We made our way through the rather empty Jewel Changi on a weekday to get to NY Verden, the brainchild of Lim Kuan Yiou, second-generation owner and operator of Old Street Bak Kut Teh. NY Verden prides itself on serving premium quality woodfired grilled meats. Wood is specially sourced from Australia and USA to offer diners with dishes that are infused with complex smoky flavours. Diners can semi-DIY cook their preferred cuts of meat and seafood over a choice of 5 types of firewood – Jarrah, Hickory, Oak, Cherry and Applewood. The staff can advise you on which type of wood goes best with the meat or seafood that you are having.
The first starter that we had was the Bread & Dip ($10), a tad pricey for breads but well worth the price-tag. Fragrant Altamura bread is flown in from Italy and is perfect for dipping the house-made hummus, seasoned with garlic, cumin, paprika and Harissa French chilli paste. The bread is also lightly toasted and served warm. Marinated Watermelon ($20) is a starter if you are looking for something more innovative as it is served with shallots and fresh ikura smoked over your choice of woodfire. The watermelon is marinated for 24 hours with mint and coriander seed and the dish is topped with red snapper fish floss. An innovative dish but we found that there were a tad too many flavours involved.
Our favourite starter was the Beetroot Tartare & Burrata ($28). The burrata is made by an Italian cheesemaker in Singapore. Beetroot is first salt baked and then smoked over one’s choice of firewood for peatiness then rimmed with emulsion of peas and pistachio. A finishing touch of smoked sea salt is then sprinkled atop. Order if you are a cheese lover!
From their wide range of mains, we had their house signature Crab Tagliolini ($30), which is cooked in lobster broth and drizzled with olive oil. Lashings of crab meat can be found nestled between the strands of noodles. Rose petals and smoked ikura finish the dish but go easy on the ikura if you prefer lighter flavours.
And the meat! The Iberico Pork Jowl ($32) features a whole jowl of pork that is marinated for 48 hours with a cardamom and thyme rub then sous vide for 72 hours to melt into a delicious caramelisation when it is grilled over woodfire. On the side, you have an accompanying black garlic puree flavoured with dill oil and some shimeji mushrooms with bergamot gastric reduction for the added umami.
For more full-bodied flavours, you can go for the 30-days dry-aged Wagyu Tomahawk or Mayura Flank. These meats are served with 4-onion (white, yellow, Bombay and Spanish) onion jam which lends sweet notes as well as bone marrow jus reduction made from roasted beef bones simmered over three days and finished with marsala red wine.
To end the meal on a sweet note, we chose the Ispahan ($20). Almond sponge cake is held together by raspberry jelly, rose mousse and a veil of honey and fresh lychee that oozes fresh bursts of lychee juice when bitten into. Popping candy is also served on the side for added texture and ‘pop’ in the mouth when indulging in this sweet treat.
NY Verden is priced slightly higher but we can see why with the quality of the food and its innovative spin on the different dishes. Save this for special occasions or date nights, it’s a treat to have the Rain Vortex in the background as you dine on plush leather booth seats. The good news is that they are currently having 50% off their set menus if you would like to try their food. 2 and 3 courses-set menus are going at $22.80++ (U.P $45.60++) and $29.80 (U.P. $59.60++) respectively, available daily for both lunch and dinner.
Options for the starters include: Bread & Dip (as featured above), Roast Leek Soup and Beef Tartare. For Mains, choose from Smoked Chicken Coquelet, Iberico Pork Jowl, Ravioli with Aged Balsamic and Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe.
In addition to the set-menus, diners can enjoy complimentary free flow alcohol (prosecco, red wine, beer) with minimum spending of $100++ in a single receipt per table.
Budget per person: $25 – $45
