STOFA

Chef Jason Sawision opened Stofa — a Norse word meaning “hearth” or “gathering spot” — just over a year ago, and the restaurant already looks to have become a favourite in the neighbourhood.

Visible from the dining room is a kitchen busily putting forth such globally inspired creations as (complimentary) garlic-and-sage focaccia with purple ube spread, addictive shishito peppers with ponzu and sesame, and fried mushrooms with miso mayonnaise. Mains get a similar treatment: wild boar is artfully plated on vivid splatters of pequillo and poblano pepper sauces, with touches of acid from pickled vegetables and earthiness from roasted carrots and Thai eggplant. The buckwheat-andmushroom tart, a vegetarian main, is presented on a more minimalistic plate but with the same finesse of balanced flavours.

In terms of having a signature dish, Stofa’s seafood tower is making waves. Like a high-tea platter, the tower arrives at the table crackling over dry ice and features two tiers of imaginative seafood treats accompanied by a myriad of accoutrements that offer a plethora of tastes and textures.

Stofa’s other signature dish is a made-to-order seasonal soufflé: ours is a sour-cherry creation served with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream on cookie crumbs — truly the cherry on top of a memorable meal.

With a menu that employs unfamiliar ingredients, it’s a must to have friendly servers who can guide you through the dishes, something Stofa has in spades.

While elements of molecular gastronomy hint at Sawision’s time as chef de cuisine at Atelier, he has opted here to present a fine-dining menu that is slightly more casual though no less creative.