{Update: 1 August 2018}
So I know I had written about Ding Dong previously after one of my lunch sojourns with my ex-JC classmates, but what I didn’t realise was that the review was written 2 years ago and I hadn’t been back since!
My… goes to show just how many options Singapore has, that it’s highly likely that you might revisit a place within a few years.
Anyway, I was at Ding Dong again last week, this time courtesy of a media invite held to showcase the restaurant’s 18 new dishes.
Will it be more of the same curious Mod-Asian, I wondered.
And yes, it was. But a little more bold, a little more finessed, I would say. A new chef, Miller Mai, under the tutelage of Ryan Clift (of Tippling Club fame) is heading the team at Ding Dong now, and yes – flavour-bomb loving me enjoyed my dinner very much indeed.
Especially the meats. Either drenched in robust sauces or grilled to melt-fection, the beef, the lamb and the pork I tried were the highlights.
Here’s the recap!
{Original post – 7 July 2016}
Take the already eclectic décor of Ding Dong at Ann Siang, amp it up with a heady dose of retro kitsch, and you have the new Ding Dong at Amoy Street.
The neon pink signage of Ding Dong shows you the way to the relocated space at the front of Amoy Street and walls plastered with retro posters escort you towards your seat. There’s a combination of bar seats, booth seats and regular dining tables, in patterns and colours so bright, you’ll feel like it’s a Friday, even if it’s a dreary Tuesday.
Still serving up Southeast Asian inspired creations, the lunch menu (2 courses at $30, 3 courses at $40) features elements of Thai, Vietnamese, Malay cuisine, interspersed with other classics of Asia.
There’s a delectable Hokkaido Scallop Tartare starter that comes in a charcoal wafer biscuit cup that tastes exactly like the love letters you eat during Chinese New Year. Crunchy bits of coconut add more texture to the smooth scallops, while the pickled ginger and charming little bright green baubles of sea grape add a nice briny taste to the whole dish.
The Beef Salad starter was similar to a Thai salad, it had a spicy hit of chilli mixed with tangy freshness of lime and coriander and peanuts and tiny deep-fried shrimp added a nice crunch.
For mains, the Chargrilled Ocean Trout was a clear winner. Cured overnight and grilled over charcoal, the fish came with a sticky sweet sauce and was cooked just right, laid out on a bed of spiced quinoa.
The Ayam Masak Merah sees a well-portioned tender piece of chicken smothered in a red curry sauce, served with cucumber salad. The salad was presumably there to cool off what appeared to be a devilishly fiery chilli sauce, but in all honesty, not necessary, as the sauce was not as spicy as what you would normally find elsewhere.
The Crispy Duck Curry lives up to its name – just imagine a luscious piece of crispy-skinned duck confit, floating in a sea of passionfruit-tinged red curry. Eaten with the accompanying rice (all dishes came with rice, by the way), it’s definitely a tasty dish, even if again, the dish veered on the side of the mild.
Ding Dong has kept its fun Feed Me concept for dinner, which basically leaves you in the good hands of the chef. There’s a Sharing version of Feed Me where you get to try a selection of Ding Dong’s popular dishes at $56 per person, $68 per person (with dessert).
If you prefer individually plated dishes, then the Tasting version ($80 per pax) of the Feed Me concept will suit you better.
A la carte options are also available for dinner, if you’d rather be in charge of what you would like to eat.
Along with a revamped cocktail menu, Ding Dong sure seems like a fun option to drink and eat at in the CBD!
Ding Dong:
Address: 115 Amoy St #01-02 Singapore 069935
Contact: 6557 0189
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dingdongsingapore/
Opening hours:
Monday–Friday – 12.00pm–3.00pm, 6.00pm–12.00am
(last order for food: 10.30pm)
Saturday – 6.00pm – 12.00am
(last order for food: 11.30pm)