code here

Ards: Forget About Western Elements; This Is Asian Fine Dining Done Perfectly At Duxton Road

join telegram
follow instaMY

For a country that prides itself as a melting pot of Asian cultures, we don’t have a lot of Asian fine dining restaurants. Enter Ards.

Ards 34

The brainchild of Ace Tan and David Lee, the new 40-seater along Duxton Road doesn’t just shallowly feature a key Asian country in each dish of its three- to 15-course menus, but implements a continuous hodgepodge of Asian elements to present a seamless journey.

Ards 2

For dinner, Ards has a seven-course menu called Dawn ($88++), and a nine-course menu called Roots ($128++). And if you have time (and the budget) to spare, there’s always its 15-course Piquant Illustration ($188++) menu. Eager to try as much as I could from Ards (without having to roll myself home), I opted for the Roots menu.

Ards 7

First up was the Origin Pickle, a pumpkin pickled in rice vinegar, tangerine peel, apple cider, ginger flower, and rock sugar, and garnished with micro mints and micro dill.

Ards 8

Pickled for five days, this opening number undeniably left a potently sour (and slightly bitter) impression that gave my palate tingles.

Ards 9

Their 21st Egg Tart (its name a play on the idea that its rendition is the egg tart of the future; a 21st Century egg tart) features a home-made butter crust, mentaiko fish roe custard, raw corn dressed in vinegar, corn cracker, and cured mullet roe.

Ards 10

The mentaiko fish roe custard, together with the delicate softness of the crust, resulted in a creamy delight that’s dense without being overly sticky. Like kuih pie tee, I’d suggest popping this whole thing into your mouth.

Ards 15

Whoever refutes the axiom that chicken soup is good for your soul, you need to try this next dish right away.

Ards 17

Called Mum’s Chicken Soup, this is a rich chicken broth containing chicken jus-infused wintermelon, braised fish maw, and a chicken-vegetable floss comprising kale, coriander, Thai basil, lemon and lime. Already sounds comforting, doesn’t it?

Ards 16

Boiled overnight, the soup here is remarkably concentrated, thanks to the fact that the extract is derived directly from chicken stuffed with Chinese herbs. Every ingredient in this dish — the firm fish maw, especially — absorbed the soup well. However, unless you’re devilishly obsessed with salty foods like I am, you might find this stock a tad too salty to finish.

Ards 18

Some dishes rely on a dozen key ingredients to make it sing. This one has 33!

Aptly titled 33 Ingredients, this medley of flavours and textures is essentially a rice dumpling roulade featuring over 20 grains with dried shrimps, gingko nuts, chestnuts, green and red beans, five types of mushrooms, fried lotus root, sea cucumber and a thick daikon sauce. Phew.

Ards 19

The genius in all of this is, despite its whopping number of ingredients, it all comes together as one homogeneous dish — a perfect harmony, much like a lot of Asian philosophies, if you will.

Ards 20

Called Fish On Fish?, this next dish unveiled a red grouper poached in scallop butter and seawater, served with seared scallops, pickled goji, home-made XO sauce, and a unique topping nicknamed umami snow (made up of wasabi, tapioca, and furikake).

Ards 21

With grouper, the meat tends to be slightly tougher with a sinewy texture, and this was no exception. Yet, that didn’t make this dish cumbersome to eat; its firmness meant it could easily absorb the richness of the XO sauce and the tingling spiciness of the wasabi.

Ards 22

And yes, it’s called Fish On Fish? as it rests on a fish-shaped plate, in case you were wondering.

Ards 23

You can’t have a full feast without a starring meat, and Ards’ The Art Of Beef played this role perfectly. What we have here is a fillet of A4 wagyu, served with bamboo shoots, and an assortment of mountain yam puree, black garlic oil, and spiced beef sauce.

Ards 24

Don’t be intimidated by how black this meat is; it’s not overcooked to oblivion. The wagyu is actually crusted with what Ards calls ‘black soil’ (comprising charcoal powder and mantou crumbs), giving the beef an almost-chalky texture on the outside. But once you sink your knife into it, the medium-rare, pink hue of the meat easily sees the light of day — an indication of its tenderness.

Beginning to feel a little full, I was relieved we were now segueing into the desserts; turns out I was going to get two of them.

Ards 25

First, the Desserts’ Heritage, a warm, homely dish that barley buffs would love. Barley is cooked in Asian sweet soup, water chestnut, compressed peach, pickled longan, grated almonds, almond oil, and even bird’s nest.

Ards 26

Served on an icecap-shaped block that, on the contrary, keeps this dessert warm, this dish almost resembled an Asian risotto made up of barley given its grainy, soft texture.

Ards 28

Finally, our concluding dish was one that had quite a story to it; two of them, in fact. Called Our Childhood Memories, this dessert duo represents the pasts of both Chef Ace and David, portrayed beautifully side by side.

Ards 30

On one hand, you have a mango and passionfruit jelly with pomelo, representing Chef Ace’s love for mango sago jelly growing up. Tart with a vinegary aftertaste, this was very much a palate cleanser.

Ards 32

On the other hand, coffee jelly with cream cheese, reflecting Chef David’s origins as a pastry chef. Almost like a jelly macaron, this treat was creamy on the inside and had a coffee taste that was surprisingly strong for its size.


Ards 33

Some fine dining restaurants focus too much on the quality of the ingredients or buzz-worthy pizazz, but they lack one thing that Ards possesses — storytelling. Even with a nine-course menu, I could clearly remember every single dish; each one brandishing plenty of character.

It’s these lingering memories that make a restaurant great, for what’s a dining experience if you don’t have any impression of it? And for Ards, with a story rooted in Asian culture, this is only the beginning.

Expected Damage: $55 $200 per pax

Ards: 76 Duxton Road, Singapore 089535 | Tel: +65 6913 7258 | Opening Hours: (Tue-Fri) 12pm – 2.30pm, (Mon-Sat) 6pm – 11pm | Website | Facebook

Video thumbnail
too yumm for the tumm #malaysia #kualalumpur #sashimi #salmon #japanesefood
00:26
Video thumbnail
Cheap vs Expensive: Wanton Mee | Food Finders Singapore S7E5
11:49
Video thumbnail
Loving the vibe of American diners 👌🏻 #food #foodie #sgigfoodie #singapore
00:18
Video thumbnail
so who's guilty for thinking processed cheese is actual cheese? 🧀 #malaysia #kualalumpur #cheese
00:28
Video thumbnail
😮‍💨 would you try this? #malaysia #kualalumpur #satay #bingsu #dessert
00:19
Video thumbnail
full video in our channel ⬆️ #foodie #singapore #singaporefood #hawkercentre
00:59
Video thumbnail
New spot to impress your partner! 😛🍕 #sgfoodie #diy #dateideas
00:30
Video thumbnail
tulipmania is back 💐 #singapore #tulip #gardensbythebay #flowers
00:17
Video thumbnail
🍚✨which team are you? #malaysia #kualalumpur #foodie #nasilemak #klfoodie
00:41
Video thumbnail
Trying the worst rated Michelin Bib Gourmand stalls! | Food Finders Singapore S7E4
14:55
Video thumbnail
xiao long baos in shanghai are another level 🤯 #xiaolongbao #shanghai #chinafood #foodie
00:36
Video thumbnail
Now that you know what it taste like, will you give it a try?🐢 #foodie #food #singapore #turtlesoup
00:20
Video thumbnail
Ever tried chinese desserts like this before⁉️ #foodie #food #dessert #singapore
00:18
Video thumbnail
the cathay is finally opened again!! #food #sgfoodie #singapore #singaporefood
00:24
Video thumbnail
From Ex-offender to Expert: Rishi Tries the F&B Frontline Challenge!
11:14
Video thumbnail
🍜 this has to be the cheapest udon in town right? #malaysia #kualalampur #udon #ramen #japanese
00:32
Video thumbnail
korea? nope, it's just kota damansara 👾 #malaysia #kualalumpur #valorant #gamer #cod
00:18
Video thumbnail
shiopan shio-down!!! #food #japanesefood #bread #bakery
01:13
Video thumbnail
this is what I meant when I say I want bubble tea #food #foodie #singapore #bubbletea
00:23
Video thumbnail
which yong tau foo place i should try next? 🤤 #malaysia #kualalampur #damansara #pj #klfoodie
00:24

Newest