COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Sichuan cuisine gets a totally hip makeover at new Amoy Street restaurant Birds of A Feather, which fits in perfectly with its other cool neighbours along the stretch. Decked out in lush greenery and warm woods, the eclectic East-meets-West shop house offers a myriad of couches, communal tables and sofas for patrons to perch on and soak in the natural sunlight. Its design is quirky yet modern, with an element of traditional materials, and the vibe is so chill you feel like you can take your time with the meal and nestle into the comfort of your chair.
As for the menu, don’t expect your regular Sichuan dishes — it’s more like Western plates with a touch of Sichuan influence. And be warned: Some items can pack quite a punch, so don’t try and act brave and order everything that features Sichuan peppers (especially if you’re, like us, a wimp when it comes to spice).
To start off your meal with a kick, order the crispy pork trotters ($12/five) — these perfectly deep fried pieces come in a bag that you can mix with spices and shake (kinda like McD’s shaker fries, but way better). They’re not too spicy either, unlike the piquant but addictive Find the Chicken in the Chillies ($16), where the Sichuan seasoning hits you after you’ve swallowed a mouthful of fried bird.
Oh, and don’t get us started on the Fortune Skewer in Sichuan Pepper Broth ($19) — just one sip got our throats tickled, and we were slightly alarmed at the numbing sensation that hit afterwards (disclaimer: everyone else enjoyed it immensely). But we’d have to admit, if we weren’t so allergic to spice, we’d be loving this comforting bowl of soup filled with lotus root, prawn and other goodies (you can also add Japanese glass noodles for $5).
If you’d rather stay on the safe side, go for fried calamari with yuzu tartar ($19) or gyozas with truffle soy vinaigrette ($16) as starters.
Whether you’re there for lunch or dinner, you gotta try the Oriental angelhair pork ragout bolognese with onsen tamago, mizuna and ebi sakura ($22) — it’s basically like a Westernised version of zha jiang mian, but with a pleasant punch. Definitely one of our favourites out of the lot.
Okay, so… meatheads, don’t kill us, but here’s a suggestion. Instead of going for the regular burger ($30), how about opting for the tofu burger with mapo meat sauce ($22)? For real, though — the crispy tofu patty, although slightly salty, was a rather satisfying change, and it paired pretty well with the mantou made in the shape of a burger bun. We also couldn’t stop snacking on the potato and sweet potato chips it came with.
But if you really can’t stomach the thought of giving up meat, even for one meal, the grilled cheese panini with braised pork belly and pickled cabbage ($20) is a flavourful, melt-in-your-mouth dish that’s not too heavy and totally enjoyable.
For a light lunch, try the butternut squash and quinoa ($18) or roasted chicken and avocado salad with Sichuan pepper ($18-$20) — we promise the latter won’t send you into a coughing fit. And if you pop by for dinner, you’ll get evening-exclusive dishes such as lobster pappardelle pasta with ikura ($45), crispy skin sous vide salmon ($34) and hot and sour chazuke ($28) served with Niigata rice, charcoal grilled barramundi and a spicy pickled mustard green broth.
Now that you’ve made it to the end of the meal without throwing back 10 cups of iced water, you’ll be happy to note that the desserts don’t go anywhere near any spices. Besides a variety of cakes, the menu features delectable plates such as the sweet poached pear with citrus, ginger and longan ($12) and the deep fried glutinous rice cake with Okinawan black sugar syrup ($12) that boasts a crisp exterior covering a chewy centre.
Birds of A Feather is at 115 Amoy St, 6221-7449. Daily 10am-11.45pm.
