Was kindly invited by the folks from Fern & Kiwi Bar and Eatery again for a proper food tasting after they had their Grand Opening in September. Spoke to many people that night - the very friendly PR guy, the restaurant manager and the chef.
The big question was "What IS New Zealand food?"
Being the first authentic NZ restaurant to set up shop in SG, they are by default a representative of the country. Huge responsibilities!
After some explanations and the proof in the pudding, the answer was clear.
New Zealand food is quality.
It is the best of nature's offerings because the country is in the middle of no where but receives the best in rainfall, clear ocean waters and rich volcanic soil. What that gives is rich agricultural produce, good beers, the best fish and cattle.
Even though they are also very close to Australia in the types of food, in terms of cooking style they have more Maori influences.
Well then, let's walk my epic meal of that night then shall we?
The restaurant was moderately filled on a Wednesday night. The tables and chairs are laid out quite comfortably on the second level above the bar.
Next we tried the Pizza Flatbread ($14) which is caramelized onions with Gruyere cheese and rock salt. It is a very interesting pizza as an appetizer - the caramelized onions was sweet and lent a fragrance to thick crispy pizza bread.
Coated with honey bbq orange glaze, the pork ribs were simply amazing. The meat melted off the ribs so easily in a medley of fats, tender fibers of pork and juice. If you ever had a hankering for pork ribs, you know where to go. It's really good. Highly recommended!
And then came the Moro bar and Kahlua Cheesecake ($13) with moro bar and kahlua, finished with a ginger syrup and an orange mint salad. This made ZQ make a very funny expression as well. And so did I because the first thing you experience when you put it in your mouth is ok, cheesecake. Then it kinda swirled around and you will taste the texture and richness in flavour. And then it finally hits you that you just had the most amazing dessert ever. WOW!
Consider Fern & Kiwi Bar and Eatery next time you are thinking of a great place for a authentic NZ meal that is full of goodness from the Earth itself. Prices might be high, but if you order wisely and try their desserts, you can be assured of a good time.
The big question was "What IS New Zealand food?"
Being the first authentic NZ restaurant to set up shop in SG, they are by default a representative of the country. Huge responsibilities!
After some explanations and the proof in the pudding, the answer was clear.
New Zealand food is quality.
It is the best of nature's offerings because the country is in the middle of no where but receives the best in rainfall, clear ocean waters and rich volcanic soil. What that gives is rich agricultural produce, good beers, the best fish and cattle.
Even though they are also very close to Australia in the types of food, in terms of cooking style they have more Maori influences.
Well then, let's walk my epic meal of that night then shall we?
The restaurant was moderately filled on a Wednesday night. The tables and chairs are laid out quite comfortably on the second level above the bar.
We started with a Super Cold Steinlager. It was.. really quite cold. A very light beer that is not too dry, which I liked a lot. But this has to be drunk before it gets warm!
Here's the menu to give an idea of their repetoire. At first glance, it is very 'Western', with the usual entrees, salads, pizzas and main courses of meat. But if you look closer you will see that the items are there for a reason.
Prices are slightly on the high side, but that is because most of the ingredients are imported from New Zealand, and very fresh.
Now on to the dishes! First up - hand cut 'lady claire' fries ($8). Apparently they tried to use the potatoes from around here but found it unsatisfactory so they flew in their own. It had a stronger 'potato' taste to it, and was very satisfying. It also goes very well with beer!
Next we tried the Pizza Flatbread ($14) which is caramelized onions with Gruyere cheese and rock salt. It is a very interesting pizza as an appetizer - the caramelized onions was sweet and lent a fragrance to thick crispy pizza bread.
We then had the mini burgers or sliders in the 2 flavors - the Cajun Kingfish sliders ($16) and the NZ Beef and Venison Sliders ($15). Notice the beetroot in the beef and venison slider in the middle. It's inserted on purpose to give the slider that twinge of sweetness that comes from beetroot. Very creative, and the pairing is perfect. I also really liked the fish slider with the homemade tartare sauce. Super fresh fish and its gone in a bite!
Next up, the Green Lip Mussels ($17) coated with tomato sauce. Shellfish is not my favorite, but I had a couple because I don't mind it that much when cooked this way. I do find them a bit tough though and would advise that you check out other entrees if you do not have a craving for mussels.
The classic pork spare ribs - a Lone Star classic ($18.50) was obviously also a Fern and Kiwi hit because almost every table that night had a rack of it. For a ENTREE it is also humongous! 2 people can eat this as a main course, really.
Coated with honey bbq orange glaze, the pork ribs were simply amazing. The meat melted off the ribs so easily in a medley of fats, tender fibers of pork and juice. If you ever had a hankering for pork ribs, you know where to go. It's really good. Highly recommended!
Hot off the heels of that amazing rack of meat is finally a main course dish - the 'Canterbury Plains' rack of lamb ($37) with port wine jus and twice roasted potato mash. Don't you think this looks like the paw of some monster?
Oh but, the lamb was so good. Mary must have been proud. It was soft and the gamey taste of lamb just enough to differentiate it from beef, but not too strong to overpower. It was juicy and not too salty. The buttery potato mash also acts as the perfect background to the masterpiece. Again, I have to recommend this if you are looking for some lamb in your belly!
You would think the delicious overeating will be over after all that but no! The kicker of the night and the most surprising part came in the form of desserts. Well, there is always room for some.
The desserts blew my mind. I don't say this lightly, but they did.
It's probably the best desserts I've had in 2012.
We start with the Miniature Pavlovas ($12). It is like a giant macaron with the sugar hard crust outside, that is filled with diced kiwifruit and passion fruit with chantilly cream inside. You will not expect how they complement each other so well, with the different textures and taste of sweet and tangy and creamy all together. It's a party in my mouth! All the time!
And then came the Moro bar and Kahlua Cheesecake ($13) with moro bar and kahlua, finished with a ginger syrup and an orange mint salad. This made ZQ make a very funny expression as well. And so did I because the first thing you experience when you put it in your mouth is ok, cheesecake. Then it kinda swirled around and you will taste the texture and richness in flavour. And then it finally hits you that you just had the most amazing dessert ever. WOW!
Just. go. eat. it. already.
And so that officially concluded our meal. It was really quite epic. I hope you've made it to the end of this post even.
Fern & Kiwi Bar & Eatery
3E River Valley Road, #01-02/03 The Cannery, (opposite TCC at Taxi Stand)
Clarke Quay, Singapore 179024
Tel: +65 6336 2271 | Menu
Mon – Thu: 4pm – 2pm , Fri – Sun: 4pm – 4am
This is an invited food tastings but all opinions are my own and honest.
Yes, I did try their Entree portion Spare Ribs and Just as per your photographs, they were $18.50 for 6 ribs.
ReplyDeleteHowever I also wish to share that this was what I experienced when I visited about 1 month ago in late September, when the restaurant was only 2 weeks old. At that time, 6 ribs as an entree was $18.50 and 12 ribs as a main dish was $33 according to the menu.
When I visited only 1 month later, in late October (last week) -- I ordered the entree ribs again cos I enjoyed them previously -- and this time they served only 4 ribs instead of 6. Also the ribs were much smaller and shorter. However the price was still $18.50
I was then told that 6 ribs was served as a main and now cost $33 and the 12 ribs main previously costing $33 was now on the menu as mega ribs and the price was $52.
Thus within the time frame of about 1 month, Fern and Kiwi raised their prices considerably for the ribs and for the entree, reduced the portion size by at least 30% but kept the price the same
lalwani@pacific.net.sg
I have to agree that the ribs is really good. The combination of fats, tendon and meat simply melts in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteNot to forget their dessert are special too. I tried the kahlua cheesecake and the taste is not too strong yet deslish. The miniature pavlovas is like meringue with kiwi and passion fruit sauce. I am so surpised by the texture when you take the meringue wth the sauce together. It's so refreshing.
I think the trio of ice-cream tasted the best. It comes with vanilla ice cream(tasted normal), chocolate(taste heavenly and not too sweet) and the best of the trio is the pineapple flavour. I've never tasted such refreshing taste before.
Though the food maybe slightly pricey, I will recommend to come in groups so more food can be tasted and yet not too hefty.
To bid our colleague farewell, we decided to make use of the deals offer to hold our gathering at Fern & Kiwi. It was our first visit, and most probably our last. There were 8 of us and we bought $800 worth of voucher.
ReplyDeleteThe food was, indeed, good in terms of taste and presentation. However, service was a big fat ZERO! It was very disappointing. Ambiance is good but the restaurant ventilation is extremely bad! There were smoke and oil smell everywhere, especially when the chef started working on the food. This is due to the open concept kitchen on the restaurant level. We walked out smelling like smoked meat!!!
We were there from 7 pm till 12 mn. There was only 1 staff (a junior staff who served us) who smiled and was friendly. This is totally unacceptable. The food and beverage are top end restaurant priced but the service and restaurant condition is worse than a hawker centre!
We even had a bad experience at the bar. Staff were not helpful and rude. A waiter pushed my lady colleague while we were dancing at the dance floor. When we told him that he could have just said excuse me, instead of apologizing, he was all defensive. He stuck out his chest and said "What's the problem? You are not happy, we could talk outside!" I was dumbfounded - these words coming from a waiter is totally unacceptable!!!
When we went out, he asked what was the problem. We told him that he should have just said excuse me with a tap on our shoulders instead of pushing through. He said it was normal and he had to push as we would not have heard him due to the loud noise. When queried by a lady supervisor, he complained to her in Malay (which I understood) that we 'claimed' that he pushed my colleague. The lady supervisor listened to us and apologized on his behalf. We returned to our table and she gave us a glass of draft on the house. It is not about the beer. It is about attitude, my dear...what kind of staff did you hire??? Even the mangers and other supervisory level staff (pictured in their website) are not friendly. None of them smile!!! We only utilised $790 of our voucher leaving $10 behind. It was disappointing, indeed. I would have returned for the great food but it's a shame that the service does not bring back customer. Definitely "NOT RECOMMENDED"!!!