Food Review: STREET 50 Restaurant & Bar at Bay Hotel, 50 Telok Blangah Rd, Singapore 098828

I was kindly invited by STREET 50 Restaurant & Bar a couple of weeks ago to attend a food tasting at noon and I am happy to tell you I found a great place for you if you are looking for a place to eat in peace near Vivocity without having to queue or pay exorbitant prices for decent Western food.

Really, that sentence says it all.

Well ok if you must know a bit more, it is actually a new restaurant that does Asian Western Fusion food. What is that you might ask. It's.. laksa or tom yam spaghetti. Usually.

I attended the tasting without having breakfast, so I was glad to have some tea and warm bread to start. 

We then moved on to the appetizers first - starting with the Caprese ($12). Even though it looked like a beauty, I felt that the flavours are rather light as the buffalo mozzarella didn't have much character. I was expecting there to be a stronger kick. Perhaps this is to build up your tastebuds.

Next, the Prawns and Avocado ($12) tartare. This fared better, and I liked it quite a lot precisely because even though it's avocados, they are not too thick. Instead it is creamy, crunchy (because of the celery inside), and the prawns were cold and fresh. Very refreshing.

We then had Mouclade Mussels ($14) which is NZ mussels cooked in white wine and egg sauce. The cream was very well done in the dish. I could sop up the entire plate with some bread!

Next up, the plate that looked the best - and had the most fusion combination - the Tom Yam Flair ($18) Pasta. It has a crayfish on top of it! In taste though, again the hand was a bit light on the seasonings. I had hoped for a strong tom yam taste to come through the cream, but it was rather mild. The pasta was also not spicy at all. Good for tourists, perhaps.

Following which we had the Hazelnut Escargots ($14). Don't they look so good?

Now the reason why it is called Hazelnut Escargot is not because of the breed of the snails but because it is stuffed with hazelnut butter, and then flambéd with brandy. Unfortunately the first piece I had was quite bitter, perhaps due to the snail feeling angry before it was cooked. The next piece I tried was better, but I couldn't really taste the hazelnut. Didn't work well at all for me.

There was also some Asian rice with crabmeat, and a side of satay. If I'm not wrong it costs less than $15. That is quite worth it, in my opinion. Tasty, if not common.

What stood out during that lunch for me was this - the Duck Pot Pie ($22). It's quite rare for duck to be served in the pastry, but the stew gravy inside was delicious while the pasty was flaky and light. If you have to try one thing from STREET 50, perhaps give this a go.

The Cod and Chips ($18) had fresh cod and good chips. The batter on the cod was slightly over fried though, lending the cod a slightly bitter taste. Maybe tell them to go easy on the batter if you feel like having a safe item.

Last main dish before we all go into comatose was the Lamb Rendang ($24) which is slow-braised lamb shank with rendang paset served with carrots, potatoes, peas and rice. If you notice, the flavours get heavier. Even though there's a hint of that lamb smell in the meat it was not overpowering, though if you are scared of that smell, don't order this. Good fusion and rendition to merge Rendang with a traditional lamb dish!

Finally we move on to desserts. First, the banana fritters ($8) with ice cream. I really liked it because the banana fritters were not overly fried. Plus it goes as a huge contrast to the cold creamy vanilla ice cream. I'm not too sure about the price here though. 

Lastly, the Durian Pengat ($8). There was durian pulp inside the crepe like wrapping, and drizzled with caramel sauce. I felt that this was again done quite well, but I would go to Novotel's The Square for some real durian cream if I had a hankering! But this durian dessert is a good way to express our Asian tastebuds in a Western way.

Like my opening paragraph says, this is a good place to go for some grub if you want some peace and quiet, food that is quite affordable and yet interesting. Even if it feels like the menu is too extensive for there to be a higher chance to get something not up to par, you should take the risk!

STREET 50 Restaurant & Bar

Bay Hotel Singapore

50 Telok Blangah Road, Singapore 098828

Tel: +65 6818 6681

Opening Hours: 6am – 4am