Elevated Malay cuisine.
Sedap!
I love traditional Malay food which I grew up with. Chef Hafizzul updates it with touches from his global experiences from renown fine restaurants from London, to Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, and now Singapore. I love chef Fiz's creations which delight with contemporary takes while preserving the essence of its Malay and Nusantara soul that inhabits this ancient land and the sea.
The kitchen looks like a surgical operation (which is what it is).
Yes, preparing good food is serious business.
Buddy Song was raving about Fiz by Chef Hafizzul, so here we are today ๐
Fiz is conveniently at 21, Tanjong Pagar Road at the intersection with Murray Street, just 5 minutes walk from Maxwell MRT station.
Inside Fiz, the 38 seat restaurant is spacious and sports a contemporary look (read non ethnic). Diners can see the quiet but buzzing action in the busy, modern open kitchen.
Lights were warm and in the background, catchy Malay music playing at a soft pleasant level set the mood.
We were ushered to the 8 seat private room, so that our boisterous group would not disturb the other guests (joking lah... ) ๐คฃ๐คญ
We were not shortchanged - we still have the piped in music and front row view of the kitchen ๐
Actually, I should say we were upgraded ๐๐
A bit of lubrication to get our salivary glands in gear.
All gears engaged, all smooth, let's roll!
Start small with a set of four appetisers.
The smallest epok epok that I have ever seen and actually the right size as an appetiser.
Inside filled with chilli crab made with pulled crab meat and mild spices.
Akagai Satay.
Soft tender subtly crunchy sliced blood clam over quite robustly spicy peanut sambal with turmeric leaf oil.
Hokkaido bafun uni (sea urchin), soft creamy, briny sweet taste of the sea over mildly spiced curry custard and selasih (basil seeds).
Coconut and rice.
Sakura prawns, petai miso, sambal tumis, and rice foam packed into crispy kueh pie tee hats.
Pepes Shima Aji.
Striped jack fish with Asian gingers, coconut custard and local herbs. Inspired by otak otak.
The sweet gently spiced fish and coconut custard was enjoyed with a glutinous rice roll wrapped in attap palm leaf and grilled.
Appetisers done ๐
We finally got into the serious business of lunch itself ๐
This was actually the FIZ HARI RAYA AIILFITRI BRUNCH.
Beef Rendang Hijau.
Rendang in whatever style is never photogenic ๐คญ
But gosh, this was so delicious ๐
The smoked wagyu tri-tip was soft tender juicy, and was smothered in soft chewy cassava (tapioca) leaves, itself enveloped in mild spices.
Ayam Kampong Bakar Nusantara.
Free range bird simply seasoned with Sarawak white pepper and lemongrass hot kissed by Fiz's Josper charcoal oven.
Tender, juicy and the smokey taste was pronounced.
How nice?
I also don't know what more I need to say ๐คฃ
Kerabu.
Crunchy juicy pucuk paku ferns (fiddlehead) with torch ginger flower and mussel saturated with spice and sauce.
So good, I stole from Branda's portion after I finished mine ๐คญ
Ulam.
Sambal kuini (mango) and sambal chilli with crispy geragau (dried krill) fritters.
Ketupat.
Beras Adan (white rice) boiled in santan (coconut milk) for added layer of sweetness.
There were a few add on options they called supplements. I chose pekasam which is rarely seen in Singapore.
Chef Hafizzul grew up in Lumut by the sea in Perak state along the Malay peninsula west coast, where rice fields stretch from Selangor to Perlis.
Pekasam is rice, fish and salt fermented in jars over months. It is an ancient dish eaten with boiled rice which chef grew up with in Lumut. Grandma made it. At Fiz, chef makes the restaurant's own pekasam.
Pekasam tastes like salted fish but it is soft and moist, and the savoury brininess is smoother gentler. Perfect with savoury sambal and plain rice. It is an acquired taste for the uninitiated but once hooked, there is no turning back.
Crab gulai.
Soft tender sweet pulled blue swimmer crab meat in a creamy sweet mildly spiced curry. Perfect with boiled rice or nasi lemak.
Finally time for dessert ๐คญ๐
Solero.
Soursop and Balinese vanilla with kaffir lime. Doubles as a palate cleanser.
Tapai Pulut Siam.
Tapai made with Bario highland rice, topped with cempedak, Tian Op (Thai scented candle) smoked santan and gula Melaka.
Kuih Muih or assorted Malay cakes.
Palmyra (palm sugar) bahulu.
Puteri Salat.
Kaswi Gula Aren.
Saffron Suji and pineapple tart (back).
Fiz's pineapple tarts were so good. The shell was crumbly, airy, buttery and the hand grated pineapple was at just the right texture. A bit of soft crunchy bits, the right level of sweetness and a citrusy nuance. I hope that Fiz make these for Chinese New Year ๐ then Huat Ah! Ong Ah! ๐
Smelling the fermented buah long long (kedondong) wine.
Never had this before!
Suddenly thirsty!
Gently sourish sweet buah long long wine with a mild alcoholic kick. Chef loves to experiment with fermentation so we have house made wines and pekasam to try ๐
We laughed so hard and much today, till our full bellies ached ๐
Luckily, we were shut up in a private room, so we didn't disturb the other guests who were at Fiz for an elevated fine dining experience. How thoughtful ๐คญ
We enjoyed the dishes and ourselves so much today. Great hospitality from chef Hafizzul and his dedicated team ๐
Restaurant name: Fiz
Address: 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-01 / 02 (Next to the Fairfield Methodist Church, Singapore 088444)
Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Maxwell station
Tel: 9679 8021
Hours: 12 noon - 3 pm | 6pm - 10 pm (Sun & Mon off | Tues dinner only)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rifDgvWju77TDEhy5
๐ Opinions in this blog are all my own as we paid for our meal and no restaurant or stall paid us money to be featured
Written by Tony Boey on 14 Apr 2024
I love the food here too ๐
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