Hi everybody! I haven’t updated my blog for awhile because I have been really busy!
I’ve been hanging out at Telok Ayer A LOT (I think my subsequent food posts are 90% at Telok Ayer haha) and I want to share with you this cool new bar at Telok Ayer Street which is so new that the exterior is still a little incomplete.
I can never forget the street number after learning that almost all the murals in the bar have the number 159 hidden in them and that the lunch sets are all $15.90 each. Their lunch sets are served from 11:30am to 3pm daily (except Sunday, in which they are closed).
My dining partner and I tried almost everything and here is our verdict!!!
1. Wagyu Beef Burger + Shoestring Fries $15.90
This was a really hearty and delicious burger! My dining partner and I agreed that this is the set meal that we will recommend to our friends as it is both yummy and value-for-money.
To be honest, fast food nowadays is so expensive. For a burger and fries set, it can pull nearly $20 from your wallet? And you aren’t even getting a wagyu patty for your fast food burger!
Definitely get this if you’re here for a good and wholesome lunch! Chef John See who undersees the cooking in this restaurant and his boss, Nicola, are very selective about the ingredients they use, right down to the condiments.
Zodiac’s concept is simple food with no fancy processes or heavy sauces that drown out the natural flavours of their premium produce and they do all this while keeping prices affordable.
I am sure the young office crowd in the area would appreciate their healthy mode of cooking, but I have to say that it is perhaps not for everybody. This dish pleased our tastebuds but not everything we tried wowed us. Read on to get a better idea of what to order when you’re there!
2. Flame-Grilled Wagyu Minute Steak + Butter Rice $15.90
We tried something too good (ribs on their premium platter) before we tried this steak so in comparison, this steak kind of paled. It tastes decent but will not blow your mind. However, this steak allows you to really appreciate the taste of Kampot pepper. When you dab a slice of the beef in the elegant Kampot pepper it comes with, you will go, “Wow!”, not at the steak, but at the pepper.
The side of butter rice was really fluffy, fragrant and addictive. We wiped off everything almost instantly. I would recommend this as a side!
3. Cognac Karaage Chicken + Mesclun Salad $15.90
We were most excited about this dish because its name was very interesting! We never had chicken marinated in cognac before and we were really looking forward to this dish! However, it turned out just so-so. Really good cognac was used for this dish (we know the cognac is good because they gave us some to try) so we felt like it was quite wasted that the flavours didn’t come through.
If you recall, earlier this year, I went to T.K Kitchen (which is now not such a hidden secret anymore after it got featured on NOC Food King) and its Red Wine Pork Ribs really raised my expectations on alcohol-and-meat combos. Now I expect all meat which has an alcohol attached to its name to really have at least an aftertaste of alcohol.
Zodiac’s Cognac Karaage Chicken was sadly, a waste of its wonderful cognac. Yes, their Cognac is very good and is exclusive to Zodiac only, so if you are there, please consider giving their cognac a try!
The salad was good though. If you want to reduce your carb intake, you can consider getting their Musclun Salad as a side dish instead of fries/rice.
4. Portobello Steak + Honey Mustard Cauliflower $15.90
Vegetarians rejoice! You are not forgotten because Zodiac actually has 2 main dishes catered for you! One is this huge locally-farmed Portobello mushroom cooked in a vegan herbs broth, and the other is actually a Beyond Wafu Steak.
The Portobello Steak is nice with its creamy herbs broth but I wonder if it is enough to fill your tummy if you’re just having that? Perhaps you could choose a heavier side dish to feel satiated.
The side dish of Fried Cauliflower, although not the best we have tasted, is rather addictive with its honey mustard sauce!
5. Zodiac Premium Platter $88
Next, we had something from the Ala Carte Menu, and oh my, the Zodiac Premium Platter is really worth your money if you are in a group of 2 or 3! Everything on their platter tastes spectacular, especially the ribeye, spiced short ribs and the huge grilled prawns. We really enjoyed this platter and think it is really value-for-money if you share it with your friends!
Overall, this is a nice place for a hearty and wholesome lunch and great for chillout after work over wine and/or cognac. We could really feel the passion and sincerity of the owners in their belief in providing high quality food at affordable prices. They love everything they are offering to their customers and you can have a great conversation with them over their selection of unique wines and cognacs.
This is another great addition to the wonderful street of unique and great dining places in Telok Ayer Street. The owners are still working on improving their menu with more items and we also got a sneak peek at an alfresco dining area they are developing on the second floor! Would really love to visit again when it’s ready!
Zodiac
Address: 159A Telok Ayer Street Singapore 068614
Nearest MRT Station: Tanjong Pagar / Telok Ayer
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11:30am to 10:30pm
Closed on Sundays