By Geoffrey Eu, 02 July 2005
The Business Times

Hearty: Casa Bom Vento's homely setting is just the right place to savour "heritage' food like black pepper baby stingray (next); while down the road at Azhang, make sure you know the ground rules

JOO Chiat Road in Katong - long an integral part of a charming Singapore neighbourhood - is a well-known destination for dedicated diners in search of good (if not great) local fare. In recent months, the street - especially the kilometre-long stretch between East Coast Road and Geylang Road - has been at the centre of some unwanted publicity because of a, shall we say, less-than-subtle change in the tenant mix among the shophouses lining the street.

A spate of colourful establishments whose business focus lies in nocturnal activities of a distinctly non-culinary nature means that the area attracted a different breed of clientele. Various petitions and complaints against the offensive elements resulted in a series of 'clean-up' operations by the authorities. Lost amid the hubbub however, is the undisputable fact that dining out in Joo Chiat has never been better.

A brisk stroll down Joo Chiat Road reveals an abundance of truly international options. There's local, Chinese, Thai, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indonesian, Indian and Cambodian - and that's just the girls. Okay, I'm kidding, but not about the cuisine. You could eat three daily meals here for a week and still not get close to sampling everything available. Best of all, there's plenty that is uniquely Joo Chiat - where else would you find a restaurant named Crabs & More?

Take Casa Bom Vento, for example. Opened a dozen years ago by a group of Eurasian businessmen, it was taken over by Gladys Chee just a few months later - she kept the name and tweaked the menu to feature her own interpretation of Straits cuisine. She calls it fusion heritage. 'It's neither straightforward Eurasian nor Nonya,' she says. 'It's heritage food that is a reflection of my own style of cooking.'

Evidence of this can immediately be seen in the ayam buah keluak, for example, which is served without the nuts - the meat has been extracted from them and smothered all over the pieces of chicken. Other signature dishes include lamb chop, spicy kacang butul (wingbean) salad, baby eggplant in an onion-tomato sauce and baby stingray encrusted in black pepper - a spicy and very tasty variation on the ubiquitous pepper crab dish that is representative of local Singapore cuisine.

Casa Bom Vento is a simple family restaurant, says Mrs Chee, with a relaxed, homey ambience and a horde of loyal customers (many of whom make the pilgrimage from other parts of the island). Indeed, eating here is akin to having a meal at a favourite aunt's house - the food is hearty, wholesome and thoroughly unpretentious.

'Katong used to be a Peranakan place and also a focus for the Eurasian community,' she says. 'Over the years, the place has changed drastically and become very diluted - now there's chicken rice instead of nonya kueh.'

Nearby are two positive examples of the changes that Mrs Chee refers to. One block away in a modern three-storey building, Le Bistrot brings a touch of authentic French cuisine to the area. Owner-chef Lee Chin Sin is down-to-earth, hardworking and Cordon Bleu-trained, and is enjoying a well-deserved run of success with a simple menu of hearty favourites like duck confit and french onion soup. 'We chose this location because it was atypical for a French restaurant - that was a primary consideration,' says Mr Lee. 'Joo Chiat has a wide range of different establishments and we don't feel in any way alien or out of place, so I guess the mix is working.'

Down the road at No 323, Azhang is a year-old establishment with a difference. Its owner refuses to call it a restaurant - as if being labeled as such is somehow undesirable - and also insists that dining here is mediocre in almost every respect. It's the company you keep that makes a meal memorable here, says Patrick Zhang, who prepares the food but declines to call himself a chef. 'I give you average food and an average place - what do you expect, this is Joo Chiat - whether you can remember the dinner is up to you but if you have good company, that makes a difference.'

He adds: 'Joo Chiat is about family, it's laid-back and not commercial. Our diners tell their friends, and they bring people you'd want to see here.' Zhang says he has a client base of 700 and is in no hurry to add to that list, so if you have an urge to go to Azhang for the first time, it's best to curb that enthusiasm.

Mr Zhang may beg to differ, but the food at Azhang - call it Mediterranean-inspired - is extremely agreeable, based on a winning formula of fresh ingredients, simply prepared and cooked just right. The 'casual menu' we tried on a recent weekday included spiced pumpkin soup, roasted corn salad, a seafood platter of grilled salmon, tiger prawns and a whole squid, stone-grilled Australian ribeye on a bed of pilaf rice and covered with onions sauted in red wine.

There are several ground rules that potential diners should be aware of, such as there's only one seating per meal and absolutely no joining of tables. If you want a glass of wine, you drink whatever bottle happens to be open. 'We've been known to chase people out for wanting to join tables,' he says.

And God help you if you don't show up for your reservation at the appointed time. Anyone familiar with the Soup Nazi episode from the television series Seinfeld will have some idea of what to expect.

If you decide not to go to Azhang, here's a hint: whatever you do, don't order the chocolate pudding, made by Zhang's business partner Ava Chong. It's made by blending chocolate, gula melaka and a touch of Cognac and topped with an unhealthy dose of double whipped cream.

Towards the end of our meal, Mr Zhang, who has been a Joo Chiat resident for 20 years and obviously loves it there, reveals what happens if you make it to Azhang's inner circle. 'Friends' can call in advance to request what they'd like to dine on. 'You walk in here as a diner, but you walk out as a friend.' As for his impression of the neighbourhood these days, he says: 'We want to have a bit of life here in Joo Chiat.'

Casa Bom Vento, 467 Joo Chiat Road.
Tel: 6348 7786

Le Bistrot, 451 Joo Chiat Road, #01-06
Tel: 6447 0018

Azhang, 323 Joo Chiat Road.
Tel: 6440 0323