Fysh at Edition, located at The Singapore Edition hotel, is one of those places that got foodies excited when it opened in November.
It’s the first restaurant by acclaimed Australian restaurateur and multi-award-winning chef and author Josh Niland outside of Australia. Niland has been celebrated for his innovative and sustainable gill-to-fin approach (ingredients include bones, fish offal and fisheye) and signature fish recipes using techniques like dry-ageing and curing.
Described as a “modern-age fish steakhouse”, it’s a first-of-its-kind concept featuring ethically sourced seafood and fish dishes.
The well-heeled crowd will be at home here. The 154-seater restaurant, which flanks the lobby of The Singapore Edition, is spacious and sophisticated. Its high-ceiling and timber-lined space boasts a main dining area, bar, light-filled conservatory and foliage-fringed terrace which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Fishy business
The dinner experience is particularly dim, literally. Lights are turned down so low it is hard to read the menu. Perhaps it is done to create a more romantic or relaxing atmosphere so that diners can enjoy the dishes more. If that is the case, it is not necessary because the food generally lives up to the concept.
The menu is a balance of seafood, meat, and innovative creations – much of it cooked over a charcoal Josper grill. While the menu is fish-focused, land-based protein and vegetables are treated with equal respect.
I’ve not tried the dishes served at Niland’s Sydney restaurants, the two-hatted Saint Peter, Peterman or Charcoal Fish, so I can’t compare. What I do appreciate is his circular philosophy and creative take on fish, even if I am not wowed by every item.
Fysh Egg Tart with creme fraiche, salmon roe and chives ($28) starts off the dinner. It does not leave much of an impression other than it is a creamy briny burst of the ocean with every bite.
It is quickly followed by Brown Clams XO with Aquna Murray Cod Bone Noodles ($32), a moreish dish where the XO sauce is made from cod bones and innards of fish and shellfish.
The noodles, while not quite like the real thing, have a firm bite. They are made from the bones of sustainable pond-grown Aquna Murray Cod that have been boiled for hours and grounded into a paste. The paste is used as a substitute for eggs and mixed with flour to create the noodles.
The smoky and tender Charcoal Grilled Game Farm Quail ($36) is the next starter, served with chickpea Panisse, grilled figs and a herb salad. Bones are roasted and used to make the sauce for the dish along with rosemary and shallots.
The main course, a 400-gram Dry Aged Mooloolaba Yellowfin Tuna Ribeye ($125), is the highlight. The steakhouse-inspired dish comes looking like, well, a steak. It is a Niland signature where he treats the tuna like beef. Using yellowfin tuna from Walker Seafoods, Australia’s only MSC-certified wild caught tuna company, it is aged up to 15 days as a whole loin, and served with a selection of signature homemade condiments: harissa, bearnaise and chimichurri.
Desserts are surprisingly good. Chamomile Latte Cotto ($16++) is like a panna cotta in texture but made with chamomile tea-infused milk custard. Three Milk Cake ($18++), layered with vanilla sponge, condensed milk, creme anglaise and creme fraiche, is given a sweet and tangy spin, thanks to the coconut and passionfruit sorbet.
The third and final one is the Valrhona Chocolate Macaron with Yellowfin Tuna Eye Ice Cream ($16++). Some of us locals are no stranger to eating gelatinous fish eyes in a fish head curry, but in an ice cream? Turns out, it is nothing to worry about. The vitreous humour of the fisheye is used as a substitute to egg white in the ice cream as it shares similar attributes in terms of texture and consistency with chicken egg white.
Sharing the same circular philosophy are the cocktails which showcase often overlooked parts of fruits and vegetables. Diners can order the Fysh Martini made with Stranger & Sons gin, Murray cod fat and Fino sherry dry vermouth; or Oyster Shell Gin & Sonic made with Never Never Oyster Shell Gin (which I’m told was created for contemporary seafood pairings).
Overall, it is a swimmingly delightful experience that teased Niland’s creative fish and seafood recipes. Let’s hope we can deep dive into more of his pioneering dishes in the months to come.
Fysh at Edition is at The Singapore Edition, 38 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 229731.
