The Place Joo Chiat welcomed another new restaurant in the past week. Salt & Palm took over the now-defunct The Communal Place, where the restaurant brand from Sydney, Australia focuses on a progressive approach to Modern Asian cuisine with an Indonesian flair. The interior of the restaurant exudes a summer beach vibes and is by Executive Chef Natasya Soetantyo who founded and launched Salt & Palm Sydney in 2018. 

The Food Expect Indonesian flavours and spices in the dishes here, done with a contemporary approach. The beverage list is also designed to pair with the dishes where you can expect the likes of crafted cocktails and natural wines on the list. 

My meal started off with some Fresh Oyster (S$28/3 pieces) which features freshly shucked Amélie osters from Marennes-Oleron, France. You can choose to have it with lime wedges or tomato tamarind and basil kemangi pandan oil. 

Another fresh seafood option is the Hokkaido Scallop (S$22) where you get lightly torched scallop with tempe chips, fried garlic, chill peanut lime and lemon basil herbs. 

Other appetisers I had were the Potato Cake (S$12/2 pieces) with mayo and vegan caviar; and the punchy Balinese-style Fish Cake (S$12/2 pieces) with chicken skin tulle and chilli lemongrass shallot salsa. 

On to mainns, the best part of the Prawn Bisque Pasta (S$32) I had is the broth which is a rich South Sumatran prawn bisque. The pasta texture is al dente and it is topped with an onsen egg for that extra creaminess, as well as served with king prawns. 

For mains, the Porchetta (S$32) is good for sharing where the Australian pork belly is cooked in a rich coconut gravy with Balinese spice, chilli lemongrass and shallot salsa. Flavourful taste profile and you can be guaranteed of a crispy pork crackling texture. 

A dish which sounds ordinary on the menu but it turned out to be my favourite at Salt & Palm is the Mushroom Rendang (S$20) with toasted coconut flakes. I like the delicious rendang sauce which is perfect with the soft huge mushrooms and baby potatoes. 

For beef lovers, there is the Beef Short Ribs (S$52) which is extremely tender in texture. The slow-cooked grain-fed Australlan beef short ribs here is paired with rendang sauce and toasted coconut flakes for that Indonesian touch on the dish. 

For desserts, there are options like the fully vegan Pandan Coconut (S$15) Crème Brulee, made from pandan coconut milk with young coconut meat and jackfruit; and Pavlova (S$18) made from aquafaba meringue and mango cream. 

Rants Prices are quite steep for a neighbourhood restaurant, though the rental in Joo Chiat is definitely not representative of a typical neighbourhood in Singapore as well. 

Will I Return Again? Salt & Palm adds a different diversity to the mix of cafes and restaurants in Joo Chiat right now. I like that it is a twist to traditional Indonesian cuisine, though the main drawback for me is that the prices are relatively steep. It would also be great if a weekend brunch menu could be launched at some point. 

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

Salt & Palm 
467 Joo Chiat Road 
Singapore 427678 
Tel: +65 8939 9617 
 
Opening Hours 
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 5pm to 11pm 
Friday to Sunday: 9am to 3pm; 5pm to 11pm 
Closed on Tuesday 

Ranted by The Ranter