Newly opened Lime House at 2 Jiak Chuan Road claims to be the first restaurant in Singapore to serve authentic and fine dining Caribbean cuisine. Enter Lime House and be greeted by an inviting multi-storey shop house that holds a few hidden spaces with cool vibes! Discover a restaurant and a laid-back courtyard on the first level, a cosy bar/lounge on the second level, an events area on the third level and a rooftop Al fresco area where you can literally wine under the stars (for that touch of romance maybe?). Very fittingly, ‘Lime’ is a Caribbean term meaning hang out with friends.
At the helm of Lime House’s kitchen is celebrated Chef Hasan Defour who is determined to bring the flavours of fine Caribbean cuisine to the world. The friendly chef shared anecdotes of how his interest in the culinary world was first sparked by the home economics classes he enjoyed in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Chef Hassan moved to the United Kingdom when he was only eighteen to attain comprehensive training and education. With an illustrious career spanning twenty years, Chef Hasan had travelled around the Caribbean with Michelin Star Chef Gary Rhodes in his latest TV series and hosted his own TV series ‘Country Cooking’ on Tempo Networks in 2011.
Caribbean cuisine is a melting pot of flavours with influences borrowed from African, Amerindian, European, East Indian, and Chinese cuisine. Lime House offers a good mix of appetizers, main courses, salads, desserts and cocktails in its four page menu. There are plans to expand the menu next month.
Check out the Lime House Set Lunch Menu where you can choose from a menu of Appetizers, mains and salads/desserts for S$25 (2 Courses) or S$30 (3 Courses)
Appetizers
Caribbean fish cakes
Caribbean fish cakes typically uses salted fish but Lime House offers a spin on this traditional dish with the use of fresh fish cakes accompanied with sweet corn, herbed garlic aioli (a creamy white sauce) and mixed greens. The sweet corn adds an interesting texture that is achieved through a roasting process. The freshness of the ingredients is a welcoming element in this wholesome dish.
Lime House “Wings n’ Tings”
This dish is a feature on the ‘Caribbean Classics’ menu. Diners get a choice of three dips depending on preference for spice level. I had the Jerky BBQ sauce which is the mid-level and has a tinge of spiciness. The meat is tender and well-marinated. The adventurous can request for the (very) hot sauce on the side to blow your mind off.
Main courses
Red Snapper Escovitch
This is one of my favourites and another feature on the Caribbean Classics’ menu. Marinated deep fried fillet is topped with spicy pickled vegetables (onions, carrots, pickles) and a citrus homemade sauce with undertones of lemon juice. The tangy-sour blend of the sauce complements the sweet notes in the marinated fish to produce a delightful blend of flavours. To top it off, the mix of vegetables adds a crunchy texture to the dish.
Jerk Chicken
Caribbean Jerk Chicken is served with textures of sweet potato and tangy Jerk BBQ sauce. The thigh meat is boneless, making it an easy option for kids. The topping of thinly-shaved sweet potato chips and sweet potato puree-sauce adds a myriad of texture to this dish: the tenderness of the meat, the crunchiness of the chips and the smooth, creamy texture of the sweet potato puree-sauce.Spice level can be customised to individual’s preference.
Dessert
Deconstructed Pina Colada
This sweet treat of coconut custard with pineapple compote (dried fruit in sugar syrup) and lime sherbet is as interesting as its name sounds. When you take the first few scopes, refreshing lime sherbet melts in your mouth. This is a lead up to the mouth-watering coconut custard layers in the bottom half of this dessert, topped with mint leaves, small chunks of sweetened pineapples and thin strips of coconut. It seems like a recurring theme here but even the comforting dessert greets your taste buds with a burst of flavours and textures put together in a complementary mix.
Lime House is a gem in the heart of Chinatown. With an accessible location, a good variety of spaces to ‘lime” or hang out with your friends and a hearty selections of authentic Caribbean cuisine, Lime House seems to hit all the sweet notes in a pretty package.
Lime House is located at 2 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore 089260 and is open from 12pm to 12am from Tuesday to Sunday. Call +6562223130 for reservations.
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