The notion might be taken for granted now but it was not too long ago when the idea of opening a fine-dining restaurant in Joo Chiat was considered farfetched. With the area’s gentrification gaining quick momentum the last 3 years, the opening of Province in this rather hip area – perhaps the only fine-dining concept in the neighborhood at the moment – leads one to say “oh, finally.”
Hidden at the back of 808 Eating House, Province is an intimate 8-seater that explores the diversity of Southeast Asian ingredients and flavors. Province is the brainchild of chef Law Jia Jun, who used to come from Magic Square. The cuisine in Province is decidedly Southeast Asian but with a contemporary touch. Chef Law was inspired by his travels to nearby countries such as Thailand and Malaysia and many of the ingredients are also sourced from there, through building relationships with farmers, growers, fishermen, and producers at home and abroad.
Distinctly Southeast Asian ingredients and spices figure into Province’s prix-fixe menu priced at S$138++, which gets refreshed approximately every 3 months. Think: buah keluak, sweet potatoes and fruits. Even the meats are sourced from neighboring countries.
From the arcaded facade of the Joo Chiat shophouses, there are no signs that indicate Province’s existence inside. Diners will have to saunter in through 808 Eating House’s door. From there, a back door proudly displaying the Province name leads one in via a pebbled walkway. Customers then get seated in a slightly curved teakwood table, in a setup that’s not too different from omakase dining. The manpower setup in Province is quite modest – it’s just Chef Law and Wei Xiang who helps him in the kitchen.
We started off with a trio of snacks. The first was a pan fried bun called “The One That Burnt Me” consisting of yam, celtuce and vegetarian XO sauce. The second snack was pumpkin fritters with a side of egg yolk. Last but not the least, the third snack was pickled mussels sitting on a bed of tofu, cucumber, coriander and chili. Among the three, I was particularly inclined towards the more refreshing and tangy flavor profile of the mussels with tofu.
The next dish – Crustacean I – features flower crab, ginger flower, charred corn and corn foam.
The next course on Province’s menu, Into the Garden, pays homage to David Kinch from Manresa in San Francisco, who is one of the earliest proponents of farm-to-table, ingredient-driven cooking. Served in custom made plates that reflect the organic and earthy nature of the dish, Into the Garden spotlights vegetables as its main ingredient. Ravioli, filled with sweet alliums – a blend of grilled spring onions and caramelised onions, is served with tang-o (garland chrysanthemum) sauce. Upon serving, the dish is topped with fermented carrot and a garnish of over 10 different vegetables. The whole ensemble creates for a nice juxtaposition – one between the smoky nature of the tang-o sauce and the sweetness of the caramelized onions.
Sauces, foams and purees figure prominently in Province’s menu. The next course – Tubers – is a rich medley of sweet potatoes deep fried in duck fat, buah keluak base and sweet potato crisps. This dish was a revelation to me as I usually eat sweet potatoes as a no-frills, go-to dish. The different methods of cooking it here coupled with the added buah keluak puree brought about a rather complex twist.
The customary carbohydrate dish is embedded into the next course – Crustacean II. This is more of a Chinese-style dish with chunks of crayfish sitting alongside handmade noodles and a rather thick crustacean broth. I like how they opted to use handmade noodles not too dissimilar from ban mian or mee hoon kuay rather than the fine, thin strands as a nod to local noodle shops.
The fish course, simply called Finned is probably my favorite dish from the prixe fixe menu. Here, a chunk of pomfret comes with charred skin, charred cabbage, garlic puree and calamansi beurre blanc sauce. The fish was delightfully tender and contrasted nicely with the charred and crispy skin. The meat was delicately sweet and went well with the beurre blanc sauce, although it was flavorful enough to eat on its own.
The last main we had was aptly called Hog. This is akin to the cuts you’ll find in a char siew dish, except that the pork (which comes from Sarawak), which comes in bigger and more tender slices, is aged with shio koji for a week. The sauce is a medley of tempeh puree, Sarawak pepper sauce and mango chutney. The sweetness from the sauce again, gave more subtle reminders of char siew.
The dessert that we had was a departure from the jambu that’s on the menu. Since it was not in season, we instead had a refreshing mango dessert. At the base of the dish were sweet Thai mangos with fresh coconut flesh, shiso and coconut cream. There’s a sprinkling of rice crispies on top and a mango lime sorbet. While mangos are frequently used as desserts in Southeast Asia, I thought the inclusion of shiso here totally changed the dynamics of this sweet ending – lending a rather minty finish to what would otherwise be a straightforward dessert.
Overall, Province is a promising concept and it’s great to see such innovative menus being served right in the heart of Joo Chiat. The price is also quite reasonable for the experience that they are offering. After coming here for the first time, I have to say I am quite intrigued as there were quite a few courses that I particularly enjoyed. A short chat with Chef Law revealed that the next iteration of their prixe fixe menu will come in September. I would be interested to return then to see how the cuisine has evolved.
Province
153 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427431
+65 8946 8089
Thursday to Saturday, 12:30PM to 3:30PM / 6:15PM to 11PM
Tuesday to Saturday, 6:15PM to 11PM
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