Redpan: A Touch of Local Flavours
Redpan is a collaboration between the well-established architecture firm (DP Architects) and a local culinary company (GRUB). The result is a casual, aesthetically designed open-concept eatery with touches of local flavours in most of its dishes.
Located on the second level of Marina Square, it is quite easy to spot the eatery—in fact, it’s just behind the “Information Counter”.
The menu booklet is divided into starters for lunch/dinner, main courses for lunch/dinner and a few dishes only available during dinner, desserts and drinks. For those who crave for burgers, there are 2 choices in the menu.
Pork Pops: Fried Marinated Pork Belly with Mango Sauce
A few of the dishes look interesting. One is the pork pops ($9) which are fried marinated pork belly with mango sauce and they reminded me of deep fried pork lard. The meat was cut into small bite sizes and fried till crispy. Not only were they crunchy but addictive as well. The mango sauce which was slightly sweet and tangy, made a perfect dip.
Although the fried calamari($9) was crispy, there was a thick layer of flour around the calamari. And it didn’t add much to the overall taste.
Grilled Sirloin Steak with Housemade Spicy Chinchalok, Pickled Onions & Mashed Potatoes
For mains, the steak and chinchalok ($22) intrigued me. It was grilled sirloin steak (250g) with housemade spicy chinchalok, pickled onions and mashed potatoes. For that price, I did not expect top grade beef to be served. Surprisingly, the gravy was not spicy at all and there was no strong traces of chinchalok.
Another interesting dish with a touch of local flavour is the prawn and ‘hae bi hiam’ pasta ($16): An Italian staple with local ingredients that made it uniquely Singapore. Here, the tagliatelle was tossed with housemade spicy shrimp paste and sautéed prawns, and each mouthful was extremely delightful.
Instead of the usual fish and chips, I went with the grilled kingfish collar with chinchalok chilli and salad ($19). The kingfish meat was slightly sweet, smooth and had a smoky flavour. I would definitely order this again because of the explosive flavours.
I chose 2 popular desserts. The red date butter cake with caramel date sauce and vanilla ice-cream ($8) was unusual. And the infusion of East and West really highlighted each ingredient. Red dates are a common feature in Chinese cooking and they blended well with the overall texture of the cake. You can really taste the red dates which still had the seeds intact.
Banana Donuts with Milo Crumb, Condensed Milk & Hazelnuts
The banana donuts ‘Milo Dinosaur’ with milo crumbs, condensed milk and hazelnuts ($7) was a value for money. The donuts were quite sizeable and irresistible. To me, this is truly a new concoction.
At Redpan, the chefs are bold enough to experiment with local ingredients and come up with their own original dishes of local favourites. Opened only in March, I am not surprised if many diners are making a beeline to Redpan.
Address:
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-03/04 Marina Square
Singapore 039594
Tel: 6255 5850
Opening hours:
Lunch: 11 am to 3 pm (last order 2.30 pm)
Dinner: 5.30 pm to 10 pm (last order 9.30 pm)