Contemporary Asian cuisine takes an irreverent and unusual spin at Jiak Kim House, located in a beautifully conserved 1920s warehouse along the Singapore River.
What was once iconic nightclub Zouk is now Fraser Residence River Promenade, a luxurious serviced residence offering some rather swanky riverfront accommodations. The gourmands among us might want to note that it is also now home to newly-opened Jiak Kim House, a modern Asian dining destination set to make a splash in local dining circles.
If you’ve partied enough at Zouk, you’ll still recognise the bones of the club within the restored conservation building. The folks at Jiak Kim House worked tirelessly with the authorities to also ensure that the new restaurant retained the essence of the old warehouse, while injecting its own contemporary flavour.
The original timber trusses that held the structure up can be seen lining the ceiling of the expansive 120-seater restaurant, while old-fashioned louvred panel windows, coconut husk walls and terracotta-hued furnishings offer a tasteful interplay between contemporary Orientalism and influences from Singapore’s colonial era.
It’s an impressive juxtaposition of old and new.
As is with the food. It might surprise many that Jiak Kim House is a concept by The Brewerkz Group, which run a chain of beer-driven restaurants better known for its gastropub fare than driving any sort innovative dining. But we’ve always been impressed with Brewerkz’s head chef Seow Tzi Qin, and here the newly-minted chef-partner finally has a culinary playground of his own to showcase exactly what he really wants to do.
And in the case of Jiak Kim House, it’s innovative modern Asian cuisine at its most irreverent. Chef TQ, as he is more commonly known, draws influences from all across Asia – but with a focus on Southeast Asia – while incorporating Western culinary techniques where they matter.
His personal recollection of local flavours appear as Tingkat of Memories, a quartet of starters that come as a herbed crab cake with assam-inflected mayo, lamb goulash croquettes, an otak otak studded with Spanish mackerel chunks, and a chilli crab kueh pie tee.
There’s also Mushroom Herbal Tea Macchiato, a quaint take on bak kut teh that appears as a peppery mushroom consommé and even comes with mini you tiao, while the Kam Heong Sambal Grouper leverages the iconic Asian sauce – regularly used in Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines – to flavour the fish, and comes with a fantastic mangosteen salsa.
Other locally-inspired dishes include Beef Tongue-To-Tail, which reinterprets beef rendang using short ribs, oxtail and even beef tongue, served with a side of rojak salad.
The Hay-Smoked Wagyu Hamburg comes melt-in-your-mouth on a stick, drawing influences from Japan but also Korea, served as it is on the side with kimchi pickles.
It’s really a culinary clash of tradition and modernity at Jiak Kim House. Dishes here are likely to evoke consternation from diehard traditionalists, but offer surprises for those with open minds and palates.
Which of those you are will define your experience here.
Jiak Kim House
Address 5 Jiak Kim St, #01–16&17, Singapore 169425 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays
Tel (65) 9831 5430
Web www.jiakkimhouse.com
Facebook jiakkimhouse
Instagram @jiakkimhouse
Reservations book here
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