Writing this during Chinese New Year break, wishing everyone a fantastic year of the Pig. So it is so appropriate to talk about the wonderful sausages at Salted and Hung.
We went to Salted and Hung for lunch during a company meeting and everyone enjoyed the food so much that we ordered takeaways for our working lunch. Today, in an elongated space with fun, tongue-in-cheek murals (picture a painting of a pig with the words “All animals are equal, but some are more equal” scrawled across it), we decided to do an encore for the company Christmas lunch.
Carnivores will be salivating over the Christmas menu at this nose-to-tail restaurant where meat reigns supreme. Chef Drew Nocente, an Australian of Italian heritage, artfully plates up pretty much every part of a beast using a myriad of preparation methods: grilled, cured, roast and, of course, hung. Servings are not large, and dishes are best shared.
The house charcuterie starter was always the star of the table. Chef’s cold cuts selection and sourdough included their popular Lardo with Truffle Honey, Rillette, Prosciutto, Coppa, and Pate.
Rillettes are a preparation of meat similar to pâté. Commonly made from pork, the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat, shredded, and then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste. They are normally used as spread on bread or toast and served at room temperature.
Coppa is a traditional Italian and Corsican pork cold cut made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck. It is a whole-muscle salume, dry cured, and typically sliced very thin.
Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked. The best way to eat all these goodies was to pile it all up in an open-faced sandwich and paired with homemade pickle.
Tuna, avocado, fennel and sesame – tuna seared on the outside topped with a sesame and fennel brown sauce with avocado butter. The fish was seared to perfection, leaving the inside still delightfully raw. The sauce gave it the umami.
House made pork sausage, yuzu and mustard – the house specialty is homemade cured meat. The pork sausage has been very heavily spiced and salted. If you asked why it was so salty, the service staff would just answer as-a-matter-of-a-factly, “Because it is Salted and Hung!”.
Quail, cavolo Nero and guanciale – Cavolo nero is known as black cabbage, or dinosaur kale, cavolo nero is an iron- rich member of the brassica family and a potent anti-cancer green. Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek.
The quail has been stuffed with traditional turkey stuffing to give it a Christmasy feel. I was never a fan of turkey stuffing, this stuffing did not spark any joy for me. The guanciale was used to render the fats that cooked the cavolo. That was the highlight of this dish.
Roast chicken, jus gras and black garlic – a very simple roast chicken done over open charcoal. The meat was juicy and tender.
Wagyu, hazelnuts, celeriac and parsley oil – another meat that was grilled over open charcoal served on a bed of celeriac mash.
Brussels sprouts, miso ricotta – brussels sprouts are not the favourite vegetable because of the bitter taste. This side dish was perfectly charred and topped with chunks of ricotta. that has been mixed with miso.
Berry trifle – sour and sweet, the milk ice cream with berry sorbet were a simple sweet ending to a very fulfilling meal.
Chef Drew Nocente has a stellar resume: sous chef at Gordon Ramsey’s Maze Grill (London), Sous chef Table No. 1 by Jason Atherton, and Skirt at Hotel W. Curing, smoking and fermenting are front and centre of this kitchen. That much is clear as soon as you step into the long shophouse space, see the little piggies on the walls and pass a dry cabinet in which all manner of salami and steaks hang, their hues ranging from deep mahogany to pale pink. There’s even kangaroo loin, a nod to Nocente’s Aussie roots, lurking in there.
The food has been consistently good, save for a few experimental dishes. But they have executed their classics perfectly. This contemporary Australian restaurant Salted & Hung has been winning accolades ever since it opened in 2016. I would not be surprised that “star”dom be shining upon them soon.
Service was prompt and attentive. The ventilation of the place could be better. Reservations are recommended and required on popular time slots.
Salted & Hung
12 Purvis Street, Singapore 188591
Tel : +65 6358 3130
Date Visited : Dec 2018
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