(CS) Fresh Concept /ColdStorage

(April '23)

SCORE: Suck it and see (horses for courses, worth trying out but maybe don't bring the boss or hot date the first time you go)

ORDER: Soft Shell Crab + Chilli Crab sauce (Ocean Deli counter) | Siew Yoke and Roast Duck (Crystal Jade Counter) | Couldn't figure out how the wine worked

VALUE: 100%

One of the things I have always loved about Singapore is how our culture of value seeking allows people from all walks of life to access aspects of luxury, and, for those who don't have issues of access, to keep it real and genuinely interact with their countrymen on equal footing. Hawkers are an example of this, and it makes me a little sad how so many of the residents I meet these days understand and experience hawker culture (and, no. A Crazy Rich Asians tour of Newton is not experiencing it). One thing that does give me a skip in my step and a sense of hope - the rise of supermarket dining. Having spent a chunk of my twenties drinking Dead Arm over charcuterie in Waitrose Canary Wharf, I'm a huge fan of the NTUC Finest Grocer Bar, and so when I heard that CS Fresh was attempting something similar, I had to check it out.

So first up - they aren't that similar. NTUC allows you to buy basically whatever, and go to their seating to indulge. This extends to $21-4888 bottles of wine or liquor, sushi or cheese from the counter, steaks they will dry age and cook for you from their butcher, caviar from their fridge... you name it, they'll serve it. They'll serve it picnic style, without shell spoons, or Zalto/Riedel glasses, sure, but with a low mark up or service fee, you'll be hard pressed to get a better deal. CS has a vendor model - roast meats from Crystal Jade, Ocean Deli do the seafood bar, etc. There is very limited seating as well, literally a single counter. I'm not sure wine glasses were available. Whilst at NTUC you can till up at the Grocer Bar, at CS you have to pay and walk back in. There is no cutlery or similar.

It is still great value though. I love how Ocean Deli offer combinations of soft shell crab and crab mayo, which really work for the set up. We tried the soft shell crab burger for $12.90 with fries.

While it was smaller than we expected, it was better value than many lobster bar options. The server fried it at the counter and served it hot and crisp, absolutely delectable. The salad was a little wet, my pet peeve, but since I ended up dismantling the burger for some dipping action, this made little difference. Dip into what, exactly? Well, they offer the crab with chilli crab, black pepper or wasabi mayo sauces.

Dismantling for carb avoidance meant I needed a little more and so I grabbed some Crystal Jade siew yoke from the counter.

Ever reliable.

All in, it's worth swinging by if you happen to be at Bugis Junction. The opening deal is great value - a double is two serves, not a double patty.

/CSFresh

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