FYR Cycene Ond Drinc (Singapore)

Think you’ve seen enough of grill bars in our little red dot? Think again, for a newly debuted Josper oven-centric restaurant and bar is out to prove that it’s a value-added addition to the crowded scene.

Enter FYR Cycene Ond Drinc (“FYR”), a more-rugged-than-rustic joint at Boon Tat Street with sepia-hued wall murals and hardwood benches.

Opened in March 2015, this casual grill bar has been packing them in with a menu of modern European grill infused with the hearty flavours of South East Asia. To boot, diners needn’t dig deep into their pockets for dinner and drinks here: starters are priced at $10-$15, mains capped at $35, sharing plates for big groups at just over $50-$60 and desserts at $10. Even the booze is hard to resist with wines priced at $7.80 and cocktails at $10.

At a recent mid-week dinner, our taste buds were treated to a heady assortment of flavours, some more successful than others.

A trio of freshly shucked oven-toasted oysters (S$15) arrived crowned with roasted garlic, paprika, spring onions, red cut chillies and a squeeze of calamansi. Admittedly the brininess of the bivalves was muted in such company but there was no doubt that the intoxicating flavors of the condiments were spot-on.

Soft, wobbly and unctuous, the oven-baked half bone marrow (S$15) with Asian spices was also a winner, except that it was almost overwhelmed by the heap of veal sweetbread bits that topped the pile.

We were neutral towards the baked aubergine (S$15) crowned with a confusing assortment of flavours including a mound of chickpea ragout, which was itself smothered in a piquant coat of miso béchamel Parmesan sauce.

Maine lobster

 

The Maine lobster (S$35) did somewhat better. Doused in an incredibly heavy – albeit delicious – lemongrass accented béchamel sauce infused with the lobster’s own coral, it was close to impossible to taste the succulence of the lobster although if you sieve out the cloying cream sauce like a picky eater, the freshness of the crustacean will disarm you (as we discovered later, the Maine lobsters are brought in fresh 3 to 4 times a week).

The steak was the pièce de résistance. Grain-fed Holstein rib-eye steak (S$32 for 270g) was served medium rare with a choice of sauces (truffle, foie gras or tomato-cilantro, all of which were surprisingly tasty). Teamed with a mound of salad dressed in a savoury Javanese curry dressing, the generous slab of meat was a standout and great bang for buck.

Top off your meal with a dessert of baked pistachio melt served alongside a scoop of pandan ice cream (S$10). Not surprisingly, it arrived a tad sweet but this is totally in line with the lashings of flavours showcased here (another case in point was the ultra-sweet grilled pineapple juice enriched with honey).

Judging from the full house at dinner, it’s a recipe that resonates with the crowd.