Upper Place hosts a clever menu, perfect for those looking to escape the noise

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Set on the highest floor of WANGZ hotel is Upper Place, a humble dining place that dishes out ambitious plates congealing Asian influences with European techniques.

Here's what our writer, Belinda has to say after a delectable multi-course meal at the Upper Place.


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My favourite way to start a meal is always with a soup. The Mushroom Soup hits the nail on the head. It is bursting with fresh mushroom flavour, with bits of fungi present in every mouthful. Topped with fresh truffle shavings, this attempt to elevate the dish was unfortunately foiled by its poorer quality. Spring onion foam ladled gently over the soup adds a bit of visual theatrics to the dish, but was otherwise a deadweight of a flavour contributor.

If you're not a fan of fungi, the Corn Soup is a great alternative. Fresh corn kernels are boiled for hours on end to extract the sweetness and essence of the corn. The addition of crab meat providing a nice nuance of brininess that aids in accentuating the natural sweetness of the corn.


While the octopus do not appeal to all, the Octopus and Chorizo was executed to the T - perfectly grilled with a slight char on its exterior housing moist innards. Cutting through the 63degrees egg results in a strikingly comforting amalgamation of creamy egg yolk, octopus, spicy chorizo together with the mildly spiced paprika sauce. 



I've got to admit that I was a bit taken aback when this dish first arrived. Green spaghetti? What sorcery is this? To cut to the chase, it's Tiger Prawn Spaghettini with Chinese spinach sauce and snow pea supreme with crispy shrimps, and probably the first I've seen of heard. Chewing through the al dente pasta was almost akin to chowing down on wilted spinach itself. Although this is on the forefront of innovation, and might I add, a much healthier option to the regular; I found the resulting dish a tad too overwhelming. Thankfully the Tiger Prawns made up for said shortcomings.


Always one to be picky with fish dishes, I was pleasantly surprised that this locally caught Barramundi surpassed all my expectations. Firm and not too flaky, the beauty of the fish was bestowed with just the right amount of seasoning by the butter sauce without having too much of its limelight stolen.

The Wagyu Ribeye sent me on a whimsical trip to cloud nine. We're talking delirious threads of marbling with the right balance of fats to meat. Upon first bite, the fats will melt instantaneously while the flavourful meat that require little chewing, disseminate huge hits of flavour. 



I've got a thing for pork belly, my face, a glorified spectacle of joy and enamoured lip curls, a dead giveaway. This glorious stack, blessed with a sesame seed coating was cooked till feeble submission, it's flesh barely in need of a knife to manipulate. A tangy orange sauce provides balance to the rich pork whilst the sesame seed coat registers a pleasurably nutty fragrance.


We ended the meal on a sweet note, with Crema Catalana and Chocolate Lava Cake, both of which were rich without being too sickeningly sweet. The addition of orange liqueur in the Crema Catalana really helped to highlight the use of lemon in the dessert. As for the more sinful of the two, the oven temperature and ingredients poured into the dessert were core reasons for its sheer success. The result, a crusty outer core of cake surrounding molten innards that maintain a gooey integrity. What a glorious way to end off the meal!


Upper Place
231 Outram Road
WANGZ Hotel Rooftop
S(169040)
Reservations: Quandoo

Words and photos by Belinda Yong who wishes that every time of the day is food o' clock. She loves trying new cuisines and creations,  and prays hard for a higher metabolism.

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