With quite a number of restaurants on my Wishlist, Foliage is actually the latest addition, and I ended up choosing to go to this restaurant out of all choices. I guess I’m looking for an unique experience, and Foliage looks to be promising on that premises with an intimate, homely feel, Singaporean style. In addition, this restaurant is like a representation of the owners’ passion and cumulation of their knowledge gained through the travels to Japan. I want to see how these make a difference in the dining experience.
And yes, these make for an amazing experience that totally exceeds my expectations. In fact, given the Muji, cosy, intimate setting of the place, plus the sincere friendliness of owners, the experience feels like private dining in the lovely abode of the owners. I love it. This is a must-try experience.
To make it even more special, the restaurant keeps an awesome rare selection of sakes, specially curated from Japan, made possible due to the rapport the owners have established with the quaint wineries. Yes, the sakes here are must-tries too.
The food here is exceptional, familiar yet unique at the same time. The dishes are based on our Singaporean local delights, thus having that lovely, homely feel that I embraced. And at the same time, the chef has added modern culinary twists to elevate the taste to be more nuanced, refined and complex, akin to the exploration of tastes in fine dining. I enjoy every dish here. The food here is worth a special trip to Onze@Tanjong Pagar, a condominium complex at the quiet edge of Tanjong Pagar.
Zuwai Snow Crab White Laksa Kueh Pie Tew, a Southeast Asian delight tempered with a touch of lux from the perfectly shredded briny sweet Zuwai Crab Coconut and local herbs, features this nostalgic homely taste while incorporating the delicate complex flavours of modern dining, from slight spiciness to sweet savoury goodness. It is super moist and rich in taste. I love this so much, definitely one of my favourites of the night. And the cute pastry cup is super crispy.
Seasonal Sashimi, Singaporean style, is such a delight on the palates!
Hirame, which is clean tasting, has its sweetness highlighted by special soya sauce, called Jiu He & Tee Poh "Fish Sauce", which is made with dried squid and flounder bones. The clear flavour, light umami of the sauce yields an awesome, unique experience of savouring sashimi.
Engawa fin is so creamy, melty, complex in taste and has a lovely roasted aroma.
The special type of squid is bouncy and full of mild sweet creaminess. Its fin is crunchy, featuring a good bite.
Tougan Winter Melon Soup showcases a huge delicious dumpling made from Primrose pork rib mixed with sea prawn pork bones. It feels so satisfying to bite into it, releasing a melange of harmonised warm flavours. The clear and light broth, made from prawn shell, crab shell is bursting with briny sweetness and tastes so comforting and nourishing.
Primrose Pork, Seri & Gobo "Jong Bak Pau" topped with wild mountain vegetables and burdock is the best Kong Ba Bao I ever have! I expected it to be heavy, like a typical Kong Ba Bao, so imagine my surprise when I realise this dish is so light on palates, while still big on flavours. The refreshing pungency of vegetables elevates the delightful meaty sweetness of pork, adding in an excellent uniqueness. And the crunchy burdock layers on a good extra texture onto the super soft, moist fluffy bun.
Awabi & GG Poulet Mee Sua Poulet, with umami rich awabi liver sauce and sake, is full of collagen goodness. It has this rich umami that coats the thin strands of the mee sua, making every mouthful of the mee sua delightful. The mushroom and abalone slice adds earthy flavours and light milky brininess respectively to the dish. They also do a great job to juxtapose with the texture of the mee sua.
Tara Shirako Mapo Tofu is made with squid, pork stock and ghee from french butter. It is very flavourful and shiok in taste, going so well with the starchy rice from Hokkaido. Shirako, aka cos's sperm, is like the creamy custard of the sea, whose creaminess complements the mala so well. I need to make a special mention of the pickles because they are super good and refresh the palates in between the fiery goodness of the mala.
French plum and shiso sorbet is refreshing and unique with slight creaminess.
Fresh Yuzu "Tau Sah Pia" is what makes me go "wow" because what is wrapping the mildly sweet nice mung bean paste is actually Puff Pastry! This makes such a wonderful, huge difference to the taste and texture of the Tau Sah Pia. This is awesome.
Chen Pi, True Cinnamon & Rooibos Tea goes well with the desserts.
Dessert sake, another rarity, is clear and sweet. I love this too.
Thoughts: Amazing, Intimate, Cosy. One of a Kind Experience.
Onze@Tanjong Pagar #01-03