I'll consider the Meating Place one of the best finds I've had in terms of places to eat in 2024. This meat joint is located in Duo Galleria and I have visited it twice in a month, testament to how good the nosh was, and it wasn't extravagant or uber posh either. And despite the name, there were some pretty delectable non-meat dishes on the menu as well, courtesy of CIA-trained Chef Jerome Lim and his team, whom you can see working from the open kitchen.
Here's the short, sweet and untypical menu, which changes every few months. However, as I found out from the affable front of house lead and co-owner Johann (the brother of Chef Jerome!), there are some items that they simply could not remove it from the menu due to popular demand. Which also causes some items, like the Khachapuri, or Georgian cheese bread, to be off-menu BUT available through reservations. Another thing to note is you will see some exotic meat or cuts making its way on the menu, such as veal sweatbreads and lamb saddle, for the adventurous eater. I for one, am not all the way to the end, but know many of my friends who would not bat an eyelid when it comes to offals or unusual parts.
Their dessert menu is also straightforward but against unusual - gone are your normal tiramisu, panna cotta or lava cake.
Great value doesn't just stop at the quality of the food, but there's also $58 wine bottles that were VERY drinkable. I believe there's also a cocktail/wine hour with crazy good prices before 7pm.
On to the food! For my birthday celebration I came here with my bestie, and we started with this really appetising Golden Beetroot and Brussels Sprouts Salad (S$17). I believe it is my first time having non-pink beetroot AND brussels sprouts in this manner.
Here's the famous by-request-only Khachapuri, or Georgian cheese bread. The 72-hour fermented dough is baked to perfection and the runny egg in the middle is meant to be broken and mixed or used as a dip for the pillowy soft and garlicky bread with generous stuffings of cheese. Oh goodness, there goes my carb-free diet, but it is worth every bite! This dish is only guaranteed if you WhatsApp them ahead of time to pre-order, because it needs some prepping ahead of time but really worth it 5/5
So good I had to order it again on my second visit.
I also had the Smoked bluefin tuna ($16) on my first visit for an appetiser and this was an umami bomb elevated by the contrasting textures of the crispy base made of layers of potato with the tuna. 4/5
On my second visit I tried the Octopus carpaccio (S$24) and this dish surprised me a lot because most places just serve octopus as chopped up chunks, but here they are thinly sliced so the rubbery texture is a non-issue. Instead you get the essence of the octopus swimming in rich olive oil and simple pairings of olives, tomatoes and really thin slivers of raw red onion. I enjoyed how appetising and fresh it was. 4.5/5
We also had the Crispy Cauliflower (S$16) on the next visit to amp up the vegetables component. This again was another surprise because Johann was like here's your Korean fried chicken, and at first glance it REALLY looked like it. But of course he was joking, its our cauliflower. But the Korean style sticky glaze and sesame seeds really transformed the plain ol' cauliflower into something that is more than just edible. 4/5
I also tried the Asparagus with uni taramasalata (S$18) because I became fascinated with the fish roe dip when I went to Greece. In Japan they call it mentaiko. In my mouth I call it a party. And pairing this with the strong asparagus was a genius touch! 4/5
But the piece de resistance was the 300g Dry Aged Ribeye (S$84). It comes with complimentary kale salad on the side, and served plainly without sauce. That is a bold move indeed and it takes true confidence for the steak to essentially show its face without "makeup" and still shine with natural beauty. And shine it did with gloriously rich beefy flavour and velvety smooth bite. And the most amazing thing to me was that it was still full of beefy flavour AFTER it cooled to room temperature. To me that is testament of how good this piece of meat is. 5/5
Again it was so good I had to order it again to make sure I'm not making it up (and I wanted my friend to taste it too). Again, still good when cold. Not joking! And perfect with a glass of red.
On to desserts. I highly recommend the Aperol & citrus granita ($13) with Mandarin orange segments, topped with sumac as it was such a refreshing palate cleanser after all the meat. The creativity of sprinkling sumac, a spice used in SEA, on top of the icy sweet and slightly tangy granita is just perfect 5/5
On my second visit my friend wanted to try the Tres Leches (S$14) with espresso coffee cream, cocoa powder and sesame tuille. It was a powerful dessert that woke me up a little from the incoming food coma! 4/5
For my birthday meal we had the Sticky tamarind pudding (S$15) with salted gula melaka, pistachio and vanilla ice cream. Tamarind surprisingly worked and even though on first try it is quite sweet, it was bearable and a dish for the entire table to share. I also had a flaming Baked Alaska dessert (not pictured) on my first visit which was quite the show.
I had such a great time at the Meating Place :)))
Meating Place is officially my new favourite restaurant and go-to for great quality food and drinks, and I highly recommend you all to check out this underrated gem. If you are not convinced, check out their Google reviews.
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if nearby
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Meating Place
7 Fraser St, #01-27 Duo Galleria, Singapore 189365
Lunch 11.30am to 2pm (Mon to Fri), dinner 6-9pm (last order Tues-Thur, 9.30pm on Fri/Sat)
Closed on Sundays
Reservations on
Chope (WhatsApp them at +65 83382918 for special orders)
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