Dark Dining /Col

Y (May '23)

SCORE: Suck it and See

ORDER: Woodfired meats, Taramasalata, Muhamarra, Burger

VALUE: so so, ~ 250 SGD / person including alcohol

Another one that I have to preface with a bit of context. This restaurant is set up by Colin Buchan, a cycling buddy of mine. So I may find it a bit difficult to publicly be unbiased. That honest opinion was shared with him over a ride and a morning kopi.

Colin's food, as he describes it is more like an upmarket british pub style of food. It therefore draws influence and inspiration from a whole host of cuisines, and so some none brit flavors also come into the mix, and make a very interesting and relaxed dining experience.

This is the same about the ambience of the restaurant itself, with a nice welcome area with a couple of bar seats, that I guess if one were inclined to, one could dine at as well... After that you are showed to the dining area that has a host of tables that are spaced quite close to one another (depending on where you're seated, potentially a bit too close). In the far end from the windows, the kitchen is on full display, along with the massive fire burning for the grill... pyromaniacs will need some effort to avoid drifting away from conversation and to staring at the crackling fire

The general atmosphere is one of a chill restaurant / pub... although the lighting and the occassional DJ present makes me wonder if he's trying to bring it closer to a "club" than a "pub". On that note - the lighting. what is it with some dining establishments and their hatred of sufficient lighting for people to read it? It makes me feel like a proper uncle whenever I have to bust out the torch light on my phone to read the menu, and subsequently see what I'm eating. I'm not shy about making that point obvious to the staff because I then deliberately let my glasses slide down to the tip of my nose and I proceed to periodically look down at them through the tip of my glasses. I know it's not their fault, but come on, hangry + struggling to read is not a good combo

The food itself is actually quite nice. A good selection of grilled meats and fish, with light flavors so that you can truly appreciate the meat itself and the smoke from the grill. My favorites were the nduja arrancini, the lamb and the morel papardelle. The arrancini were crispy on the outside, and gooey and ricey in the center, with a nice kick from the nduja at the core. They muhammara that came with it was absolutely fantastic. It was rich, peppery, and nutty exactly like you would imagine a good muhamarra to be. So much so that I ordered a couple of extra portions of the muhamarra to eat with the bread. The steaks are properly cooked, with a nice bark and great temperature, and if that's your go to, you won't be disappointed.

All in all, a good place to go for a chill evening out... until the DJ starts playing (I don't like it when dining establishments do that). I would recommend getting more of the items that are cooked on the grill because that's where the restaurant truly shines. Oh. and bring a torch.