The Place From the founders of Chengdu Restaurant and Chengdu Bowl, Numb restaurant is a new contemporary Sichuan Chinese restaurant located at Marina One West Tower. The restaurant is located on level one right beside Kazu, and spots sheltered outdoor dining and indoor seats (including private rooms) in a casual setting. Numb, as its name suggests, focuses on the numbing spice flavour of Sichuanese cuisine. 

The Food The menu at Numb is relatively extensive and it is not all spicy dishes, as there is also a fair share of non-spicy dishes. For a start, I had a Sichuan tapas dish, Mashed Pepper with Century Egg and Eggplants (S$16.80). This is quite an interesting presentation and rendition of eggplant which is being mashed up together with some fried green pepper. The spiciness level is moderate. 

On to main dishes, I enjoyed the Applewood Smoked Crispy Chicken (S$33.80), a generous pile of thinly sliced chicken with crispy skin. There is a nice smokiness to the dish, mildly spicy and served with Tempeh and Peanuts. 

Another dish I highly recommend is the Grand Duke Jiang’s Catch: Seabass in specialty green pepper sauce (S$42.80). It looks spicy but the seabass is surprisingly manageable for a moderate spicy eater like me. The fish is nicely deboned which makes it fuss-free to enjoy, served along with soft potatoes. 

The spiciest dish of my meal is the Sichuan Inspired Traditional Homemade Mapo Tofu (S$24.80), a quintessential Sichuan dish which is expectedly spicy. This trio soy dish combination showcases tofu making process from soybeans grounded daily, to soymilk, soya beancurd and finally tofu tossed in Sticky Chilli Bean sauce, minced beef and Sichuan chilli pepper. Best to enjoy the tofu with some white rice! 

For something non spicy, try the Sweet and Sour Pork Fruit Platter On Ice (S$32.8) where the Pork is served with homemade sweet and sour sauce accompanied by purple sweet potato, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple. 

For a soup dish, go for the nourishing and comforting Hearty Chicken Soup with Matsutake Mushroom (S$12.90). 

Dessert wise, I had the Fancy Rainbow Ice Jelly with Glutinous Rice Balls (S$10.80), Peanut, Raisins, Crushed hawthorn, Watermelon, Pineapple and Brown sugar. 

Rants The portion of the dishes are generally huge, which makes Numb a relatively more ideal concept for smaller or bigger groups, as opposed to couples. 

Will I Return Again? Overall, the dishes I had at Numb are good and I like the modern twist to Sichuan dishes. It might sound contradictory if you are not here for the numb and spicy flavours, though there is also a good mix of non-spicy dishes. Numb is definitely a good Chinese restaurant addition to Marina One and the CBD area. 

Make your reservation instantly at Numb here.

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

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Numb 
5 Straits View, West Tower 
#01-12 Marina One 
Singapore 018935 
Tel: +65 9460 1960 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Saturday: 11am to 3pm; 5pm to 10pm 
Closed on Sunday 

Ranted by The Ranter