This isn’t your run-of-the-mill CBD eatery—it has real pedigree. The latest venture by the once-beloved, now-defunct Foodbar Dada people, this snazzy 40-seater deploys a culinary team that likes to strut their stuff even while pandering to the soup/salad/ sandwiches crowd. The salads are an excellent example: one is a simple idea executed with interesting components like fat slices of Josper (charcoal) grilled beef and a fantastic, tuna-y vitello tonnato dressing ($18). The spicy crispy pork belly sandwich ($15) is also pretty much perfect for the price; they could halve the ingredients and still get away with it. Sandwiches, salads and pastas (which are interesting in name, but lack flair and flavor) are only available at lunch. In the afternoons, there are outstanding but pricier small plates, like charred octopus ($22), lemongrass prawn yakitori ($15 for five) and a beautiful little squid-enoki nest containing an egg ($12). Drinks, too, are respectable; the spicy mojito ($18), with chilli padi and coconut water, has a pleasantly oily mouthfeel and delicious complexity we love. It’s not all good, though. We are surprised at how flavorless the burgers are, especially for all the fancy grill fetishizing they do here. Don’t bother with the lackluster dessert either. Plus, you can sense both dishes and cocktails getting sloppy in the evenings and on weekends (although with opening hours like theirs, it’s to be expected). On a more positive note, the front-line staff are generally confident and competent regardless of experience—none of that cravenness that’s all too common in F&B these days. Here’s hoping this solid team sticks around, quietly elevating everyone’s lunch hours and after-work drinks.
