[SG] Platypus Kitchen
Friday, May 17, 2013
With pasta cravings kicking in and wanting some variety in my dish, I came across the newly opened Platypus Kitchen conveniently located at Bugis Junction. With its affiliate restaurants opened at Clifford Centre and Bukit Timah Plaza whipping up various pasta and family-friendly cuisine respectively, this is the latest to their additions, with a philosophy of making gourmet food affordable.
Located outside Food Junction (Mitju exit), it's hidden behind the bends that you might miss easily if you're not on the lookout for it. Being the new kid on the block, we were pleasantly surprised to have sighted a soft launch promotion they were having, with menu prices starting from $16.90 for a set of pasta, drink and soup of the day.
Crab & Tobiko Bucatini ($17.50)
(Bucatini tossed in flying fish roe sauce, toppped with crab claw meat, tobiko and seaweed)
This was one that drew me back for a second visit. It probably didn't look as appetising as it sounds, but I'd thoroughly enjoyed this subtle dish with a combination of my favourite stuffs. The crab claw meat was solid enough with a slight bounce to it, and there was quite a generous amount of crab meat chunks, living up to what it's listed as crab claw meat, the fleshiest parts I've always enjoyed in crabs. Mixed together, it was a nice combination with a slight creamy sauce that was light enough to make it flavourful yet not jelat. Bonus point, every mouthful was marked with the crunchy tobiko to give that extra oomph! It was certainly on my hit list!
Nom Factor: 8.5/10
Salad
This came with the set and since I'm not a salad fan, I shall not do this injustice with my biased views. Thoroughly enjoyed by my friend, she said it was fresh and in fact these were the more premium type of vegetables used. Besides, there was quite a lot of cherry tomatoes that were just ripe and topped off the salad well!
Pumpkin Soup
Another entree that came with the set, this came as a pleasant surprise to us! Hardly expecting any good pumpkin soup coming from a pasta specialty place, I was quite marvelled by how good it was actually. It was rich with the natural pumpkin sweetness spread throughout, and a tinge of stir-fried garlic fragrance. Best drank when hot though! When we tried it after it's cooled down, the garlic taste became much stronger and overwhelmed the entire soup. It would have been perfect with a richer taste, but well, it was still quite a good rendition and we were contented with this!
Nom Factor: 8.5/10
Angry Chicken ($17.80 for a set with salad and a drink)
(Spicy chicken arrabiata ragu, served over Parppadelle pasta)
Quite a tongue-in-cheek name they had for the dish and it was quite an apt description! Fiery chicken cubes that you mix with the pasta and wow, it came up to quite a spicy one! I liked the type of pasta used, cooked to al dente and there wasn't too much flour that you'll find yourself chewing away non-stop. What was distinct was how fiery it was. One or two mouthfuls was fine by me, and finishing it would probably be one big challenge without sobbing away. Good for those who're up for extra extra spicy dishes!
Nom Factor: 8.0/10
Spicy 'Diablo' Crab & Prawn ($19.90 under premium set)
(Egg Tagliolini with prawns and crab claw meat tossed in a spicy egg sauce)
When they say spicy, they really mean spicy. Overwhelmed by the spicy egg sauce, I felt that this gave too much of a one-dimensional taste. The spiciness was overpowering that it basically numbed my tastebuds and you can't really taste much of the natural sweetness of seafood in the dish. Quite a pity I thought, given that the crab claw meat (super generous again) and prawns were pretty fresh. I didn't exactly like the type of prawn used, as it was the extra crunchy kind that didn't have the usual sweetness, but the textures went well with the dish. It would have been better if they'd offered a selection of the spiciness level as it came to me as a shock after my first mouthful. Definitely not for the faint-hearted!
Nom Factor: 7.0/10
Truffle Fries
On the lookout for good truffle fries, we thought we had to give it a try. It was quite a decent one, with every fry having a slight truffle tinge to it. The fries were done well, but it could have been more 'truffly' as the taste was just too faint.
Nom Factor: 6.5/10
Truffle Whipped Potato
After my epic-ly great encounter with truffle mash at Bistro Du Vin, I haven't been able to find another one that was able to match up closely to it. When served, I was pleased by the presentation of it, and even more so when I caught the first whiff of truffle when the lid was lifted. The fragrance of truffle was so strong that we got really excited and I felt a sense of satisfaction (you know the kind where you had good food and feel contented) sweeping past me. It had won quite a bit of brownie points with me already even before tasting.
Taking a bite into it, I must say I was fairly disappointed by the lack of truffle taste. Setting high expectations from the smell alone, the taste hadn't been able to match up to it. It was moderately tinted with truffle and the mash wasn't very finely blended to give a smooth texture. It wasn't very warm when served as well and we had to get their friendly service crew to help us warm it up. Great for satisfying temporary cravings but definitely more room for improvement for its taste. Commendable attempt though, I'd enjoyed my first minute of the dish thoroughly with its strong fragrance.
Nom Factor: 7.5/10
Iced Sea Salt Caramel ($6.90)
(Sea salt and caramel butter cream, chocolate peanut butter brittle, ganache and popping candy)
What's there to resist with sea salt caramel in the dish? This seemed like a signature to order, and it was especially interesting to see desserts coming together with popping candy. It was quite a delightful treat, with a light tinge of sea salt caramel flavour coming through in every mouthful, yet not overwhelmed by the chocolate peanut butter. With a smooth layer of caramel cream that wasn't too sweet and the peanut butter bits, the textures were very well complemented, with the bonus of popping candy to give that additional oomph! It was definitely a hit for me!
Nom Factor: 8.0/10
Iced Cheese Tart ($6.90)
(New York style cheese cake served with strawberry coulis crumbled biscotti and popping candy)
Finely presented with the crumbles and popping candy, it looked really appetising for us. Thick and smooth New York cheesecake, it was nicely complemented with the slightly sourish strawberry sauce. It wasn't too sweet either and cheesecake lovers would probably enjoy this. It was slightly too heavy for my liking but my friend enjoyed it with its rich flavour. Quite a good one too!
Nom Factor: 7.5/10
Some hits and some misses for the dishes, but I think it's quite a good place to visit for interesting variations of pasta dishes. It'd definitely left me spoilt for choices with its standard menu and seasonal ones (Crab and Tobiko Bucatini was one of the seasonal pastas). The pasta were all done well, al dente needless to say, and the types of pasta they chose complemented the various combinations they had. I was pretty satisfied with my two visits there and would probably go back for more, especially since it's so conveniently located within Bugis. Great ambience for catching up, gatherings and their service is really good too!
Overall Nom Factor: 8.0/10
200 Victoria Street
#03-29 Bugis Junction
6333 4434
2 comments
Hi Sweegeok,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog from reviews on hungrygowhere and I really like the food photos you share here. I'm actually doing marketing at OpenRice.com and was wodnering if you would be keen to join us at one of our regular food tasting sessions? I could fill you in on the details via email. Feel free to drop me a note at jeremyee@openrice.com.sg
I look forward to hearing from you soon! Have a great weekend ahead.
Cheers,
Jeremy Ee
Hi Jeremy, thanks for the support! I'll drop you an email shortly. Have a great weekend ahead too! (:
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