Familiar favourites with a twist

In a food-mad city such as Singapore, menus have to evolve often to entice diners back.

Gallery & Co at National Gallery Singapore has a completely new menu and the options are exciting. They were created by Anthony Yeoh, chef of Restaurant Cocotte in Little India, and put a new spin on familiar favourites.

My favourite dish is Otak Otak Taco ($17, above), where a slab of battered and fried mackerel otah is wrapped in a flour tortilla with grilled corn, pomegranate arils, green herb salsa and chilli aioli. It is a delicious take on fish tacos, and the corn and pomegranate are little flavour bombs that make the tacos pop.

Chicken Dumpling soup ($17) features sturdy chicken and sauerkraut dumplings in a chicken broth flavoured with lemongrass, turmeric and ginger. What gives it heft is quinoa and fregola, little ball-shaped pasta from Sardinia. It is a mish-mash of cuisines which works very well.

For dessert, Sweet Potato & Yam Tart ($8.50) is familiar and new at once, reminding me of Chinese New Year nian gao fritters sandwiched with slices of yam and sweet potato. This dessert is less calorific and just as good, especially if you have some lime-zest-dusted coconut mousse with each forkful.

WHERE: Gallery & Co, 01-05 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road

MRT: City Hall

TEL: 6385-6683

OPEN: 11am to 9pm (Sunday to Thursday), 11am till late (Friday and Saturday)

INFO: www.facebook.com/GalleryandCo

This article was first published on September 23, 2016.
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