The Fat Cat Bistro: It's a sticky situation
Labels:
beer,
food tasting,
hawker,
hidden finds,
Indian food,
jalan riang,
western food
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The night at Fat Cat Bistro unfolded in usual fashion, starting with a pint of Stella Artois draft for me. The proceedings of the nights' food tasting bearing its optimistic light on my fairly empty stomach and growing hunger pangs.
throughout the night, drinks flowed freely as did the light-hearted conversations around the table. With settings similar to that of a coffee shop albeit with the mojitos, draft beers and other cocktails doing it's merry rounds, this encouraged a communal and very intimate setting. Very suitable for small group gatherings or even family meals. Just be mindful that the place is open-air meaning that things can get a little sticky around here so dress appropriately for the occasion, dress light. Guys, don't bring your dates here should she be decked out in a thick sheath of make-up unless you're hoping to end the night with a big fight of sorts. Don't say I didn't warn you.
From the start, service was efficient, friendly; and given that our food was coming from 3 separate kitchens, the dishes soon piled up at our table. No amount of speedy eating could have dealt with the problem. Starters consisted of Crispy Pork Ribs ($12 for 5 pieces) and Thai Mango Salad ($10) from the Thai kitchen; the former was very well received by the group of us, crispy yet deliciously juicy on the inside, this was a delight to eat even sans the chili dressing. The mango salad on the other hand was average, the balance of sour, sweet, salty and spicy could have been better fine tuned.
The Goat's Cheese Salad ($10), representative of the Western kitchen (The French Onion) was a surprising winner as well with it's generous serving of lightly grilled cheese with mixed leaves tossed in a light coating of french dressing.
But the clear winner in the starters category were the Mantra Wings ($8 for 6 pieces) from Masala Mantra. Fried to perfection, these golden wings were perfect snacks to go along with the multitude of drinks available at the bar. The light use of Indian spices in the marination adding a bit of kick to the overall addictive experience. Note, the many pairs of eyes around the table that trailed the disappearance of the wings at lightning speeds. *sweats*
With respect to mains, I honestly lost track at some point of time with the flurry of dishes greeting our tables. Gaping mouths and gregarious laughter filling the empty spaces between the endless feastings. A few of my personal favourites were the Saag Paneer ($12) and the Mutton Vindaloo Curry ($12), pity that the naans we used to mop up the curries lacked fluffiness and the authenticity of those that have come out straight from the tandoor. Constraints of a coffee shop kitchen.. Another would be the green curry (perhaps which was still passable), my take on the Thai food served from Thai Yai (the thai food stall) seemed to lean more on the sweet side, a strange trend that spreads across all its representative items for the night.
Offerings from the Western kitchen that night included the Australian Tenderloin and Seas Bass. Not too suitable for sharing, I was a tad biased against these dishes for that reason alone. That aside, flavors were faultless and portion sizes were decently priced. However, I just didn't find the surroundings suitable for the service of such foods.
The desserts made their mini parades soon after everyone made a declaration to have been stuffed to the brim. I chose the Mango Sticky Rice over the rest since that again seemed to be the most suitable for sharing. Served with dried shards of coconut, that added a refreshing sweet bite to the otherwise monotonous dish with only soft and chewy left to describe it. This rendition was well executed with the glutinous rice cooked to a nice doneness and that sweetened coconut milk drizzled generously over. The Chocolate lava cake possessed a very unnatural sweet flavor probably hailing from the use of cheap compound chocolate within but I'm sure the less finicky would happily settle for this dish.
The Fat Cat is definitely a hidden find, a casual bistro set up in the tranquil settings of the Jalan Riang stretch. Winged by a throng of great eateries of diverse representations, The Fat Cat does serve its purpose of delivering food to groups of people with conflicting needs at decent prices. Not bad indeed for a gathering of indecisive people.
15 Jalan Riang
Tel: 62855178
Website: http://www.thefatcat.com.sg/
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