FYR Cycene ond Drinc is the old English of “Fire Kitchen and Drink” and is pronounced as such. The restaurant, which serves modern European cuisine with Asian influences, is thus named because most dishes are fired using lychee wood in josper charcoal grill, the Ferrari of grills. Continuing the theme of fire, the walls have murals telling the story of how cave-people discovered fire, which kickstarted advances in technology. The heavy plates used are made from stone or wood, another play of the primitive cave-people plot.

The food was not bad and, at CBD area, reasonably priced. But people at my table generally found that the food required heavier seasoning. For instance, the baked aubergine & chickpea ragout ($10, pictured above), mildly aromatic with a hint of Indian curry powder, was to my liking but the group protested, preferring it to be full-fledged, in-your-face heavy curry. We all agreed that the starter, baked half bone marrow ($15, below), spiked with basil and Asian spices, was the star of the night, like buttery fat on toast.

Freshly shucked oysters with fried shallots ($15)

For Sharing: 5-spiced half chicken, striploin & tiger prawns ($55)

For mains, I agreed with the group that the grain-fed US Holstein cow ribeye 365 days ($32) needed a heavier seasoning; perhaps a generous pinch of salt. On the other hand, the shallot lemongrass bechamel on the whole Maine lobster ($35) was so creamy and smokey I licked the sauce up.

Like the ribeye, the red snapper (half fish, $25, above) was bland on its own–some salt, please–but the non-spicy belacan greatly improved and enhanced the aroma and nuttiness of the fish, making this a favorite that night. Seafood linguine ($18), in lobster bisque, with laksa leaves and Thai basil, was past al dente, but that’s the way I like my noodles.

Look at how the marshmallow melted!

By itself, the dessert was playful, and delicious–I could devour one on my own, maybe two–but from the name, pistachio lava cake & homemade pandan ice cream ($10), the pistachio wasn’t obvious; if the dessert is renamed pandan lava cake, it would be perfect.

On the whole, the food was creative, and fun, and nothing a pinch of salt couldn’t solve.

FYR Cycene ond Drinc Singapore

19 Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069619
T: +65 6221 3703
M-F 11am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-4
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Rating: 3.094/5 stars

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.

This is an invited tasting.