CLOUDSTREET

84 Amoy Street, S(069903) TEL: 6513 7868

Cloudstreet deserves all the praise it receives for chef

Rishi Naleendra’s thoughtful multicultural cuisine, hospitality that puts you at ease and a wine list that deserves a publishing award. While there are lunch and dinner sets, it’s the latter that truly does justice to his imaginative prowess and his kitchen’s accomplished techniques. The starter snacks are a delight. The grilled oyster is judiciously warm but retains a briny freshness, while the coconut, betel leaf and finger lime provide contrasts in flavour and texture. His venison tartare, the only dish ported over from Cheek by Jowl, deserves to be an all-time classic, with tender diced red meat that’s like a cross between beef and tuna belly, added with the zing of fermented plum and the crunch of cashew. The chef’s Sri Lankan roots give the curry of king crab a remarkable edge. The crab is succulent and sweet, served with tamarind sauce and mildly spiced curry broth on the side. Another side dish destined to become a classic is the homemade bread— a warm, crumbly, rich bun with a sticky exterior made with stout and liquorice.