Food review: Restaurant Labyrinth

SINGAPORE — Driven by a flair for the avant-garde, some of chef-owner Han Liguang’s most memorable examples of new Singapore cuisine have quickly earned one-and-a-half-year-old Restaurant Labyrinth a place in the nation’s fast evolving culinary future. There is no denying the 29-year-old former banker’s focus on celebrating everyday cuisine, whether it is chilli crab or nasi lemak that you crave. But don’t expect glorified renditions of gentrified hawker fare. Han’s provocative reinterpretations are led by a studied exploitation of modern techniques. And while his earliest creations may have been somewhat overshadowed by an overenthusiastic use of such methods, his new menus, which also mark the recent move to a bigger space at the Esplanade, speaks of a more matured hand.

To be sure, Han’s cuisine is rooted in the gastro-memories of growing up in Singapore, but presented in unexpected ways. Take a first course of seafood sambal (the sort BBQ seafood hawkers famously tout) disguised as bak chor mee. At first glance, the Hokkaido scallop, which is lightly seared and then sliced to reveal its sweet white flesh, does just enough to fool the eye into thinking it is fishcake. Of course, it helps that it is served atop slivers of lightly cooked squid infused with saffron to mimic flat, yellow noodles (mee pok) alongside some sambal hae bee, and finished with anchovy and tapioca powder for the look of minced meat.

Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of gastro-illusions (where what you see is not what you get), which often tread a fine line between genius and gimmicky foods you try only once because the surprise is lost after the first time. But I do appreciate bold new methods of delivery that offer refreshing insights into the flavours in question. Han’s cuisine style seems to have found a nice balance between playfulness and purpose. Each dish has a clear story to tell, deconstructed with the aim of heightening the experience while preserving the authenticity of its inspiration. The updated version of his Hainanese Rice Garden, for instance, now boasts potato cooked in edible grey clay, chicken mousseline coloured squid-ink-black and a curry quinoa risotto “soil” made with red and white quinoa for added texture, cooked in aptly spicy (but not too much) chicken curry that is lifted by the addition of a little sambal belachan. While the dish appears completely modern, the flavours are decided familiar and remarkably similar to Hainanese curry rice.

That said, one of the most enjoyable dishes shines with little need for molecular magic or cheeky allusions. His beef hor fun is a showcase of deftly cooked A4 Kagoshima beef cut from the rib-eye, paired with shavings of turnip and radish in place of rice noodles to cut through the fat, all dressed in a deeply flavoursome sauce made with the said Wagyu trimmings, piqued with a tiny dollop of black bean puree. For added brightness, sweet-pickled red and green chillies are added.

Almost as satisfying is his ode to Hokkien mee, a cold-smoked dish of Boston lobster served with hot-smoked pork fat “noodles” for that touch of “wok hei” and noodles of egg yolk (which are set in a silicon mould).

To be sure, his new nine-course Experience tasting menu (S$168) is just that, filled with memorable encounters. Five-course tasting menus for lunch (S$88) and dinner (S$98, S$105 for six courses) are also available. DON MENDOZA

Restaurant Labyrinth

Where:

#02-23 Esplanade Mall,

8 Raffles Avenue

Telephone:

6223 4098

Opening hours:

Lunch Noon to 2.30pm,

Dinner 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Click to eat

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