Idyllic cottage-core: Morsels at Dempsey is the quaintest of settings, enriched by an enchanting culinary identity
A prepossessing little cottage stood at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac at Dempsey Hill, a few minutes left of Dover Street Market. It’s clad in a pristine coat of white paint, crowned with a cloche of grimy-clay terracotta tiles, and adorned with a hanging wooden sign, charmingly weathered and bearing the words “Morsels”.
Right under the sign rests a small garden, littered with arching stems, leafy herbs, and a flourish of wine bottles protruding from the soil. A novel variety of horticulture, for sure.
Although some might suspect a swanky lounge — as the Dempsey location usually entails — would greet them once the door is swung open, Morsels instead welcomes everyone with wonderous twee.
Inside, you are wrapped in the warmth of a rustic cottage, decked in wood, fatigued paint, and peppered with whimsical trinkets.
The furnishing is a farrago of mismatched material and details such as its curtains and antiquated chairs feel more kitschy than chic — yet, not many restaurants in Singapore, even with the most lavish minimalist-style interiors, are as enchanting as Morsels.
Idyllic cottage-core aside, the intimate restaurant’s cooking is exactly what the aesthetics hint at.
Chef-owner Petrina Loh’s flavours are much more enthralling and eclectic, melded into a collection of Asian-inspired creations from sweeping culinary inspirations.
No, it’s not your usual. Morsels is idiosyncrasy — something that was handily demonstrated to me over a relaxed dinner in its folksy confines.
Chef Petrina’s green thumb
A commonly reiterated shibboleth amongst the layperson is that veggies are supplementary dishes that will struggle to earn excitement at any restaurant.
At Morsels though, that’s a belief worth reconsideration after savouring a few of its plant-focused small plates.
Assuming the Hispi Cabbage ($18) plays merely a bit part in the Morsels’ experience is probably one of the biggest follies imaginable — this unassuming, slovenly plated wedge of vegetable is, in actuality, a disguised superstar.
Smoky char tips and a luscious and meaty bite underscore the burnt cabbage while accenting corn miso umami, sharp manchego, and romesco endow the overall profile with sublime complexity.
Morsel’s Whipped Burrata ($22) similarly shows chef Petrina’s shrewd ways with vegetables, stylishly elevating kale salad through the ethereal lightness of the churned-up centrepiece.
Blissful creaminess and fresh kale crunch mingle, then combine with a spice-tinged curry vinaigrette to paint a gorgeous picture of textures and nuances on the palate. A bona fide showstopper marked by wondrous mouthfeel.
Esoteric charm offensive
Perhaps more than anything, Morsel’s greatest weapon is chef Petrina’s esoteric understanding of eclectic flavours, which contributes to an arsenal of ingenious fusion ideas. Ideas such as the Pulled Duck Dumplings ($30).
Dumplings are a chef Petrina infatuation, as those who have been to NOU — where she had designed the menu for — would know.
Her limerence translates to the most exquisite marriage of Chinese dumplings and tortellini as the little parcels of joy puffed up with confit duck leg.
A hidden medley of kombu oil, spices, and mushrooms imbues an unmistakably Asian umami and comfort, while tousles of pickled kale introduce zing and acidity as a means of balance.
Seemingly simple, but this hearty dish seamlessly incorporates facets of different styles.
Risotto at Morsels also takes on an interesting form, where rustic brown risotto is embellished with a flourish of confit sunchoke and maitake mushrooms.
Make no mistake: The protagonist is the Sunchoke ($34), rendered unbelievably juicy with its lush earthy fragrance turned up to eleven with an array of maitake and a funky petai miso.
This intoxicatingly earthy and potently full-bodied profile will be agreeable with heavier palates, though perhaps a tad too salty in the risotto.
The final dish had to be the Brisbane Valley Protein Quail ($50) end the night with a protein less conventional and more representative of Morsels’ ethos.
Execution is sound with the tender quail — brined in panch phoron spices and oven-roasted — but it’s somehow tremendously elevated by a shallow puddle of smoked corn miso.
It’s the astonishingly flavoursome miso that endows the bird with the most mesmerising umami and lengthily extends its depth of flavour, while also sneaking in a sultry kiss of smoke.
Then, of course, a meal here has to end with Morsels’ Signature Milo Tiramiso (S$17), which is dusted with milo and enlivened with a touch of white miso to give it a profile that’s uniquely Morsels.
And that’s it — the end of a beguiling dinner brimming with idiosyncracies, set in one of the most charmingly rustic restaurant settings in Singapore.
The greens are splendid. The ideas are fresh. And the ambience is captivating.
There is, irrefragably, nowhere else in Singapore quite like the one-of-a-kind Morsels at Dempsey Hill.
Make a reservation online before visiting Morsels at Dempsey Hill.
Morsels
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- Address: 25 Dempsey Rd, #01-04, Singapore 249670
- Hours: (Tues–Thurs) 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm, (Fri–Sat) 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10:30pm, (Sun) 11:30am to 3pm
*This was an invited tasting.