Review: Path Restaurant (2023) – Charting a New Direction with the 8-Course Expedition Menu

Path opened to great fanfare in February 2022 in MBFC Tower 3. Back then, it was considered a rather daring move to open right at the heart of the CBD, with only offices surrounding the restaurant. Working from home was still considered commonplace in early 2022 and the Raffles Place / Downtown area was still relatively quiet even during office hours.

Fast forward to today, Path has proved itself to be a dining destination in its own right and has thrived under both the “work from home” and “back to office” regimes. With the passing of a year, the restaurant has also undergone a bit of a refresh – both in the physical and culinary context. The lighting is slightly dimmer, with a slight decrease in the number of tables as well as a new private dining space at the end.

I returned to Path for dinner almost exactly a year after I went for their inaugural menu. The evening meal at the restaurant is now a set menu affair with 2 sets to choose from. Opt for either the 6-course Voyage (S$188++) or 8-course Expedition (S$228++) menu if you wish to explore the best of Path’s offerings. During my visit, I tried the Voyage menu. Aside from the 8-courses, it also included snacks, pre-dessert as well as petit fours.

Memories

We start off with an ensemble of snacks, which Chef Marvas calls “Memories.” By intention, every dish at Path is a memory and tells a story of Chef’s personal culinary map. The snacks at Path consists of 3 items, the Aubergine Sphere, Abacus Seed Skewer and Lamb Beignet. Among these 3, I loved the lamb stuffed inside the beignet – flavorful and not too gamey. The Abacus Seed Skewer is a play on the Hakka dish, with the glutinous abacus seeds made into a rounder but smaller shape.

Japanese Katsuo

The starters – Japanese Katsuo is what I imagine a healthier version of nigiri might look like but instead of sushi rice, the carbohydrates used here is quinoa. 

Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe

The Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe was a delightful departure from the standard bread and butter dish. Rather than relegated as a side, the combination of mini French baguette lathered with hairy crab roe and soy curds made this such a delight. It also makes for a wonderful non-dairy alternative for the lactose intolerant. Who would have thought that soy curd could have such a creamy texture?

Deep Sea Fish Maw

My favorite dish at Path during the last season was the fish maw and I was pleased to find they retained their star dish, albeit with a few changes. They now use dried fish maw whereas they used fresh ones previously. That said, the usage of beurre blanc sauce was retained and this was the primary reason why I loved the dish previously. The dish was just as good as I remembered and I would imagine the beurre blanc going well as a dip for some carbohydrate dish. I did not really notice any difference in taste despite the switch to dried fish maw.

BBQ South African Abalone

While various types of sauces typically characterize Chef Marvas’ courses, the BBQ South African Abalone had less of that compared to the rest. Here, a good 100gram portion of abalone is seasoned with salt and cooked on a binchotan before giving a brushing of chicken jus. The small portion of risoni pasta came with house made teriyaki dressing. Overall, this was a flavorful pairing and it showed the possibilities of serving abalone as a bbq item which is not the norm in Asian cuisine. 

Oriental Bouillabaisse

Seafood lovers will find the Oriental Bouillabaisse beguiling. The broth is based on two different house made stocks – one of chicken and prawn and another of fish. The result is a soup that is deep and rich and each sip highlights the briny sweetness of fresh seafood. The flavors go well with the ensemble of sea treasures including chewy sea cucumber innards and a house made moneybag of tofu skin stuffed with sea cucumber, shrimp, bamboo shoots and Beijing cabbage. 

Pork Trotter Crepinette

The Pork Trotter Crepinette is Chef Marvas’ take on the Hakka Braised Pork Belly – all rolled into a sphere. The crust was crispy after being pan-seared, revealing copious amounts of stuffing made of pork trotter and mushrooms. This was a highly tempting affair but the high fat ratio was simply too rich for me.  

15 Days Dry Aged US Duck Crown

Those who have been to Path previously may remember their Herb-Roasted French Poulet which was dramatically served in a box. They have since replaced it with another poultry dish – the 15 Days Dry Aged US Duck Crown. The duck here is aged and then slow roasted for 7 hours before being finished with a deep fry. The result are delightfully plump and tender pieces of pinkish duck meat. The duck is served with 8 types of condiments including spinach puree, oba leaf kimchi, pickled cherry, Teochew chili, pickled mustard salsa, watermelon radish, duck rilette and duck jus.  

Heirloom Tomato (Pre-Dessert)

For pre-dessert, we were served heirloom tomatoes marinated with yuzu, sugar and plum powder alongside chamomile tea jelly and fruit tomato sorbet. 

Blueberries (Dessert)

The standard dessert item in the 8-course menu is the Mongolian Milk Curd but as I requested a non-dairy option, I got blueberries with sorbet instead.

Petit Four

The petit fours consisted of Red Date Sorbet, Hawthorn Gummies, Lotus Seed Madeleine and Citrus Bonbon. I particularly enjoyed the madeleines which were baked to a near crispy finish. 

Chef Marvas Ng has done it again with the refreshed menu at Path. While I do regret that past star dishes such as the whole chicken and caneles are no longer offered, the new season brings with it some promising courses as well. Path is indeed charting itself in the right direction. 

Path
12 Marina Boulevard, MBFC Tower 3
#01-05/06
Singapore 018982

+65 6443 0180

Monday to Friday: 11:30AM to 2PM, 6PM to 10:30PM
Saturday: 6PM to 10:30PM