Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong - Farm to Table Cuisine @ Singapore

Farm to table restaurant concept is not popular in Singapore mainly because we do not have that large a farming community in the first place, given our diminutive size, and local produce is generally priced higher than imported ones.

The more popular ones in recent years would be Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong- " the first fish-farmer-owned restaurant in Singapore to serve locally-farmed seafood". For the Greatest Kon's birthday makan, we decided to give it a try with reservation at 5.30 pm via Chope. 

Insides of the restaurant - I love it when dining establishments have a straight, walking passage for their customers; aside from safety, it also makes the place less claustrophobic. 

Bartender section; reminding me to get a glass of beer to go with the fresh seafood. Selections include draught beer, bottled beer, white wine, red wine and cocktails. Plain water would also be provided, at no charge. 

Table layout - that bamboo bowl was meant for your discarded prawns shells, fish bones etc. I didn't know what to do with it and only knew its purpose towards the end of the meal, when the friendly staff member started clearing our table.

Separate toilets for diners. 

Why is there a need to have two bumps on the female sign?! 

Scan the QR to check out the menu (note: there's only seafood; no beef, no pork, no chicken). This menu on Google drive would be more updated than the one on the website as one glaring section missing from the website's menu would be cocktails. Without further ado, let's start with our meal.

Coke Zero - the taste didn't stray from the typical coke zero you could get from any convenience stalls but it's nice to put in a nice touch (a slice of lime) to justify the inflated pricing. 

Sweetwater - sweet, floral and hoppy; a tad bitter but still acceptable. I requested for a pint and this glass looked more like a half pint. I did clarify and secured confirmation that it was a pint glass. 

Kelong Fried Collar (KFC) - some of the starters were said to be so popular; pre-orders were strongly recommended. I called beforehand to pre-order this KFC; which unfortunately, wasn't a plate of fried chicken. 

Deep fried to a crisp, I assumed I would be gnawing more on the bones rather than having substantial amount of protein, and the need to look out for the teeny weeny fish bones. We were informed that seven spices were used and fish spices included grouper, sea bass and pomfret.

There were plenty of meat and despite the seven spices; the flavor was a bit bland and you would benefit by squeezing the slice of lemon. One thing that's unquestionable would be the freshness of the fish! 

Seabass Kabayaki - another starter that I pre-ordered upon recommendation from the person who took my call. Essentially, this would be lightly grilled seabass with a Kabayaki sauce, better known as the unagi sauce. 

No complaint about the nicely sweet sauce but this fish was fishy and the skin lacked the crispiness I thought would come with grilling! The pickled radish would come in handy and you would need to eat both radish and fish together for a better, less fishy experience. 

Now, our three mouthwatering mains! 

Prawn Aglio Olio - prawns were fresh and plump and the spaghetti had soaked in the prawn broth; resulting in a delicious umami sensation for my taste buds. The use of angel hair pasta might be better, in my personal opinion.

 

Char Chasoba - I fell in my love with soba after my inaugural visit to Japan and coupled it with my favorite char siew and I am guessing this would be a perfect marriage!

Cold soba gave the summer vibes and I wonder why this dish wasn't insanely popular in Singapore, a place that's hot and wet throughout the year! Slurping good.

Most impressive, however, were the yummy char siew. They may look like one but were in fact made of pearl grouper belly! Taste wise, it was weirdly similar although nutritionists would argue this would be way healthier!  

Seafood Glace Risotto - instead of rice, you get barley, which has lesser calories, but more calcium and fiber! This would be my most-liked dish for the night; each spoonful had these tiny bites of sweetness that I assumed to be the spicy sweet garlic. Add the pickled onions for addition kick! Prawns aside (good as usual), the squid rings featured a nice, non-rubbery texture. p.s. chilli was too spicy!

Panna Cotta - I had made payment and was about to leave when the server brought out this dessert. Turned out I had indicated that the meal was a birthday treat for a friend and it was so sweet for them to remember and put a candle on the panna cotta for the Greatest Kon. 

Accompanying the custard were crunchy meringue that was addictive even though the sweetness was manageable. Panna cotta was purple in color and there was this floral aroma to it taste; turned out the flavor was lavender!   

Satisfying! 

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I definitely enjoyed the meal although both the Greatest Kon and Alex were less impressed. For me, I believe this kind of food would appeal to my mom, who is a fish lover! 

Address

8 Hamilton Road, 

Singapore 209179

Map

As above. 

Website

https://www.scaled.sg/

Pricing

Coke Zero - S$3.50

Sweetwater - S$15.00

Kelong Fried Collar (KFC) - S$26.00

Seabass Kabayaki - S$16.00

Prawn Dashi Aglio Olio - S$28.00

Char Chasoba - S$34.00

Seafood Glace Risotto - S$26.00

Panna Cotta - Free

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)