The Place Amoy Street has seen so many changes in the last few years with new restaurants sprouting out but one outstanding restaurant which remains is restaurant Nouri, a One Michelin Star dining concept helmed by Chef Ivan Brehm. 

Nouri went through a renovation a few years ago and its new space is much more inviting than before. The experience starts from the living room the moment you enter, where I was given a shot of welcome drink followed by a customary ritual of washing our hands before we proceed to the dining area. 

The interior of the dining space is contemporary and open concept where there is a long communal table with a good view of what goes on in the open kitchen.

Groups which prefer privacy can request the regular tables instead. 

The Food Lunch and dinner tasting menus are available and I had their new weekday 5-Course Omakase Dinner Menu (S$238++) during my recent visit, which is only available from Wednesday to Friday, a menu that combines a mix of Nouri classics and seasonal creations. 

There is also the option to have Wine Pairing (S$185) or Sake Pairing (S$145), or you can go for wine by glass or bottle from a wide range of old and new world wines.

First up is a series of Snacks – Rye Sourdough, Vegetable Broth, Silken Cheese, Tomato. The meal started with some bread and broth to signify breaking of bread, where Rye Sourdough is served along with a Vegetable Broth and a bowl of Silken Cheese. Dip the bread into the silken cheese with yogurt, aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then have a sip of the comforting vegetable broth made from seven types of organic vegetables. 

Other bites include Japanese Tomato in olive oil and topped with aged cheddar; Homemade cooked ricotta cheese; Pumpkin foam with pickled vegetable and custard milk. 

The next course features Just A Tomato with tomato sourced from Nouri’s own farm in Cameron Highlands, along with shavings of star anise and topped with caviar. Charred tomato consommé is then poured over for the finishing touch. The tomato is fresh and delicious, and I am usually not a big tomato lover. 

Next up is a bonus dish courtesy of chef (note this dish is usually not on the 5-course menu) – Pamonha which features Japanese white corn custard topped with bafun uni a lot with blue corn velouté. I love corn and it still is one of the more underrated ingredients in fine-dining restaurants. Creamy, delicious and there is nothing not to love about Japanese corn and Uni put together. 

This is an interesting course. On first sight, it looks like chicken breast, but it is in fact Heart Of Palm from coconut. The vegetable has a slightly crispy texture with a subtle taste on its own, but made better here with the parsley sauce.

It is served alongside ikan bilis sambal dip which really gives this vegetable that extra kick of flavours. 

On to meats, I had the Kurobuta – Japanese Braised Berkshire Pork where the tender pork belly is garnished with sweet spices and black pepper sauce along with wild pepper leaf and makomodake. A well-balanced dish where I literally mopped off the sauce with the pork. 

The last savoury course is Turbot fish done two ways – steamed and seared (skirt of turbot). A distinctly different showcase of the textures of the turbot in this course, and the fish also comes with a side of crispy seaweed cracker. 

Next up is Pre-Dessert where I had a refreshing and sour Physalis finished with sparkling wine. 

For dessert, it is an interesting one where I had the Chocolate Fish Ball – chocolate sorbet topped with ikan bilis, wild pepper leaf and colatura di alici (fish sauce made from anchovies). I was skeptical about having ikan bilis with chocolate, but the kitchen’s idea is to have chocolate in a slightly savoury way, and surprisingly, the flavours all gel well together where the ikan bilis does not come across as too forceful when I had it with the rich chocolate.   

Petits Fours 
Last but not least, petit fours to conclude the meal. 

Rants While the 5-course dinner menu is relatively more concise, it is admittedly relatively pricey.

Will I Return Again? I like the complexity of the flavours at Nouri. There are unique ingredients and combinations used in the menu I had and the main draw for me is the little surprise factor in each course. Kudos to the team for seeking a breakthrough in flavours instead of going by the tested and proven conventional flavours and for that, this is one Michelin restaurant worth splurging for a treat in Singapore.  

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Nouri  
72 Amoy Street  
Singapore 069891  
Tel: +65 9230 2477   

Opening Hours  
Lunch   
Wednesday to Friday & Sunday: 12pm to 2:30pm  
  
Dinner  
Wednesday to Sunday: 6pm to 12am 
Closed on Monday & Tuesday  
 
Ranted by The Ranter