Hubby's birthday lunch — squid ink soba + scallop crab pasta!
Outram Park cafe — hubby's birthday lunch: pan-seared cod over squid ink soba, scallop + crab spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, ikura, latte with rosetta art.
Treated BB to a birthday lunch at an Outram Park cafe — pan-seared cod + scallop crab pasta + latte. The proper hubby birthday treat. 😋
What was on the table:
- Squid ink soba with pan-seared cod (top plate) — bed of dark squid ink-stained buckwheat soba noodles mixed with mushrooms + scallions, topped with two pan-seared cod fillets with golden crispy skin, garnished with chervil leaves.
- Scallop + crab spaghetti (bottom plate) — spaghetti tossed in light cream-tomato sauce with pan-seared scallops (3 pieces with caramelised brown edges), shredded crabmeat piled in the centre, halved cherry tomatoes, orange ikura roe, chervil garnish.
- Latte (left, white cup) with proper rosetta latte art — micro-foam pulled to the artistic standard.
Outram Park cafe scene has the modern brunch-pasta cafe category — these are the SG cafes doing chef-driven small-plate brunch with cod / scallop / squid ink / ikura on the menu. Different from the basic kopitiam-style cafes. Price point $15-22 per main.
The squid ink soba is the trendy fusion carb — Japanese soba (buckwheat noodles) blackened with squid ink, which adds briny umami depth + dramatic black colour. Different from Italian squid ink pasta (which uses durum wheat). The soba’s buckwheat earthiness pairs with the ink’s saltiness.
The pan-seared cod = the protein upgrade. Cod is the white fish premium in SG (vs barramundi, halibut). The crispy skin sear on top + tender flaky white meat below = the textural standard for cafe-fish.
The scallop + crab spaghetti is the seafood splurge pasta. Pan-seared scallops with the caramelised edges (Maillard reaction = the brown crust) are the textural showstoppers. Shredded crabmeat in the centre adds the second seafood layer.
Ikura (salmon roe) on the pasta = the textural pop — the bursting bright orange roe per spoonful. Modern fine-casual Italian-Japanese fusion technique.
Cherry tomatoes (halved, slightly blistered from sauteing) add the acidic-sweet anchor.
Latte with rosetta latte art = the cafe quality marker. BB ordered this — the proper milk-steaming + espresso-pulling technique.
BB’s birthday = his treat, my pleasure to plan. Outram Park is our usual cafe-hop area (multiple cafe options within walking distance).
Overall: 4.3 / 5. Cod skin was crispy + meat was flaky, squid ink soba was the bold base, scallop sear was textbook, crab + ikura added the premium seafood layers, latte art was on point. Hubby birthday well-fed. 😍👍🏼
