Table Of Splendour

Nestled in the cozy sanctum of 21 Carpenter, Kee's Neo-Bistro & Bar is poised to become the pride of its neighbourhood, charting a course through Europe and Southeast Asia.

- INDRAN PARAMASIVAM

THE 'SUSHI SCENE' in the 2011 documentary film Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of the most hushed expressions of joy ever captured on camera. In it, patrons of sushi master Jiro Ono relish his masterful, nay, hallowed sushi, with slight smiles and nods that hint at deference and catharsis. The sheer, almost superhuman restraint captured in that scene floors me more than its poignance. That is an outstanding display of emotion because my response to the same phenomena and situation is typically loud, occasionally unruly, and always effusive.

Even though I favour dinner as a canvas by which to enjoy a fantastic meal, my lunch at Kee's elicited an emphatically loud, unruly, and effusive response. The interval between me taking in the menu and whooping internally and out loud after the first bites from a host of dishes was brief, and the reason for my reaction was simple. To quote F&B director Glynn Tay, the menu comprises "comfort food and well-executed craving-satisfiers" that, thanks to culinary director Andrew Walsh and the team, bridge Europe and Singapore with a dashing and irresistibly winking verve.

As an expertly realised sum of its parts, Kee's is a boon to upper-echelon soul food whose European heart beats with an Asian pulse.

A Shrine To History