Grilled seafood, meat skewers, and Asian flavors take the spotlight at casual diner Fat Chap

Photo: Fat Chap
Photo: Fat Chap

Fat Chap is all about Asian flavors — according to its amicable Indonesian head chef, the restaurant is keeping its source material diverse since he believes food should have “no boundaries”. Influenced by his heritage and travels around the region, the food here is an infusion of familiar spices and sauces into grilled seafood and meats, skewers, and rice bowls.

Taking over most of the spacious unit left behind by Bistro 1855, Fat Chap brightens up the place with warm woods, colorful lamps, a bustling open kitchen, and outdoor seating for people-watching. The casual eatery is a sister brand to 1855 The Bottle Shop, helmed under 1855 Food & Beverage, which also owns The Spot and Wakanui Grill Dining at Marina One.

Photo: Coconuts Media
Photo: Coconuts Media

It’s a chill joint for after-work drinks or boisterous weekend dinners with friends, where you can get platters to share and linger a little longer to chat.

Start with small plates of fried chicken skin ($8), kombu seaweed fries ($12), or crispy pig’s ear sprinkled with a fragrant curry mix ($12). Then move on to skewers, where you can choose between vegetables ($12/six) like shiitake mushroom and asparagus with a slightly-too-sweet yuzu sauce, or meats ($18/six) such as spiced chicken with peanut sauce, bacon wrapped oyster mushroom, sweet pork belly, and cumin chilli lamb. The meats are a tad tough, but they’ve got that nice smoky flavor from the grill.

Pulled chicken salad. Photo: Coconuts Media
Pulled chicken salad. Photo: Coconuts Media

If you’re after a salad with lesser leafy greens, we’d recommend the pulled chicken ($14) with mung bean sprouts, cucumbers, and a Szechuan dressing that’s just spicy enough to give the dish a bit of a zing and wake your taste buds up.

Oxtail soup. Photo: Fat Chap
Oxtail soup. Photo: Fat Chap

On the soup side, the oxtail broth ($20, apparently a rendition of the chef’s grandmother’s recipe) is a warm bowl of nostalgia — light yet aromatic, swimming with potatoes and carrots. But even better is the version of asam pedas ($19), a dish of golden snapper that’s cooked perfectly, paired with okra, tomato, and a side of jasmine rice. It’s sour and spicy as it should be — the kind of feel-good creation that’s so simple yet comforting, you just can’t get enough of it.

Asam pedas. Photo: Fat Chap
Asam pedas. Photo: Fat Chap

Also from the grill: spiced lamb spare ribs ($35), kampong chicken ($25/half, $39/whole), Balinese pork ribs ($28/half, $45/full), and grilled whole fish of the day ($53). When you can, douse the meats with the restaurant’s fiery sambal belacan (FYI, the heat creeps up on you) for maximum satisfaction.

Grilled whole fish. Photo: Fat Chap
Grilled whole fish. Photo: Fat Chap

Then end off with desserts like the Klapertart ($12), a coconut custard made alcoholic with rum & raisin ice cream, or the wobbly pudding (very subtly) injected with the taste of Thai milk tea ($12), topped with grass jelly, azuki bean, and a refreshing lychee granita.

Klapertart and Thai milk tea pudding. Photo: Coconuts Media
Klapertart and Thai milk tea pudding. Photo: Coconuts Media

If you swing by for lunch, Japanese rice bowls (from $12) with two skewers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, corn, edamame, and onsen egg are available, with extra add-ons like Iberico pork cheek, eggplant, and Hokkaido scallops.

Rice bowls. Photo: Fat Chap
Rice bowls. Photo: Fat Chap

Otherwise, the weekend brunch line-up offers platters such as the Fisherman’s Catch ($118/three to four pax) of whole fish, squid, and veggies, or the Butcher’s Cut ($138/three to four pax) with Balinese pork ribs, kampong chicken, beef ribeye, Iberico pork collar, and lamb ribs.

 

FIND IT:
Fat Chap is at #01-643 Suntec City, East Wing, 3 Temasek Blvd.
6836-5994. Mon-Thurs & Sat 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-1am, Sun 11am-5pm.

MRT: Promenade



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