Don Ho Social Kitchen and Bar, located along Keong Siak Road, offers one-of-a-kind experience where conversations across tables wouldn’t get raised eyebrows. Here, dishes are made to be shared alongside tropical-inspired cocktails, while jovial conversation are exchanged with one another.

With the kitchen helmed by Chef Shiman Woon, you can expect interesting fusion dishes such as the Pair of Smoked Ox Tongue Sliders ($20), Smoked Sweet Potato Hummus ($12) and Ash Cured Ocean Trout Pastrami ($14).

Don Ho’s sharing menu is easily categorised into five sections where you can experience food from the ‘Land’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Sea’, followed by the ‘Big Sharing’ and rounded off with a ‘Happy End’ aka desserts. Each person is recommended to have three dishes but you can go for more too.

Cocktails Ooh La-La

Don’t miss out on the cocktails too as they are really easy on the palate and refreshing to drink.

From top clockwise, we had the Gin Garden ($18), Bucking Mule ($22), Peaty Monkey ($20) and Yuzu Mule ($20).

Land

Being the carnivores we are, we had several items from the ‘Land’.

One of my favourite has got to be the Pair of Smoked Ox Tongue Sliders ($20). The slightly bouncy and chewy texture of the ox tongue was delish with the charred edges and flavourful ‘smokiness’. Sandwiched with the cabbage slaw and pickled cucumber plus a dollop of chipotle mayo, it was well-received at our table.

The pair of Pork Cheeks Char Siu Sliders ($20) was an interesting twist on the usual beef sliders. While I adored the spicy and crunchy kimchi within, the pork was a let down being a tad too tough to be bitten.

The Grassfed Black Angus Striploin (120g) ($20) was nicely grilled to a light pinkish interior. Served with a heavenly chimichurri sauce, I thought the combination was great.

Another meaty dish we had was the Roasted Iberico Pork Jowl ($16) that came with a slow cook egg, topped with miso, radish and burnt onions. The pork jowl was tasty on its own with a firm consistency. Dip it into the creamy yolk; it was memorable.

I would really recommend the Beef Short Rib (600g) ($38) which was a crowd-favorite. The spice crusted meat hit well on the tastebud which would make you linger for more. Not only was it addictve, the meat was tender and moist within with bits of grounded spices on top. This is truly a star dish.

Earth

You can find comfort food such as the Zaatar Flat Bread ($12), Iceberg Cabbage ($10), Homemade Ricotta ($12) and Wood Roasted Pumpkin Sweet Potato ($12).

The Smoked Sweet Potato Hummus ($12) reminded me of a Midde Eastern cuisine, instead of the typical chickpea, the sweet potato added another layer of sweetness to the dish. Sprinkled with hazelnut dukkah and burnt onion, it is best eaten by spreading the paste on the homemade focaccia bread.

For those who hate eggplants, these Crispy Eggplant ($10) is g**damn life-changing.

I totally detest eggplants for its mushy, slimy taste but Don Ho’s rendition was well-fried in small pieces and coated in a spicy fragrant sauce. This is a thumbs-up.

For those who fancy peppers, these Pimientos de Padron ($14) would have you chewing on one after another. It wasn’t my top choice but my friend loved this.

Sea

The sea had us hooked as we wanted almost everything under that section. The Freshly Shucked Dutch Imperial Oyster ($8 each) looked promising as well as the Split Grilled Tiger Prawn ($14).

Nonetheless we settled for the Fried Calamari for sharing, which was surprisingly good. The batter was crispy and the meat wasn’t overly chewy. The lemon-infused aioli helped to take away some of the oiliness which made the dish even more palatable.

Speaking of the sea, there is no stopping us from ordering the Red Snapper ($18). The price tag might seem hefty for the size but the quality of the snapper was good and flaked apart when sliced through. Several layers of flavour went into this dish with the cauliflower puree, hazelnuts, puffed wild rice and herb salad.

As a seafood aficionado, the Flower Clams ($16) was another love of mine filled with a generous amount of chopped Iberico, zucchini and mint leaves. The plump clam meats soaked up some of the broth which was made of chicken broth, white wine, chilli and garlic. Each mouthful was umami and savoury. I would easily have another portion of this!

Big sharing plates also include Oven Grilled Whole Lobster (600-700g) ($68), Slow Cooked Lamb Oyster Blade (2KG) ($96) and Crispy Whole Suckling Pig (4KG) ($280), perfect for big groups.

Happy End

We were highly recommended to leave space for desserts in which the Baklava ($10) wasn’t disappointing.

Presentation was uniquely creative with Pashmak, a kind of candy floss, sitting on top of a Baklava and pistachio ice cream. The baklava featured thin crisp layers of filo pastry holding an overflowing amount of candied almonds while topped with even more pistachio crumbs. It was a glorious nutty affair for those nut lovers.

Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding ($10) was akin a rich and gooey chocolate cake in a cup with a vanilla bean ice cream in the middle. The hazelnut praline added to it reminded me of eating Toblerone.

Surely, the dinner and drinks at Don Ho was a hearty affair filled with several memorable dishes I would be back again for.

All prices are inclusive of GST, with no service charge.

 

Don Ho Social Kitchen & Bar

Keong Saik Road 1, #01-05

The Working Capitol Building, Singapore 089109

Tel: +65 6223 5001

 

Tue to Sat: 6PM-12AM

Closed on Sun and Mon

 

Website: https://www.don-ho.com/