Wow, I can’t remember when was the last time I updated this page but hello everyone I’m back after a long hiatus! What better way to make a comeback than to talk about this fantastic experience I had last week?
I came across Soon Heng Social Club (SHSC) on Instagram, which is my preferred social media to keep updated with restaurants, food options and cooking inspiration (@jumineats).
The menus are changed monthly, with no address or location disclosed and hardly any user photos that I could find on Instagram. Everything seemed so mysteriously exciting about them. Even more so when I found out that there were no walk-ins accepted, and reservations were made through Instagram only. How cryptic!!!
To commemorate the end of my exams, and along with it my time at university, we made a reservation last week at Soon Heng. We only were given the location a few days before our reservation and pre-ordered our food from the July menu (available on their Instagram).
Stepping into Soon Heng, the ambience was rather dimly lit in the dining hall, even though it was only 6pm. Mood-setting yaass! And the place was filled with retro paraphernalia evoking a sense of nostalgia. It felt like I was in someone’s home in the 1980s.
Okay enough talk about that, we are here mainly for the food! (Okay maybe for the mystery of it too hehe). We had the grilled salmon and slow roasted pork belly, and a side of Chinese 5-spice quail, all pre-ordered days before.
The first thought I had when we were served was: This plating is amazing! For such a rustic homey environment, the plating was elegant and elevated to the heavens. The salmon was cooked to sheer perfection, flaky and fresh like all great fish dishes are, I opted for sides of ratatouille and roasted mini potatoes. I don’t think there’s much for me to say, it is as good as it looks! Yik had the pork and I could tell from his expression after the first bite that it was fantastic. Naturally, I had to get a taste and the pork was so soft and meltingly good, with a light but flavourful sauce. I also like that Chef Jack served both mains with a dollop of sour cream to add not only a welcome tang, but an aesthetic element to the dishes.
We had ordered the fried quail to accompany our dinner and it turned out to be fantastic as well. Aromatic, tender and so so cute! I don’t think I’ve ever had quail meat before so this was something new to me. The flavours were spot on and the crunchy cucumbers allowed me to clear my palate from the spices after.
There was also a bar available at the back, with a couple of mixed drinks on the menu (no alcohol on the menu, but I spotted a shot measure and a bottle of dry gin so I’m not sure if they actually serve it or not). I had a lemongrass pandan passion fruit concoction and it was fabulous! Normally lemongrass flavoured food and drinks have an overpowering taste but here it was crafted perfectly, and the pandan fragrance sends it over the top. I think some of my favourite “exotic” flavors are pandan, lemongrass and coconut. Yik had a hawthorn berry juice, which tastes as exotic as it sounds (if you’ve never had hawthorn or 山楂). Also great, though didn’t get a good shot of it.
The highlight of our dinner however, was the outstanding hospitality (I think service doesn’t quite fit the bill here). From the moment Larry greeted us at the front door, throughout the meal and until when we left, he was nothing but warm and welcoming! I highly recommend going to Soon Heng for a different kind of dining experience. The mystery was definitely part of the allure and excitement and I would love to visit them again! Looking forward to future menus. Check them out at (@soonheng_).
Food: 10/10
Price: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Service: 10/10
JUMIN EATS 