redpan

Popped by redpan for a casual dinner and to say hello to the friends. DP Architects X GRUB; Design X Food. The bistro concept in the mall is kept stylishly casual, with demarcated spaces for larger groups, high tables and booths. Lighting is controlled at different intensity too.

At these prices, one would be hard-pressed to find a better (or tastier) alternative in the area. It's not located out of the way either. Very easy to find if you're walking over from Esplanade. It's just directly on the second floor above Emporium Shokuhin. If you're driving, park at Marina Square, right at the lobby to Emporium Shokuhin. The lift takes you right to redpan on level 2.

Ordered a few items to share between the man and I. Erm, skip the soups. Obviously we didn't bother with dessert. The man was curious and ordered snacks that went well with beer. Archipelago lager on tap. Forgot what the bottled beers and ciders were. Passed on the whisky/whiskey (Glenfiddich 12 and 15, and Balvenie Doublewood 12, Monkey Shoulder, Hudson's Baby Bourbon and Manhattan Rye) because those were sold by the bottle, and we didn't feel like having that with dinner. Apparently we could keep the bottles there for return visits.

While the fried buttermilk squid with sambal mayo dip was tender and all, the batter was crazy humongous. I'm one of those who scrape off the batter and eat the rings within. The man was pleasantly surprised by how good the sausages were- chicken cheese arabiki sausages with sambal mayo. He ate them all. Hahaha. Portions were not gigantic and were easily shared between two person. Wheww. Didn't over-eat.

Loved the prawn and 'hae bi hiam' tagliatelle tossed with housemade spicy shrimp paste, sakura ebi and sautéed prawns. Great flavors going on! But the tagliatelle was sadly mushy that night. It was practically limp, with the consistency more like stir-fried kway teow. :( It was probably a crazy day in the kitchen. I'll be coming back for another meal, will ask the kitchen to undercook it, and hopefully it would be properly al dente.

Although the grilled items (400g beef short ribs, 220g corn-fed chicken, 200g natural pork belly, and the 1.2kg Angus Prime côte de bœuf) weren't available that week, there was still steak. It was also the winner of the night. The steak and chinchalok. It had a beautiful pink center. WOOHOOO. The 250g sirloin came sliced, topped with housemade spicy chinchalok, pickled onions and smashed potatoes. All for a reasonable S$21++. Oh my, that chinchalok was brilliant. Totally complemented the meat. Smashed potatoes were super awesome.

redpan offers pretty good value overall. Even its drinks are nicely priced, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. At some point, we'll gather the troops to come eat and order the bottles of wines and whisky. Love the availability of easy fruit sodas. The kitchen is truly interested in serving up very decent food to diners. I trust the good folks of GRUB. Happy to swing by again.

Steak and chinchalok!