Under the Proper Concepts Group which houses other restaurants like GOHO Kaiseki, Rappu sushi bar, and Feather Blade (affordable steaks), the newish Mish Mash, a mere 5-minute walk from Chinatown MRT, is marketed as a wine-and-cocktail bar but that’s underselling it. Mish Mash offers small, medium, large plates and their official stand is that they showcase ingredients from around the world, but I thought the food should be considered Modern Asian cuisine, and they are surprisingly tasty and innovative.
From the small plate, I tried the savoury coppe ($12), which is not dissimilar to a Japanese twist of a hotdog bun, using house-made Japanese milk bread, Japanese pickles and bonito flakes. It’s not bad, but I won’t pay $12 for a “gentrified” hotdog.
From the medium plate, and the best dish of the night, it was the cherrywood smoked engawa ($28). Engawa is the tail fin cut of a flatfish (either flounder or fluke) that is soft and very fatty, dissolving in the mouth. I ate a similar rendition at their sister restaurant GOHO where they pair it with pumpkin puree, which I thought was not bad. But here, they pair it with steamed pumpkin, which I much prefer, as the textures have some contrast. The sweet and salty dish at Mish Mash is also more pronounced and interesting than the GOHO’s version. It’s expensive but super tasty. Worth trying.
It is recommended, from the large plate section, to get the Kurobuta pork chop ($58), lamb saddle tandoori ($48), , and Spanish Turbot ($42). I ignored the pork chop because pork is so boring, and went for the lamb and fish. The New Zealand grass-fed lamb is paired with crispy coin prata (which tasted more like potato chips) and edamame hummus. The idea is interesting but the lamb came across as gamey and I thought the hummus should be more minty.
Mish Mash markets the Spanish Turbot as fish and chips, using the deep-fried bones as chips, reminiscent of the Japanese bar grub of fish bone, served on a bed of spinach risotto. I think they marketed it wrongly; they should have marketed it as fish porridge, because it feels exactly like that, comforting and warm and soft, like a mother’s embrace.
Save the calories from the desserts and go for cocktails instead. Boo Jing Heng, the former principal bartender of Jigger & Pony (No. 2 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2022), is in charge. I sampled the lusty lemon ($22, champagne, lychee, yuzu), green goddess ($22, gin, grape, green apple), and cocoa climax ($24, cabernet sauvignon, strawberry dust, vanilla), and my favourite is the first. It’s so fun and deceptively easy to drink.
Mish Mash is a place that I’d return to: the food is well thought out and interesting without sacrificing the flavours and the drinks are fun. I also like the cosy vibe of the place, suitable for a small-group intimate hang. Will recommend it to my friends and bring them here.
Mish Mash
198 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058747
F & Sat 12pm – 2.30pm
Tue – Sat 6pm-12pm
Food/booze: 7/10
Price/value: 5/10
Decor/ambience: 7/10
You may be interested in…
– S’Fun Dining Part 2: Kulto (Amoy St), Mad About Sucre (Teo Hong Rd), Nixta (Amoy St), Sinpopo (Tangs Orchard), Bar.celona (Robertson Quay)
– I used my SkillsFuture to learn how to be an alcoholic: WSET Sake Level 1 Course
– Semi-fine (S’Fun) Dining Part 1: Iko (Neil Road); Josephine Wine Bar (Amoy St); Kilo (Duxton); Kinou (Teck Lim Rd); Kongsee (Gemmill Lane)
– Quaich Bar Wanderlust, InterContinental Singapore: More than 100 different types of whiskies. One cocktail is named “Annie are you okay?”
This is a tasting. Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.
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