Morsels Tasting Session 2023 - Spring 25 Dempsey Road #01-04 Opening Hours: Tue - Thu: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm, Fri - Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10:30pm, Sun: 11am - 3pm, Closed Mon http://www.morsels.com.sg/ This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session. Attended with representatives from Jennifer Yeo Lifestyle, msginginly, Her Pen And Fork, and Chubby Botak Koala.
Snacks - Seasonal Oyster, Citron Green Tea Kombucha Vinaigrette, Olive Gel
Spring Time, Celebrate! (Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best) Overall: 9 Ambience & Setting: 9 Food & Beverage: 9 Service: 9 Value for Money: 9 Budget about SGD $128++ per person. ..... Establised in January 2013 by Chef-Owner Petrina Loh, Morsels is an award-winning dining destination, serving wildly creative and novel modern fusion dishes, paired with lovingly curated wines, in a cozy setting. At Morsels, you can look forward to progressive, ingredient-driven dishes that defy culinary boundaries, with a mind on zero-waste for sustainability.
Ambience at Morsels is cozy and comfortable, well suited to long lingering meals with family or friends. The 40-seater restaurant is designed like a rustic cottage, tucked away in a quiet part of the Dempsey area of Singapore. Chef-Owner Petrina Loh says she likes to collect interesting knick-knacks, evident in the displays around the place. Exudes a warm, homely feel.
Service at Morsels is friendly and engaging. With such a small space, staff take time to accord each guest respectful attention. They're knowledgable too, introducing the nuances of each dish as they serve, and offering recommendations on wine pairings. Staff proactively offer to clear finished plates, top up drinks, and check for feedback, which is welcome. Standards are on par with a fine dining establishment, a pleasant surprise.
Food at Morsels is Modern International fusion cuisine, a combination of Singaporean, French, Japanese, and Korean cuisine, with greater focus on the latter. Chef-Owner Petrina Loh is immensely creative in designing her dishes, combining fresh seasonal ingredients in novel ways. In fact, just reading the menu descriptions can be mind-boggling, but in a good way. Each plate highlights a few key ingredients and flavours, and are well executed. Portions are sized for individuals, though the table has to agree on a communal menu. Prices command a premium for the quality, but represent good value, budget about SGD $128++ per person.
Decor Abalone Shell
Decor Oyster Shell
Curated from the freshest ingredients that epitomise the season of Spring, the Morsels Spring 2023 Menu highlights the delicate fleeting flavours of the season, a beautiful chase, a lively and cheerful delight.
The Snacks - Seasonal Oyster, Citron Green Tea Kombucha Vinaigrette, Olive Gel has a familiar French and Japanese fusion feel. It features a juicy plump oyster, dressed in a tart vinaigrette made from a blend of macerated buddha's hand / fingered citron fruit and sencha / green tea kombucha, a gel of green olive essence, lemon oil, and matcha olive powder. Finished with crisp tahoon cress (a lollipop-shaped sprig that is a delicacy of the Himalayas) and juicy ikura / salmon fish roe dressed with yuzu juice. Down in a single bite, this bursts with clean-tasting fruity briny salty sweet earthy zesty tangy sour bitter herbal nutty flavour. Good!
Snacks - Seasonal Oyster, Citron Green Tea Kombucha Vinaigrette, Olive Gel
Snacks - Seasonal Oyster, Citron Green Tea Kombucha Vinaigrette, Olive Gel
Snacks - Seasonal Oyster, Citron Green Tea Kombucha Vinaigrette, Olive Gel
The Snacks - Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream, Pani Puri, Cornichon is inspired by, and a fusion of, the British Corned Beef and the Indian Pani Puri. It features Sanchoku wagyu beef d-rump brined for a week, marinated with the house dry spice rub, smoked, steamed, then minced with more spices and cream cheese, and blended until it becomes a paste. This thick spiced corned beef cream is then packed with crunchy cornichons (a tiny pickled gherkin) into a crisp pani puri shell, topped with a slice of juicy pickled cucumber. Bite in, and you're rewarded with a unique hit of savoury salty sour zesty milky spice grainy flavours. Good!
Snacks - Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream, Pani Puri, Cornichon
Snacks - Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream, Pani Puri, Cornichon
Snacks - Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream, Pani Puri, Cornichon
Snacks - Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream, Pani Puri, Cornichon
The Snacks - Zucchini Pancake, Boquerones, Red Bell Pepper is a fusion of the Korean Hobak Jeon / Zucchini Pancake and the Spanish Boquerones En Vinagre / Anchovies In Vinegar. This has juicy sliced zucchini coated in an egg batter, pan-fried till golden brown, topped with creamy home made ricotta cheese, soft confit red bell peppers, tender boquerones (anchovy fish marinated in white vinegar and olive oil), creamy red bell pepper aioli, and a sprig of parsley. You get distinct layers of bold flavour, vegetal sweet spice bitter salty earthy savoury eggy milky in taste. Highly recommended!
Snacks - Zucchini Pancake, Boquerones, Red Bell Pepper
Snacks - Zucchini Pancake, Boquerones, Red Bell Pepper
Snacks - Zucchini Pancake, Boquerones, Red Bell Pepper
The Snacks - Mushroom Garum Broth, Burnt Banana Leaf Oil, Puff Pastry Twisty brings together a fusion of Chinese and Italian influences. It features a mushroom garum broth, made from smoked willow tree mushrooms, blaze mushrooms, salt, and white rice, fermented for 1 month, then pressure cooked (to achieve a double-boiled effect) and clarified. Topped with burnt banana leaf oil, this thin and clear broth packs a robust vegetal earthy herbal savoury salty sweet flavour. Paired with a crispy light puffed pastry twist dusted with oregano, thyme, and onion powder, lending enticing bready herbal sweet spice savoury buttery flavour. Highly recommended!
The Accompaniment - Brioche, Seaweed Herb Butter serves to provide a break in between courses. Chef loves brioche bread, and she's baked an incredibly fluffy soft version here with bready buttery sweet flavour. To pair, she's infused a creamy salted butter with seaweed and herbs (parsley, coriander, thyme), creating a luscious dollop that bursts with vegetal earthy salty bitter herbal buttery sweet flavour, so addictive. Highly recommended!
Accompaniment - Brioche, Seaweed Herb Butter
Accompaniment - Brioche, Seaweed Herb Butter
Accompaniment - Brioche, Seaweed Herb Butter
Accompaniment - Brioche, Seaweed Herb Butter
The Entree - Cured Stolt Farm Turbot Carpaccio, Smoked Zucchini Dashi, Fermented Cucumber Gel, 8 Gems Caviar resembles a crudo, with a base of sustainably sourced Stolt Farms turbot fish, aged for 3 to 5 days, then sliced carpaccio style, thin and lean. Dressed with a dashi stock made from smoked zucchini and smoked radish, balanced with fermented cucumber, and wakame tsukudani (a combination of wakame seaweed and yaki nori / roasted dried seaweed sheet, simmered in soy sauce and mirin rice wine). Garnished with crunchy ice plant, juicy sliced cucumber, crisp puffed buckwheat, and several drops of lemon wasabi oil. Enhanced with juicy popping 8 Gems Caviar No. 2 Superior Oscietra, a luxurious sustainable low-salt caviar from the hybrid kaluga-amur sturgeon fish. Each bite carries a complex flavour profile, bright smoky vegetal briny salty earthy bitter sweet grainy zesty tangy sour spice buttery nutty in taste, yum. Good!
The Entree - Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Eye Round Tataki, Spring Salad, Sabayon, Morsels 2-Year-Old Corn Miso features A4 wagyu beef eye round sourced from the Toriyama family, cured overnight in the house 2-year-old corn miso, then finished on the hibachi (a small brazier / charcoal grill). Sliced medium thick and pounded, the beef eye round tataki has a tender gentle chew to texture, with pleasant smoky meaty savoury grainy flavour. Served alongside a fusion French and Thai salad, comprising 4 spring vegetables (snow peas, snap peas, haricot verts, and long beans) that are juicy and crunchy with bright vegetal sweet grassy flavour, dressed in a Nam Tok Neua / Waterfall Beef vinaigrette (of light soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, mint leaves, coriander, red chili) that lends sharp savoury sweet salty sour zesty spice herbal bitter flavour. A thick creamy sabayon, made from a blend of kaffir lime leaves, calamansi juice, toasted rice powder, and cured egg yolk, lend a touch of eggy sweet salty herbal sour zesty flavour. So delicious. Highly recommended!
Entree - Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Eye Round Tataki, Spring Salad, Sabayon, Morsels 2-Year-Old Corn Miso
Entree - Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Eye Round Tataki, Spring Salad, Sabayon, Morsels 2-Year-Old Corn Miso
Entree - Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Eye Round Tataki, Spring Salad, Sabayon, Morsels 2-Year-Old Corn Miso
Entree - Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Eye Round Tataki, Spring Salad, Sabayon, Morsels 2-Year-Old Corn Miso
The Entree - Chinese Celery Tortellini, Green Pea Sauce, Fermented Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Foam brings together the Italian tortellini and the Korean mandu / dumplings. The tortellini pasta dough is infused with Chinese celery oil, Chinese celery powder, and Korean watercress / minari / water dropwort, filled with a nut-free stuffing of wild mushrooms (blaze, willow tree) and potato duxelle. It has a chewy tender soft texture, with deep vegetal herbal earthy sweet salty grainy flavour. Served in a vibrant creamy purée of green peas, roux, fermented asparagus, preserved lemon foam, green pea powder, and parmesan cheese, carrying robust vegetal grassy savoury sour sweet flavour. Finished with torn mint and maple pea shoots, lending a delicate vegetal herbal note. Highly recommended!
Entree - Chinese Celery Tortellini, Green Pea Sauce, Fermented Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Foam
Entree - Chinese Celery Tortellini, Green Pea Sauce, Fermented Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Foam
Entree - Chinese Celery Tortellini, Green Pea Sauce, Fermented Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Foam
Entree - Chinese Celery Tortellini, Green Pea Sauce, Fermented Asparagus, Preserved Lemon Foam
The Entree - Jeju Abalone, Sakura Chicken, Morsels 4-Year-Old Doenjang, Multigrain Risotto, Pickled Beets is Chef's rendition of a surf-and-turf. A base of sticky moist multi-grain risotto, comprising 4 varieties of grains (Koshihikari Japanese rice, Calrose Californian short grain rice, Cambodian brown rice, barley), is infused with the house 4-year-old doenjang / fermented soy bean paste, and a vegetable stock which includes beetroot juice. Garnished with crisp curly endive / frisée, crunchy puffed rice, fragile chicken skin tuile, tender boneless sakura chicken chunks, juicy pickled baby beetroot, and bouncy deshelled Jeju abalone. More beetroot stock is poured over the dish tableside. This carries robust contrasting flavours of vegetal bitter sweet savoury sour earthy, a rather acquired taste. Could be improved.
Loved the Entree - Fjord Trout, Soy Dashi, Rhubarb Compote, Edamame Cereal, the house take on a Singaporean Fish Soup. This features a thick tender boneless fillet of Fjord trout fish, sourced sustainably, lightly cured and smoked over coconut husk in a claypot. Plated over a thick creamy rhubarb compote, alongside crunchy edamame cereal, crisp salad leaves (mizuna, watercress, chervil), and a delectable wafer made from finely diced trout fish trimmings and bean curd skin. A medium thick dashi of soy sauce, basil oil, and fish bone collagen stock is poured over the dish tableside. Each bite carries lovely milky sweet savoury salty herbal bitter vegetal sour zesty tangy grainy nutty flavour. Highly recommended!
The Mains - Primrose Farm Pork Tenderloin, Sauce Rockerfeller, Kumquat Red Pepper Kosho, Baby Gem features pork tenderloin cuts sourced from Primrose Farm, brined then sous vide, finished with brown butter, tender and moist and succulent with mild meaty sweet savoury flavour. Served with a creamy kosho (made with kumquat, Kampot red pepper) with vegetal sweet salty sour spice flavour, crunchy hibachi-grilled baby gem lettuce with smoky vegetal sweet notes, and tender potato pavé with addictive starchy salty sweet savoury flavour. Glazed with sauce Rockefeller, a house creation gravy made from oyster sauce, cream, parsley oil, and gorgonzola dolce cheese; thick and creamy with pungent cheesy salty herbal sweet savoury flavour. Addictive and satisfying. Highly recommended!
The Mains - Rougie Magret Duck, Duck Tsukune, Ume Barbecue Sauce, Fermented Sweet Potato features duck done 2 ways, a fusion of Japanese and American influences. The first is duck breast, dry brined then hibachi-grilled, glazed with ume plum barbecue sauce, and sprinkled with ume plum bubu arare / glutinous rice puffs. You get a delightful crunch, followed by a tender dense moist chew, bold with smoky meaty grainy sour sweet salty flavour. The second is duck tsukune / meat ball, made from minced duck, duck fat, and rendered duck skin, tightly packed and glazed with ume plum barbecue sauce. You get the tender juicy soft chew, with robust smoky meaty salty savoury flavour. Served with crunchy baby kai-lan / Chinese kale / Chinese broccoli with vegetal sweet flavour, and creamy fermented sweet potato paste with bright vegetal earthy sweet flavour. A delectable dish. Good!
The Accompaniment - Palate Cleanser, Lemongrass, Pear Juice, Yuzu Juice is a refreshing shot. The blend of lemongrass essence, pear juice, and yuzu juice, combines for bright fruity sweet herbal flavour. Very refreshing. Highly recommended!
Accompaniment - Palate Cleanser, Lemongrass, Pear Juice, Yuzu Juice
Accompaniment - Palate Cleanser, Lemongrass, Pear Juice, Yuzu Juice
The Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha resembles a fruit panna cotta, super refreshing. The base features a creamy thick pudding of whipped rice, sago, and mascarpone cheese, garnished with juicy diced red apple dusted with apple powder, juicy sliced seedless red grapes, and crisp red shiso cress. At tableside, spoons of grainy shiso granita are plated on top, followed by a finish of apple lemon balm kombucha soda with dehydrated red apple bits. Combined, this bright dessert carries grainy fruity sweet sour zesty tangy herbal milky flavour, excellent. Highly recommended!
Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha
Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha
Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha
Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha
Dessert - Apple, Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, Shiso, Apple Lemon Balm Kombucha
The playfully named Dessert - Ang Butter, Amalfi Lemon Cream, Rosemary Namelaka, Kinako Sable highlights a base of grainy adzuki red bean paste, layered with smooth Amalfi lemon cream, crumbly polenta cake, rich namelaka chocolate infused with rosemary, topped with a crunchy sable made from kinako / roasted soy bean flour, and soft edible flowers dusted with kinako / roasted soy bean flour powder. This dessert holds robust earthy sweet chocolatey sour tangy zesty herbal floral flavour, hearty yet light. Highly recommended!
The Dessert - Petit Fours features a sampling plate of a trio of handcrafted mini dessert bites. The Choux Puff Pastry, Foxtail Millet Miso, Kampot Red Pepper has chewy choux puff pastry with bready sweet flavour, filled with a pastry cream made from foxtail millet miso that carries deep savoury sweet earthy flavour, dusted with Kampot red pepper that lends a salty spice note. The Nougat, Puffed Koshihikari Rice, Dried Cherry Tomatoes, Golden & Black Raisins features a Koshihikari rice nougat stuffed with dried cherry tomato, golden raisin, black raisin, and topped with puffed Koshihikari rice; carrying a beautiful grainy fruity vegetal earthy sweet flavour, with crispy chewy soft juicy texture. The Prickly Pear & Sour Cherry Pate De Fruit, Kisoondo Brown Rice Gochujang resembles a hawthorn candy, with the sticky gelatinous pâte de fruit infused with prickly pear juice, sour cherry juice, and Kisoondo brown rice gochujang; resulting in a sharp sour tangy zesty earthy herbal sweet flavour. Good!
Dessert - Petit Fours
Dessert - Petit Fours
Choux Puff Pastry, Foxtail Millet Miso, Kampot Red Pepper
Choux Puff Pastry, Foxtail Millet Miso, Kampot Red Pepper
Nougat, Puffed Koshihikari Rice, Dried Cherry Tomatoes, Golden & Black Raisins
Nougat, Puffed Koshihikari Rice, Dried Cherry Tomatoes, Golden & Black Raisins
Prickly Pear & Sour Cherry Pate De Fruit, Kisoondo Brown Rice Gochujang
Prickly Pear & Sour Cherry Pate De Fruit, Kisoondo Brown Rice Gochujang
Dessert - Petit Fours
We absolutely loved the dining experience at Morsels, from the cozy ambience, to the engaging service, and the unique yet delicious food. While prices command a premium, a meal at Morsels is good value for money, and you're assured of an excellent meal. Will return to Morsels for more! .....
