Review: SIRI HOUSE New Lunch Menu Inspired by Childhood Classics and Familiar Asian Flavours

SIRI HOUSE is one of those hidden restaurants that wows you the first time you step in; the decor is opulent but cosy, stylish but doesn’t feel intimidating. This is a review of their new lunch menu that was launched just last month. There are lots of small plates to share, and familiar flavours inspired by traditional Asian cooking.

Above: SIRI HOUSE Kitchen, photo courtesy SIRI HOUSE

Above: SIRI HOUSE Interior, photo courtesy SIRI HOUSE

Here are our favourite dishes from the new menu:

Above: Siri House Salad, $16
A delightful mix of lemongrass prawns, mixed greens, belinjo crackers, ikan bilis and a ginger sesame dressing.

The salad is tangy and very tasty. The belinjo crackers give the texture some crunch and blends well with the choice of Asian dressing.

Above: Scallop, $24
Wild caught Hokkaido scallops with yuzu kosho, dashi jelly, smoked ikura and sea grapes.

This dish was very fresh and opened up our appetites for the main course. Together with the Siri House Salad, this starter is highly recommended.

Above: Bao (1 pc for set, 2 pc for a la carte)
$17 for soft shell crab
$14 for Braised pork belly cha shu

The soft shell crab bao comes with burnt garlic aioli and pickled red cabbage; the textures of the crunchy crab and the soft bun went well together, and the overall taste was very balanced. We preferred this to the cha shu bao, which is a pretty straightforward rendition of a kong bak pau.

Above: Snapper, $27
Pan seared, with thunder tea broth, French beans and charred leeks.

The thunder tea broth (a Hakka recipe passed down from generations) is a unique flavour that I can imagine will be polarising — you’ll either love it or hate it. But we actually really liked it. It wasn’t an overpowering taste, and there were hints of herbs and roasted nuts in the flavour.

Above: Unagi Risotto, $32
Unagi, chanterelle mushrooms and pickled daikon on rice infused with a mixture of burnt onion dashi and tomato consomme.

This twist on the risotto keeps the original’s texture, but with Japanese flavours. A good sharing dish if you need carbs.

Above: Chocolate, $16
Preserved orange peel chocolate mousse, candlenut ice cream, cocoa nibs and chocolate tuile.

The chocolate mousse and ice cream were surprisingly light. The thin chocolate pieces have a salty and sour taste that reminded us of dried plums, which didn’t agree with everyone’s palate.

Above: Tropical “Tau Huay”, $15
Macerated mango with chilli, coconut panna cotta and passionfruit granita.

This looks like tau huay but isn’t tau huay at all. The coconut panna cotta did resemble and have the texture of tau huay (the coconut cream is set with gelatin to obtain the texture), and was refreshing together with the passionfruit granita. A good tangy and not-too-sweet dessert to end the meal.

Above: Chocolates from the chef

The flavours created that day included Thunder Tea (green), Kopi (blue) and Mala (red). All tasting exactly as their name implies, and they are beautifully presented by the pastry chef.

Above: Ginger, cucumber and Lemon soda, $8

Refreshing and a wonderful complement to the meal.

Above: Got Milk?, $22

A clarified milk punch made by clarifying a blend of black tea, milk, sherry, rum and lemon juice, and served with a housemade ghee biscuit. A strong and heady cocktail championed by rum. Easy to drink and a crowd pleaser.

Above: Orchard Crumble, $16

Pimms mixed with honeydew and apple crumble cider, and garnished with orange peel. This bitter cocktail will appeal to those who aren’t looking for something sweet.

Here’s the new lunch menu:

Siri House is located at 8D Dempsey road, #01-02 Dempsey Hill, Singapore 249672, T 94871552, email contact.sg@sirihouse.com. For reservations, click HERE.