Dirty Supper — Restaurant in Singapore

Visited on opening night and was severely underwhelmed. Arrived early for my reservation for two but no one greeted us at the door. Instead, I had to grab the attention of the server. My partner and I ended up being seated next to an incredibly loud group of four even though there was an empty table in the corner (said table remained unoccupied throughout our time there) which would have been much more preferable seeing as the aforementioned group were talking as if they owned the joint. In terms of deco, the place was clearly unfinished. Plastic bags and various coffee shop items from the previous lessee, Hua Bee Restaurant, were not disposed off and left obviously visible. Similarly, in terms of furniture, there were plastic stools at the counter at the front of the restaurant indicating that they did not have enough time or budget to acquire matching furnishings. After taking our seats, we were informed of the night’s specials and proceeded to order the kingfish belly and lamb tenderloin to start. Both dishes were well executed, and well-seasoned. Lamb was a perfect mid-rare (keep this in mind as it will be important later). Unfortunately, we couldn’t order more as we didn’t receive our menus until the specials arrived. After looking through the menu, we made our orders. We informed our server that we would be sharing everything. To my chagrin, each dish came out individually. Perhaps this might have been my fault as I should have been more explicit, but, on the other hand, I think it’s pretty much a customary practice that where people are sharing dishes, they should come out either all at once or in quick succession. This was not the case here as there were long intervals between dishes. Turning to the actual food, we continued our small bites with the pig’s head nuggets, raw prawn with black lime and pickled chilli, as well as the kingfish pastrami. Out of all three, my partner and I only agreed that the pig’s head nuggets were worth getting. I enjoyed the kingfish pastrami, but my partner found the cured taste of the fish to be overwhelming and salty. We, however, were in agreement that the raw prawns were seriously underwhelming. In terms of presentation, the lack of colour due to the use of local grey prawns meant the dish came out looking flat. In terms of taste, the prawns were insufficiently sweet, so the sourness of the lime and pickled chilli overpowered the prawns. Turning to the mains, we ordered dry-aged duck breast with stout-pickled figs and the lamb rump with cauliflower. The duck dish was outstanding both in terms of presentation and flavour. The figs were an excellent addition which served to tone down the gaminess of the duck. The lamb course, however, was an absolutely disaster. When it arrived, it was noticeably grey with slight hints of pink. Meaning it was toeing the line between medium-well and well done. I politely pointed out to the server that the meat was over but was informed that this is how the meat is prepared. Remember when I said to keep in mind my description of the tenderloin? This was precisely why. It seems odd that the tenderloin could come out perfectly pink while I had a very clearly greying rump. Does the restaurant do different temperatures for different parts of the same animal? In any case, after taking a bite into what was an extremely firm and dry lamb, my suspicions were confirmed and I got the attention of a different server to inform the chef. In the circumstances, this other server, Si Yuan, dealt with the situation well and offered to either refire the lamb or prepare a new dish for us. I opted to for the former. Though it came out better than before, it was still slightly over. Perhaps cooking lamb isn’t for everyone. For dessert, we ordered a truly underwhelming chocolate torte with whiskey-compressed strawberries. For $16, one would be better off skipping dessert and heading elsewhere for it. While teething issues are common at a newly-opened establishment, the issues here are systemic and they are obviously not...

I don’t usually write a lot of reviews but since my wife and I both got the runs the next day from eating here, I figured i would do a PSA for those of you considering going.

TBH, I rarely try new places and usually go to my tried and true places when I crave a nice satisfying meal with honest ingredients, thoughtful preparation and good service (read Culina, Pallmall, Juice, DRIM etc). But since it was our anniversary, my wife and I decided to try this newish place as it was apparently one of the new “hot spots” in town. This experience was a stark reminder of why I’m hesitant to try new places….

The concept is interesting, promising lots of offal and off cuts and open fire cooking. Most of the snacks were quite tasty, pork hearts, pork ear terrine, the nuggets. The steak was also very very good, cooked perfectly with a very complimentary sauce.

The reason I am giving it 2 stars is because of the BBQ squid and the service we received. It arrived on the table completely white (no char) and essentially flavourless (apart from the sauce). The texture was chewy and a bit slimy, suggesting that it was slightly undercooked. This was most likely the cause of us being sick. So not tasty and caused the runs…. Really a bit of a double- whammy here.

We very nicely gave our feedback to one of the servers explaining why we didn’t prefer it and that it’s a little misleading to say it was barbecued, as we would expect it to have the fragrance and flavour of the char, when in fact it was mostly cooked by sous vide. That is fine if we expected it to be so. But to be undercooked (prob cause of our tummy aches) was not acceptable….

… and to have our feedback largely brushed off and ignored really capped off our subpar experience here. I know this is SG where we should be used to inadequate service and patchy hospitality, but this is one of more disappointing dining experiences we’ve had recently.

We were looking forward to trying this place, to support more small local businesses and maybe add this place to our regular rotation for date nights. Unfortunately , we...

Dirty Supper is nestled within the Tiong Bahru Estate, not difficult to get to. Went on a Saturday night just after a light shower, place is really intimate and the setting was really nice, dimly lit space tucked at the corner of one of the Tiong Bahru Estate blocks.

As a couple, both of us ordered 2 appetiser, 2 mains, 1 side and 2 cocktails.

We were recommended by the floor staff (great recommendations) : Duck Liver Parfait - Unique, flavour of the parfait was amazing, great appetiser. Smoked Mackerel Chicken Skin - Could not get enough of this, the smokiness of the Mackerel and the flavour of the chicken skin goes so well together.

Mains we ordered: Aged Duck Breast - Thick slices of duck breast, tender and the meat is lightly seasoned, the sauce balances out the duck well so it’s not overly bland nor saucy, the pickled turnip and apricot helps make it less heavy on the palate. Lamb Sirloin (Daily Menu) - Cooked really well, tender to the bite, the sauce pairs with the lamb well and it is not gamey.

Side ordered: Courgette w Cheese - Flavour was mild and light for this dish despite its appearance.

Drinks ordered (cocktails): Secret Affair - Smokiness of the drink really comes through till the end. Tomato flavour is light and not overpowering. Spiced & Dirty - Spice and flavour was strong but got diluted once the ice melted. Would require to finish the drink faster.

Overall, the flavour profile of the foods are on the heavier side for the items we’ve tried. Suitable for those who enjoy a heavier and denser palate.

Floor staff service was really great and attentive, superb attitude.

On a closing note, the menu items are on a pricier side, but the quality of the food really makes up for it. Portions are not huge, so you can try a few items on the menu. There are no images so if you’re unsure or can’t decide on what to order, the floor staff are there to explain and recommend the food to go for. Love...