels Hot Pot, Grilled Tiger Prawns with Shrimp Sambal
Glaze, Crispy Fried Soft Shell Crab, mustard achar and herb mesclun.
$38 for half board/$72 for full board
The Tiger Prawns with Shrimp Sambal Glaze was picked by Michelin-star celebrity
chef Marco Pierre White in a culinary competition last year. He called the dish
"clean, tangy and very refreshing". Nuff said.

The Butcher's Grill: Braised Pork Belly simmered in Asian Spice mix of cinnamon
and star anise; Pepper-crusted Beef Tataki with truffle mash; and Grilled Lamb
Cutlets with Ratatouille. $48 for half board/$92 for full board
This is the lions' favourite platter of all and falls under the die die must order category.
The braised pork belly is certainly a piece-de-resistance with its tender, melt-in-the-mouth
texture and is drenched with fragrant and comfortingly familiar Asian spices.
The humble side of truffle mash also stands out.

Life is sweet, truly dessert platter: Jackfruit Beignet with Coconut Custard, Citrus
Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries and Valrhona Chocolate Tart.
$24 for half board/$44 for full board
The highlight of the dessert platter was definitely the Jackfruit incarnate of the local
goreng pisang. The pungent scent of Jackfruit was brilliantly balanced with the mildly sweet
coconut custard filing. In Asian terms, it was a clever showcase of a playful balance of
yin and yang - the heaty Jackfruit vs the cooling Coconut.

Platters Bistro & Wine Bar offers a great platform for local dining establishments and local bred chefs to experiment and create dishes outside their usual repertoire. The main challenge perhaps is in maintaining the consistency of dishes created as the consulting chefs are tasked with training the onsite culinary team in executing the newly designed menu.

Oh, and do remember to check out their extensive wine list :) Thanks to Jean from FoodCult for this invited tasting session!

Platters Bistro & Wine Bar
42 Club Street

Singapore 046920