Food review: Humpback

Laidback, clever, delicious

SINGAPORE — The S$2-to-S$3-a-piece Pacific Northwest oysters during Happy Hour (Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 7pm) are no doubt the draw at Seattle-style restaurant Humpback, but it is the creative menu rolled out by young executive chef Polo Seah that had us glued to our seats well into the night.

The food doesn’t sound particularly fancy on paper: Kale with buttermilk, pear and pecans (S$14), or rainbow trout with egg yolk, almond milk and pickled mustard seeds (S$16). But when these offerings appear on the plate, they harbour a quiet finesse and complexity that surprise and delight.

The kale is a must-order. Its fresh, curly leaves are swathed in a creamy, just-tart-enough buttermilk dressing and contrasted by crisp kale chips hit with black pepper. These are, in turn, counterpointed by sweet, juicy slivers of pear and the nuttiness of crunchy pecans.

The cabbage with herb cheese (S$10) should not be missed either. Wedges of the vegetable are first brined, oven-roasted and then grilled so they are squishy and tender at their hearts, yet smoky and beautifully blistered on the surface. Served on a bed of creamy herb cheese, showered with crispy quinoa and spiked with chilli oil, the dish’s nuanced deliciousness compelled us to eat every last bit of our cabbage.

The aforementioned trout was cooked sous vide (in a low-temperature water bath) so its flesh was silky and a bright coral hue. The velvety egg yolk sauce and light almond paste further enriched the fish’s flavours, while pickled mustard seeds provided jolts of brightness and texture.

Every dish we sampled came with diverse components, but as in the best of dining establishments, their flavours melded together with remarkable harmony. There is a sense of high-brow savvy disguised in seemingly humble fare: Briny clams folded into cream cheese and served with Ritz crackers (S$10); succulently charred pork collar with pear puree, pear slices, orange glaze and frisee (S$16). The flavours are simple and honest, the concepts and execution reservedly clever.

Underpinning this modest, stylish cleverness is the restaurant’s polished, laid-back appeal: Lots of wood, glossy white tiles and shades of the ocean convey that easy-going Seattle-esque bayfront vibe.

Add to that the buckets of shore-fresh Pacific Northwest oysters heaving by the seafood counter (think fruity Kumamotos, crisp Shigoku Fat Bastards, fleshy Burley Lagoon and intensely briny Rocky Bay oysters at S$6 each) and it is an experience quite unlike anything else on this island. Annette Tan

Humpback

Where: 18/20 Bukit Pasoh Road. Telephone: 6750 4461. Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays 5pm to midnight. Closed on Sundays.

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