New menu will still make you flock to Birds Of A Feather

The past year has been tough on restaurants, especially those located within the Central Business District, so I am happy to see some places still doing well despite the pandemic.

One of those joints is Birds Of A Feather in Amoy Street.

It opened in 2016 serving contemporary dishes with touches of the famed Sichuan heat, and it has not strayed from its hit formula.

Its latest menu revamp boasts modern fare with a touch of old world spice.

I found many dishes to like from the new menu, including the Homestyle Braised Pork Belly ($58).

Despite its name, there is nothing "homely" about it - not with the shaved truffle and rich sauce.

It features Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black bean, salt and soya sauce; and the claypot contains tea tree mushroom, mushroom garlic rice and pork belly.

The restaurant recommends it with rice but I like it on its own too.

The Two Way Braised Tofu ($25) is also excellent.

Birds Of A Feather's homemade chilli red oil has 15 spices and rapeseed oil - a deep mellow oil with an earthy and nutty flavour.

The sliced wagyu that accompanies the dish is meant to be eaten shabu-shabu style, which brings out the flavour of the rapeseed oil as well.

Although it is presented in a decidedly Western way and features pasta, the Double Cooked Pork Belly ($22) tastes similar to a Chinese dish.

锅肉) is a quintessential Sichuan dish. The meat is cooked in braising sauce and paired with octopus leg, and sits on a bed of fregula, one of my favourite pastas.

There is a side of fried Onion Mousseline, so in one bite you get heat, creaminess, sweetness and crunch.

I never understood the appeal of quail, and the BBQ French Quail ($23) does little to change my opinion.

The bird is barbecued over charcoal till crisp and smokey, then dusted with Sichuan spices.

I could not detect the quail flavour and found it dry. I would have preferred a chicken thigh over this.

LOBSTER

The Sichuan Maine Lobster ($42) is supposedly a rift on the classic Sichuan Boiled Fish.

I do not get the connection, but I do like the flavours and the drama of the wait staff pouring hot oil over the dish.

I like it for its umami-spicy combination, and to be honest, lobster is always a good choice.

Eating at Birds Of A Feather is more than just about the food. I was a regular when it first opened but over the years, I was distracted by newer places.

Fortunately, little has changed about the place upon my recent visit.

The decor remains cozy and dark, the cocktail menu is interesting, and there is a relaxed vibe about the place - all attributes for an ideal dinner experience.

---

Birds Of A Feather

115 Amoy Street #01-01, Tel: 9755-7115
Opens Monday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10.30pm;
Sunday, 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm