Savouring The Reality Of Mythz & Myths

NEW RESTAURANT

Mythz & Myths 50 South Bridge Road, CMO Building Tel: 9654 1714 Open for dinner only Tues to Sat: 6pm to 12am

LIKE its name suggests, Mythz & Myths has a fantasy element to it: a whimsical tale promising adventure and intrigue, an unpredictable journey sprinkled with clues for you to decipher and craft your own conclusion. And on a dark, drizzly night in South Bridge Road, it provides much needed light to guide you back to your car after dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant.

It's how we were drawn to it in the first place. The restaurant makes no attempt at privacy with its all-glass frontage that lets you see the buzzy action taking place around the gleaming open kitchen that diners gather around. This is no place to take your girlfriend if you don't want your wife to know about it, because the temptation for passers-by to press their faces to the glass is too strong. But if you must, you can still canoodle in the connecting bar next door, which is appropriately dark and speakeasy-like.

We didn't realise then that Mythz (Myths is the bar) is the shiny solo debut of Martin Wong, who last gave Tess Kitchen & Bar a shot of credibility with its well-executed, down-to-earth cooking. He's now taking a creative gamble with Mythz, banking on a nouvelle combination of French, Nordic and Asian flavours to entice experiential diners.

European and Asian we all know, but the Nordic tendency for all things fermented, pickled and cold is a bit rare here, and chef Wong - who's had some Scandinavian cooking experience - nudges us gently in that direction.

For example, fermented oranges are turned into a vinaigrette for the hamachi crudo that kicks off the dinner-only menu of S$138 for eight courses. Sashimi slices are twirled into a rose pattern on shaved pickled kohlrabi and drizzled with vinaigrette. In a Copenhagen dining room, your face will contort from that acidity but here it's toned down till it can be described as a perky, refreshing zing that brightens up the mild fish.

But before that, we're treated to a range of amuse bouche arranged in a multi-layered, impossibly delicate glass tower imported from Germany that you can imagine being crushed into smithereens with one wrong squeeze. Take a deep breath and lift off the cover to reveal tiny composed morsels over four layers. There's a bite of chicken liver custard on mild tarragon cream and furtive wasabi which we can't detect; a salty-acidic-sweet pickled cucumber and anchovies; fragrant smoked tofu and our favourite miniature wagyu tartare topped with confit quail egg yolk that's smooth and silky-textured. Feuilles de bricks is a fancy name for a biscuit-thin phyllo-like pastry base that holds just enough rich roasted bone marrow without going into overkill, while mustard stands in for wasabi to give it a pleasant nose-tingling kick to round off the mouthful of crunch and fat.

The next course features Hokkaido uni but for once, it doesn't play a starring role. Instead, it's part of an ensemble of misfits like Ocean's 8 coming together to pull off a madcap flavour combination. There's funky uni, chewy grilled lady's finger, curry foam, eggyolk emulsion and Indian pappadam. It's a slightly clumsy operation, but just trying to pair fresh sea urchin and Indian spice is a brave and interesting thought process.

A medley of charred kale, broccoli and cabbage hide some unexpected baby octopus-like illegal immigrants in a dense forest, again slightly off-kilter as the tiny sea creatures distract you from the full flavour of the vegetables. A house spice dressing that tastes like a sour cream tartare sauce gets some zing from lemon juice and a fragrant dill-like scent.

Asian accents come into play with the pan-seared promfret fillets with a well-crisped exterior, resting in an innocent-seeming honey milk sauce until the Sichuan peppercorn in it hits its target. Sauteed trumpet mushrooms release its juices into the sauce as well for a flavour bonus.

The main course of Hokkaido snow beef is A5 fatty, and slightly chewy since it's not a steak cut. As it is with wagyu, you taste the fat before the beef, and while the kimchi-like marinated lettuce it's served with tries to counter the fat, it's too jarring a match, especially when you get a lovely pot of Joel Robuchon-style creamy potatoes, an homage of sorts to the late chef from the ex-L'Atelier chef.

But we love the way chef Wong ends off the meal - with a piping hot, comforting bowl of ox tail and wagyu tea aka potent beef soup, that's enhanced with coriander oil and lemon zest.

Dessert is an ode to Pierre Herme's ispahan with a tropical touch. A firm square of coconut mousse is flanked by elderflower ice cream rose jelly and little spherification bubbles that burst to release a pop of juice. Nice.

It's a tall order that chef Wong has assigned himself to juggle three different approaches into one cohesive plate, but it's a direction that progressive Singaporean chefs have to go before they find an identity that sticks. Mythz & Myths - apart from being tongue-twisty and airy-fairy - spent a lot of time creating this fantasy but the true test will be in creating a reality that we can identify with too. But we're happy to sign on for the ride.

Rating: 7

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average

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