The Place One of the newest kids on the block along Keong Saik Road, Maggie’s took over the space of the now-defunct Hevel and it is also by the same team behind Marcy’s. The interior of the restaurant was transformed totally into a quintessential retro Chinese vibe, where I spotted flying dragon, antique vases, China table wares, and more. It still exudes that intimate dining ambience as Hevel previously, except that the concept is a complete overhaul.

Maggie’s is a bold and offbeat take on regional Chinese flavours which are reimagined, and honestly nothing like what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant. It coined itself as ‘An Almost Chinese’ bistro that plays by no one’s rules. 

The Food Expect bits of spicy flavours in the dishes, such as Sichuan ‘ma la’ though it is overall fairly mild. It is afterall not a Sichuan Chinese restaurant per se. it is a concise menu for now where there are cold and hot starters, mains, carbs and dessert. 

For a start, I had the Seabream Crudo (S$26) which uses Kyushu Seabream (aka fortune fish) along with Oak-aged Pickle Sauce and Dongbei Sauerkraut. It is akin to a ceviche done Chinese style, especially with the addition of ‘suan cai’ aka Sauerkraut. 

The Mouth-watering Cod Milt (S$24) is easily one of my favourite dishes here where it is my first time having shirako this way. The Hokkaido Shirako is tossed with Sweet Relish, Chilli Crunch and Yuba, where the overall flavour is creamy like a burrata dish. 

Moving on to the hot starters, the “Golden Gun” Cigars (S$18/2 pcs) where the Bigeye Tuna with Spring Onion and Preserved Olive Leaves is served with Creme Fraiche. 

The Golden Prawn Croque Madame (S$25) is a unique take on Croque Madame where I like the crisp texture of the House-made Focaccia topped with sunny side up egg. You also get that tinge of Green Peppercorn flavour along with Enoki, Lime, Tiger Prawn “Mojo” and Passion Fruit Hollandaise. 

For meats, I had the Roasted Pomfret (S$36 half / S$58 whole) with Green Peppercorn Salsa Verde and Extra Virgin Olive oil. The whole fish is deboned completely, which makes it easy to enjoy the dish. The fish has a tinge of ‘ma la’ flavour from the Green Peppercorn Salsa Verde. 

For carbs, I chose the namesake Maggie’s Southern Dirty Rice (S$35) which comes with Duck Liver Sausage, Monkfish Liver Parfait and Aged Yellow Wine served by the side. You get a nice and moist texture of the rice here which is quite umami given the duck liver sausage and monkfish liver parfait. In terms of texture, it is quite singular and it would be better if there is more texture (such as something crunchy). 

For dessert, the Maggie’s 8 Treasures (S$16) is the only option on the menu and it is an interesting mix of Glutinous Rice, Date Gelato, Red Bean Cloud, Logans and Jujuebes. The combination works well and it is not too heavy at the end of the meal, where the portion is also good to share for two. 

Rants The menu is quite concise for now, where there are only two meat options and one dessert option on the menu. 

Will I Return Again? Maggie’s is very much to me a modernised and edgy approach to Chinese flavours. If you are the type who likes to be surprised by flavours, then this spot should strike a chord with you. 

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

Maggie’s 
1 Keong Saik Road 
#01-04 
Singapore 089109 
Tel: +65 9622 6679 

Opening Hours 
Tuesday to Sunday: 5:30pm to 11pm 
Closed on Monday

Ranted by The Ranter