Restaurant Fiz

AN ODE TO THE SEAS

The Oysters, a dish on our newly launched Episode 2 menu, expresses chef Hafizzul's appreciation for the bountiful seafood of the region, reflected in the raw oceanic essence of oysters.

Here, oysters from Japan are first gently poached then served in a dressing inspired by Pla Nam Manao, the well-loved Thai steamed fish dish with a piquant lime-based sauce. Finally, we crown the assembly with caviar and cucumber pearls to round off the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavours with an umami depth.

EPISODE 2

After a year of operations, we are proud to unveil Episode 2, our second menu. This time, chef Hafizzul draws inspiration from gastronomic traditions across the region while remaining rooted in ancient wisdom.

Diners will hence experience a diverse culinary swathe of Southeast Asia unified by the commonality of ingredients applied in different ratios to create its rich cornucopia of flavours.

Expect both a la carte and tasting menus with dishes that will take diners on an odyssey through the region from the northern tip of Borneo to the bucolic south of Thailand.

To book, please visit our website. We look forward to serving you soon.

A BALANCING ACT

Sambal belacan is a ubiquitous condiment on dining tables across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, eaten as a relish to fire up any meal thanks to its sour, umami, and spicy flavour.

It's typically made by pounding chillies, shrimp paste (belacan), garlic, shallots, lime juice, and sometimes a pinch of sugar into a fine paste-like consistency. We make ours by adding the flesh of a Kuini mango, and slivers of calamansi zest for sweetness and just a touch of citrusy bitterness.

We serve it in the Hidang course where its flavour combination adds a bit of magic in refreshing the palate and acts as a balancing counter to any rich flavours on the diner's plate.

FORGOTTEN INGREDIENTS: JAVANESE LONG PEPPER

The Javanese long pepper, botanically known as Piper Retrofractum, is a distinctive spice with a rich and intricate flavour profile. Prior to the arrival of chillies into the region, this was the heat agent of choice and delivers a robust, earthy, and subtly sweet taste, with notes of cinnamon and cardamom.

This spice imparts depth and warmth to dishes and is frequently utilised in Nusantara cuisine, particularly in Indonesian culinary creations. It enhances soups, stews, and marinades, or is ground into spice blends for seasoning meats and vegetables. Despite its historical significance, the Javanese long pepper has become a somewhat overlooked ancient ingredient. Once a staple in traditional Asian medicine and cooking, its use has waned over time, particularly in comparison to its more prevalent counterpart, black pepper.

We source our Javanese long pepper directly from Java, Indonesia and incorporate this exceptional spice into various dishes. Among them are our Beef Rendang Hijau and our gulai paste blends. The unique peppery heat from this pepper emerges subtly from the back palate, providing a well-rounded heat element.

SCENTS TO REMEMBER

The beauty is in the tiniest details and we've partnered with to develop custom essential oil blends and restroom amenities that complement our restaurant experience. is known for their organic, low-waste daily care products and it aligns perfectly with our kitchen’s philosophy of minimal waste and environmental consciousness.

In our restrooms, guests can find two types of natural liquid hand soaps and a moisturising lotion. The first hand soap blends ginger, clove, lime, and lemongrass — key ingredients in our regional dishes — while the second offers combines grapefruit, lime, petitgrain, and mint for a cooling effect.

Our coconut and lime lotion completes the trio and refreshes the senses with a zesty, edible-quality burst of citrus and coconut.

These little touches ensure that every aspect of our guests’ visit is memorable and works in concert with the sensory experience of dining at our restaurant.

THE BURNING QUESTION

"Is your food spicy?" This is the question we get most frequently.

The answer is yes — but there's certainly more to it than meets the eye. Our regional cuisine is a harmonious blend of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy, requiring meticulous sourcing and refining of ingredients and its ratios. Every spicy element we serve is balanced by a condiment that will soothe.

Our current menu features a variety of Thai and Indonesian chillies. Generally, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is. Incorporating these into the menu requires a delicate balancing act because where there is spicy, there will be creamy — just like where there is salty, there will be sweet. The beauty of Southeast Asia lies in its ability to represent multiple flavours and sensations on one plate.

A TONIC FOR THE AGES

Jamu is the gift that keeps on giving. Pictured here is Jamu Beras Kencur, made from rice and kencur (sand ginger). This traditional elixir, enjoyed across the Malay Archipelago, offers a range of health benefits. For adults, it alleviates tiredness, muscle aches, and mild cold symptoms. It's also particularly beneficial for children, especially those who are fussy eaters, as it stimulates the appetite, ensuring that they receive adequate nutrition. Consumed daily, this jamu maintains strength and promotes overall well-being.

ALL FIRED UP

The kitchen is truly the heart of our restaurant, and we've designed it to be spacious and centered around charcoal-based cooking techniques. At the core of this setup is a custom Josper Oven from Spain. It's capable of reaching temperatures up to a searing hot 600 degrees Celsius, making it perfect for all manner of techniques from grilling, broiling, and smoking to infusing our dishes with a deep, smoky flavour. Right next to the Josper is our Mangal Grill station, which allows for precise grilling and flash-searing of delicate proteins like seafood. These two stations are the engines of our restaurant, allowing us to reproduce ancient culinary techniques and recipes for our guests today.

THE ART OF WINE

Our wine philosophy is expertly shaped by Agnel Sathiananthan, our sommelier who has over two decades of international experience and even a background in winemaking. Agnel curates our wine selection to complement our cuisine, around dishes that have a combination of umami, sweetness, acidity, salt, and heat. His approach highlights indigenous grape varieties and underrated regions, which goes hand in hand with our commitment to showcase Southeast Asia's diverse flavours.

The result is a thoughtful wine list that features unique producers to highlight the art of winemaking, alongside classic labels from regions like Burgundy and Bordeaux. Agnel, who also enjoys ballpoint and acrylic painting, brings a creative flair to his work.

"Nature has given us a fabulous gift called wine," Agnel says. It is a true celebration of nature's bounty and the artisan craftsmanship at our restaurant.

THE REAL RELISH

Acar is a pickled relish made from a myriad of vegetables in a sweet-sour-spicy brine. This seemingly tiny side dish is cherished across Southeast Asia for its ability to cut through rich flavours with its sharp acidity and provide a crunchy textural contrast at the same time.

Our rendition of Acar Jelatah is inspired by Nước chấm, a Vietnamese dipping sauce. We make ours with a house-made pineapple vinegar giving the acar a unique flavour.

LIGHT, TASTY AND COMFORTING

Our congee, which is only available at lunchtime, has emerged a crowd favourite for being light, tasty and deeply comforting. This might seem like a simple dish but it requires immense care, finesse and respect to be executed elegantly.

We take our cues from the Bubur Lambuk, a fish-based congee from northern Malaysia and make ours by first preparing an umami stock from the roasted bones of shima aji and flounder.

This stock is used to cook the rice to the point of perfection where each grain still retains its delicate shape whilst still being comfortingly soft to eat.

We also offer a flavourful stock alongside the congee, enabling guests to enjoy its rich taste independently. Additionally, we invite diners to enhance their meal by mixing in a finely chiffonaded medley of fresh herbs, including sawtooth coriander, turmeric leaves, spring onions, betel leaf, and kemangi leaf. This blend infuses the dish with a burst of vibrant flavours and textures, elevating the dining experience.

AN ODE TO CLAY

This vessel that we use to serve rice is called a Kendi, a traditional clay pot widely used across Southeast Asia to cook various dishes since at least the 9th century.

Each Kendi continues to be crafted by hand from clay. They are still used today for their heat-resistant and moisture-retaining properties. Naturally, this makes makes them ideal for cooking and steaming rice in our wood-fired oven.

At our restaurant, we use these ancient vessels for their practical benefits, as well as a means to honor and preserve old traditions, and connect our diners to the enduring culinary heritage of Southeast Asia.

A SIP TO REFRESH

Food may be the focal point of all meals but our beverage pairing philosophy is not to be missed either. Our approach is to craft quality drinks that highlight the beauty of Southeast Asian produce and complement our dishes.

Our Jamu Mocktail is one example, where our bar manager CJ interprets a traditionally healthful tonic into a refreshing drink to pair with your meal. Here, the traditional jamu kunyit asam (made with turmeric and tamarind) is topped up with freshly squeezed orange juice and soda water. It's one of our most popular beverages in the restaurant and pairs beautifully with both our lunch and dinner menu with its citrusy and earthy notes.

"Our drinks are very much part of the meal," says bar manager CJ. "Whether you'd like something refreshing to contrast against the creaminess of coconut milk or to cool the heat from our sambals, we will have a drink for you that has been thoughtfully made to complement the flavours of our food."

At Fiz, our celebration of craftsmanship and uniqueness is a core part of our identity. We work with Southeast Asian artisans and small purveyors of tableware so no two plates are the same.

Artisanal plates and their irregular shapes, subtle imperfections, and hand painted designs lend a distinct charm. Like our cuisine, these dining vessels hold more than just food, they hold stories, local traditions, cultural motifs and references from the natural world.

THE MEMORY OF TEXTURE

Our Crab Custard dish draws its inspiration from the traditional Chee Chong Fun, particular the one that chef Hafizzul had in a Malaysian town called Telok Anson. It was crafted with the intent of offering a light, clean, and umami-rich beginning before the subsequent courses.

The foundation of the dish is a crab egg custard, meticulously prepared using stock from blue swimmer crabs. A generous portion of jumbo crab is placed at the bottom, with the crab custard then carefully steamed for at least 45 minutes to achieve the perfect consistency. Adding a unique twist, physalis undergoes lacto-fermentation in salt and water for three days, introducing a delightful complexity.

The dish is brought together with Nuoc Cham sauce, a staple originating from Vietnam, creating a harmonious blend of Southeast Asian flavors. This creation ingeniously combines the silky texture reminiscent of Chee Chong Fun with the distinct taste of Nuoc Cham sauce, showcasing an amalgamation of diverse elements from across Southeast Asia.

A FULL CIRCLE

The first thing that greets all guests as they enter our restaurant is our grand single-lead pivot door, conceived to be a majestic entrance. The door's circular motifs symbolise Chef Hafizzul's extensive culinary expertise, knowledge, recipes, and the use of ancient cooking techniques and ingredients.

The semi-circular brass handle represents the promise of a complete dining experience within, with diners discovering the counterpart handle upon exit, illustrating the concept that two halves form a whole, reinforcing the idea of a full-circle experience.

ANCIENT WAYS

The ancient ways are the best ways as not only have our forefathers devised methods to prolong the shelf life of food while maximising flavour.

Take for instance the pekasam technique where fish is fermented and cured. We make our own in the restaurant using Shima Aji (Stripe Jack) that we source from Japan.

This meticulous process starts with gutting and cleaning the fish, followed by a 7-day aging period in our dry ager. We then marinate the fish in a bespoke pekasam blend, featuring rice, asam keping, and lime leaf, fermenting it in glass jars for up to two months to develop its unique flavour.

When perfectly fermented, the fish is shallow-fried for a crispy skin, then finished in a Josper oven with mangrove charcoal for a smoky touch. A glaze of kampong green chilli and fish sauce adds umami and a mild heat, complemented by a slice of fragrant mangkrut lime. The result is a delicately complex, crispy fish dish, bursting with umami.

THE MONOLITH

At the heart of our restaurant, the Monolith stands as a striking cuboid centerpiece, doubling as the central service station. Its distinct rectangular form draws inspiration from the serene, circular ambulations around sacred shrines found throughout Southeast Asia, imbuing the space with a sense of spirituality and contemplation.

Crafted from sleek metal panels and complemented by wooden modular interiors, the Monolith is a testament to the harmony between monastic simplicity and modern design. This feature is meticulously designed to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary aesthetics, all while serving a functional purpose within the dining experience. Through the Monolith, we celebrate the confluence of tradition, modernity, and functionality, creating a unique focal point that resonates with the ethos of our restaurant.

AN HOMAGE TO HERITAGE

Assam Pedas, a tangy and spicy dish, is more than just a regular plate of food to Chef Hafizzul — it's an homage to his heritage and a nod to the rich culinary traditions of Malacca, Malaysia, where his father hails from.

The name "Assam Pedas" translates to "sour spicy", which perfectly encapsulates its invigorating taste profile. It is best enjoyed with a piping hot rice, offering a comforting yet bold dining experience. Through this dish, Chef Hafizzul shares a piece of his personal history, inviting diners into an experience that has significantly shaped his culinary journey.

ACROSS THE SEAS

Produce quality can make or break any meal and that's why the kitchens work with only the best. Shima Aji, also known as Striped Jack is a prized fish that thrives in the warm waters of Japan and highly coveted for sushi.

Having spent a few years working in Tokyo, Chef Hafizzul has developed a fondness for the fish and uses it in the making of pekasam. We are consistently on the persuit of incorporating and featuring gourmet produce from around the Asian region and elevating it respectfully in our dishes.

Our commitment to authenticity shines right from the start of the dining experience. Take for instance, this duo of snacks. Our Ma Hor is a genuine homage to the traditional Thai appetiser, made from caramelised duck and prawns, paired with crunchy peanuts, fresh cilantro, and a hint of Thai chilli, all shaped into a ball and served atop a fresh pineapple wedge. Meanwhile, our Epok Epok is a nod to local flavours with a miniaturised version of the classic curry puff, but filled with a spicy chilli crab sambal.

These offerings set the stage for a culinary experience that celebrates the rich tapestry of flavours and traditions from our heritage, inviting you to embark on a journey of taste that is as genuine as it is delectable.

NO DETAIL TOO SMALL

Chef Hafizzul's approach to culinary creation is a thorough, artistic process. It starts with the ideation of dishes, where vision and inspiration converge. Selecting ingredients comes next, with a keen focus on their quality and sustainability. The testing phase involves fine-tuning to strike the right flavour and texture balance. Presentation, or plating, plays a crucial role in enhancing the dining experience, as does training the front-of-house team to ensure service excellence. Ambient music curation rounds off the experience at Fiz, with each step refined to guarantee a memorable and flawless dining journey.

BAHULU IN BRASS

The bahulu, pronouced sometimes as Bolu, is a class of kueh kering (dry kueh) and is traditionally baked in brass moulds over charcoal. We stay true to these culinary traditions and use moulds that resemble the buah cermai (Malay gooseberry).

The alluring brown hue is thanks to the palmyra sugar, sourced from the sap of the Palmyra palm which lends a distinct caramel flavour with smokey undertones. This subtly sweet complexity is accentuated with Balinese vanilla which add a fragrant floral notes

We make our bahulu fresh daily and bake them only during service to be presented table side in its brass moulds while still piping hot.

FEAST WITH US

The ketupat is synonymous with Hari Raya Puasa and for good reason — its diamond shape resembles a pair of hands clasped in atonement, and when cut open, the white rice cake symbolises the purity of the heart.

Come 13th April, join us as we celebrate Hari Raya Puasa with a one-off brunch menu in the spirit of fresh beginnings, gratitude and generous feasting. Expect our signature elegant touch where the meal begins with snacks, before moving to an appetiser of Pepes and our Hidang course with highlights like Rendang Hijau, Ayam Kampong Bakar Nusantara and Ketupat before finishing off with our well-loved Kuih Bahulu.

For details and to make a booking, head to the link in our bio.

SWEET ENDINGS

No meal at our restaurant is complete without some of kuih muih at the end, whether it's at lunch where guests are served bahulu or at dinner where the spread is generous, even celebratory. These bite -sized sweet morsels are the traditional dessert of Malay households.

Every kuih we serve is crafted with care from start to finish, from squeezing the pandan juice to folding strips of banana leaves into dainty cups.

Think of it as the equivalent of petite fours, meant to be a sweet ending to a delicious meal.

FORGOTTEN INGREDIENTS: CHAYOTE LEAVES

Chayotes are not a widely used vegetable in Singapore but when it grows, it grows wild. We harvest the shoots and leaves of the plant which grows near the highland tea plantations of Pahang state in Malaysia, and cook it fast on hot burning charcoal with shallots and a touch of fish sauce.

The idea is to allow the fresh, verdant flavour of the leaves to shine through, and for our guests to savour its natural sweetness.

A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD

The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child, and our restaurant is no different.

Before each dish is presented to guests, every team member has a role to play in its creation — from research and testing to the mis en place and the actual plating.

Chef Hafizzul takes a hands-on approach for the team, letting everyone taste each ingredient. This is an important part of the restaurant, as much of the produce we work with is sourced with intention. This way, every team mate understands the nature of what they work with, and appreciate where and how it's grown.

A HEARTY HIDANG

Communal dining is the heart and soul of Nusantara culture and it codifies table etiquette as much as cultural ethics.

This is best seen in our Hidang course, where several dishes are served together and accompanied by piping hot rice. The idea is to eat together in a communal way. This not only breaks the ice, it is a philosophical observation to promote sharing resources in the form of food while bonding with everyone around the dinner table.

The combination of flavours and dishes is also meant to showcase the diversity of the Nusantara landscape and takes diners on a journey of discovery.

THE WONDERS OF JAMU

Southeast Asia boasts its own treasury of ancient remedies, amongst which jamu stands out. This class of health-promoting tonic drinks is crafted from a variety of indigenous botanicals and originates from Java as far back as 1,300 years ago in the Mataram Kingdom.

Ancient records document over 3,000 recipes, serving diverse purposes, from addressing ailments to enhancing appetite, health, and virility.

Chef Hafizzul, who has been drinking jamu for over six years, embraces the health-giving properties of its ingredients and works extensively to incorporate many rhizomes integral to jamu-making into the menu.

THE WINDOW TO OUR SOUL

Our private dining room seats eight and offers privacy as well as a closer look at our kitchen through a viewing window.

Beyond just a glass partition, it is a window to the heart of our restaurant, and the pulse of our culinary team. Here, you get to witness every dish being prepared, fired and finished.

This is our way of welcoming you into our soul.