The friend chose this place for her birthday and so we went to visit this newly opened Jiak Kim House that took over Zouk. First impressions, the place was done up beautifully. High ceilings, warm settings with a touch of class. It’s a place to impress if you wanna bring your clients or a date

Now, lets move on to the food

Complimentary Cheese Bread that smells so inviting. It was crisp on the outside, soft inside, savoury and warm

Tingkat of Memories $36

7-Herbed Crab Cake, Assam Mayo

Lamb Goulash Croquette, Mint Coriander Coulis

Spanish Mackerel Otak Otak, Green Curry

Chilli Crab Pie Tee, Kaffir Lime

The friends decided to ask for recommendation so we went ahead with the Tingkat that was a selection of small bites. I thought each bite was pretty good. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like and the flavours packed a punch. Definitely recommend to give this Tingkat a try

Chilled Momotaro Somen $24

Hokkaido Scallops, Tomato Consomme, Ikura, Shiso

Then came the somen which was really ordinary. Like, if I had walked out of the restaurant, I wouldn’t recommend how it tasted. It was that average

Chilled Crab & Jellyfish $32

Alaskan King Crab, Jellyfish, Soursop Sorbet, Thai Green Pepper Sauce

The chilled crab and jellyfish brought the game back up. The flavours were delightful. You could taste the layers in them as you savour the sweetness of the crab, the refreshing taste of the soursop and the crunchiness of the jellyfish. I really liked this dish

Then came a complimentary Tenderloin dish as a small bite which the friends really enjoyed

Challans Duck 2 Ways $48

Duck Breast, Salted Vegetable Risotto, Angelica Root, Sour Plum Sauce

I thought the duck was executed nicely but the salted vegetable risotto was abit strange. It wasn’t risotto-like but I can’t describe it in words. It was more hash-like but apparently some foreigners really liked it! I still find it strange in my opinion. It definitely did not remind me of 咸菜鸭汤 which inspired this dish

Kam Heong Sambal Grouper $40

Live Tiger Grouper, Black Pepper Sambal, Cilantro Rice, Mangosteen Salsa

Highlight of the meal – The Sambal Grouper. Love the kick in the samba, the mangosteen salsa, the well-cooked fish and even the cilantro rice was delicious. 10/10

Herbal Scallops ‘Pao Fan’ $42

Hokkaido Scallops, Angelica Root, Puffed Rice, Ikura, Dashi Buerre Blanc

Then the ‘Pao Fan’ was simply confusing. We really expected Pao Fan, but this was more like Pao Fan reimagined. I thought the herbs could be a little stronger and more saucy. I felt like the star of the dish was the scallops and not the rice nor the broth. It was a little disappointing

And then the service staffs came around and went ‘How’s your meal so far?’ I really gave them my honest feedback. They seemed a little taken aback and went oh, the executive chef is coming out. You can let him know. And I went … lol. But thankfully, Chef TQ was open to feedback and I personally think that’s a very important trait of a chef. Cos ultimately, it’s their food and restaurant and if they have no inspiration to improve on their quality, then I wouldn’t care much either

Snow Peak $22

Moutai Pineapple Sorbet, Kombucha Scoby, Tropical Fruits

So, we had Snow Peak on the house which was recommended as a Palate Cleanser. Personally, I think this dish was really suited as a pre-dessert. So if you had ordered any of their desserts, do start with this first. The flavours were rather light as compared to the other 2 we had ordered so the tangy and refreshing taste did prepare for the desserts round

Black Forest $22

Textures of Dark Chocolate, Buah Keluak Ganache, Kirsch Cream Namelaka

We really liked this but thought the cherries at the end was a little overpowering. Perhaps they could add a little something, like a Sablée base, so it could balance out the sourness of the cherries

Garden of Naomi $22

Raspberry Lychee Rose Entremet, Dragon’s Breath, Juniper Parfait, Sorrel Granite

A for visuals. First bite, the raspberry was lovely. But felt like we had to dig a few more mouths before we got to the lychee. I thought perhaps they could make the rose a little slimmer or less generous with the raspberry mousse so it’s not too overwhelming as a dish

We were brought around to see the restaurant at the end of the meal and this space is meant for their private dining/event so if you are looking to hold an intimate party/event/ROM, TADA!

Generally, there were ups and downs and definitely room for improvement. Serving a take on local cuisine is hard cos locals are so familiar with the taste you had to excel in that dish in order to impress. But I do anticipate what dishes would come out next, or what dishes they would keep/axe off from the menu. Hokkien Mee next maybe? 😀

Jiak Kim House

5 Jiak Kim Street, #01–17,

Singapore 169425