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FOOD REVIEW: Rosemead — 'Impressively flavourful'

Interior (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Interior (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

SINGAPORE — It takes no certain amount of clout and deep pockets to dare take over the gargantuan and historical space in the heart of Singapore’s CBD. Once occupied by Black Swan, Jigger & Pony Group has, to nobody’s surprise, swooped in and transformed what was previously a dark and moody restaurant into something more 2022. We’re talking an interior with plenty of intentional lighting, a dining room that allows servers to fleet about like butterflies, and a burning hot hearth in the middle of everything from where the action takes place.

Rosemead draws its moniker from a tiny town of 50,000 in Los Angeles County, California, United States, where co-owner and Executive Chef David Tang hails. If his name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s also the culinary-in-chief of Caffe Fernet that just so happens to be the best place to enjoy a hearty and comforting plate of Cacio e Pepe. While Caffe Fernet boasts fine Italian fare, Rosemead offers a modern Californian menu with thoughtful influences from the cultures that encompass the melting pot of California—Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese.

House Rolls & Shitake Cultured Butter (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
House Rolls & Shitake Cultured Butter (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

In some ways, I’m thrilled that someone, anyone, deign to take over the space, which, during the times I walked past, looks something straight out of an apocalyptic, dystopian non-fiction—abandoned, dark, uncared for. But with only 50% of the workforce back to occupy the offices at these parts of town, I worry if seats would be filled. Thankfully, on the night of my visit on a Tuesday, Rosemead was buzzing with life, the embers of F&B success glowing from within as it capitalises on diners who look at CBD restaurants as the type of destination dining they so crave.

If you manage to snag seats, the House Rolls & Shitake Cultured Butter (S$19++) is a compulsory, no-questions-asked order that succinctly represents the culinary concept of Rosemead. It’s a Shokupan Milk Bread glazed with sticky Maple syrup, smoked bacon and Kombu, which is then broiled on the grill. It comes served with house-made mushroom butter that adds a hint of creaminess to this savoury number. The bread is impressively flavourful and such a cruel thing to serve anyone who loves bread.

Wagyu tartar (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Wagyu tartar (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Starters come by way of a platter of Kingcrab and finger lime, drizzled with fermented Chilli (S$42++) that lifts the dish quite impeccable. It refrains from over spiciness, eschewing mild heat that warms the palate for the other dishes of the evening. There’s also a surprisingly complex Wagyu tartar (S$52++) served with Kampot pepper caramel and a side plate of torn lettuce leaves to wrap this in. It’s a heady medley of peppery sweetness that is pleasantly perplexing and can easily challenge even the most seasoned palate.

Chitose Farm tomatoes (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Chitose Farm tomatoes (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Elsewhere, a plate of roasted Chitose Farm tomatoes (S$24++) offers a surprising meaty undertone from being tossed in Nduja vinaigrette and then garnished with crackling pork skin. There’s a handsome char to this, too, thanks to all that time spent languishing in the hearth. It’s the kind of char you can bring home to meet the parents.

Canary Island Seabass (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Canary Island Seabass (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Seafood plates come by way of a thickly-cut Roasted Hand dive Scallop (S$84++/3 pieces) cooked in a seductive and utterly briny scallop butter. This sits on a puddle of beurre nantaise of French origins made with shallots, white wine, vinegar, and butter. It’s a very effective dish that demands little by way of excellence. The same goes for the meaty, tender, and fabulously flaky Canary Island Seabass (S$72++) with salty undertones from the puddle of Iberico ham sauce it sits in.

Wood-fired Lamb Shoulder (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Wood-fired Lamb Shoulder (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

By this time of the meal, the restaurant is officially full. To my left sits a motley table of five clinking glasses sits to my left, sharing a laugh or two. Further nearer to the entrance, a couple walks in with bags of shopping, ready to tear into some milk bread—shopping can be such a chore, I imagine they would say. A massive undertaking of Wood-fired Lamb Shoulder (S$120++) arrives amidst all this conviviality, served with Labba bread, Pistachio Cabernet, and Tahina and Lebanese pickle for a suitable dash of acidity to cut through all that gaminess.

And boy was this gamey. I’ve had my share of lamb but never have I encountered a meat so gamey, it almost makes me think it’s suitable only for ardent and long-time fans. It’s a rich dish that demands full attention, though, for me, petite bites were all I could muster. An Embered Kent Pumpkin (S$29++) offers proper respite. It’s soft, smoky, sweet with layers of flavours that betrays its nomenclature—as if under heat, everything simply caramelises into one heaping, poetic mess.

Sudachi Lime ice cream (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Sudachi Lime ice cream (PHOTO: Zat Astha/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Poetic, too, is the dessert of a Sudachi Lime ice cream (S$18++) sandwiched between avant-garde shards of Milk meringue sheets, layered with white chocolate ganache, and lime peel puree. This all sits on an oat biscuit and finished with fragrant fennel flowers, a surprising but intoxicating addition to all these citrusy goodness that abounds. Still, I recommend careful consumption, if only to allow the palate to slowly adapt and agree to the sour nuances.

I like what Chef Tang has done with Rosemead—an unabashed, almost edgy presentation of food I can only imagine reminds him of home every day. It’s a paean, if anything, more than just a bold gamble to take in these times. If only all F&B wagers paid off this handsomely.

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19 Cecil Street, S049704
Tue to Sat: 6pm – 10.30pm