Yet another celebrity chef, Mark Sargeant, has setup his restaurant in Singapore at Ann Siang Hill, Oxwell & Co, after working for Gordon Ramsay for 13 years.
I am always very skeptical about restaurants owned by celebrity chef as I don’t have good experiences in such restaurant. So when my friend asked me out to try them, I was a little reluctant. Anyway, I still went along. I told myself to have an open mind.
It has been quite sometimes since I last visited Ann Siang Hill. It has become a very happening place, with the entire stretch of road cordon off and the restaurants placed the tables and chairs along the road. Lots of people gathered at the various bars and restaurants to feast and drink.
Now, back to Oxwell & Co. It is located on the second floor of the No. 5 shophouse of Ann Siang Hill.
With first floor occupied by the bar.
We sat by the window.
Oxwell & Co, unlike Gordon Ramsay, who is into fine dining, serves a range of modern british fare. It has a rather complicated menu, in my view, which I could hardly comprehend. I couldn’t imagine how the food would be like from the menu. Anyway, we went along with our gut feel.
We were informed by the crew that it was Fish and Chips day. So sounded like Fish & Chips is a must.
After ordering, sourdough was served. I never like sourdough but I still tried a piece. The bread was pretty good but it has a crust that was as hard as stone. My friend enjoyed it.
Our starter was Duck Breast with Orange Marmalade and Yellow Frizee. The duck breast tasted rather its natural taste with not much marinate but nevertheless, we still considered it pretty good. As it has a strong duck meat taste.
Crisp Pork Belly, Squid, Thai Basil, Chorizo and Pea Emulsion was disappointing. The meat was very much tasteless, bland and so is the sauce.
The Fish and Chips was much better though. We like the fish and chips. The batter was crispy and we could taste the fish. Both my friend and I were wondering why do they like peas so much? Both dishes contain the peas. Interestingly, both of us share the same dislike. We don’t like the peas. It was left untouched.
Our thoughts?
The food served in Oxwell & Co was very much left in its natural food taste, so it did not wow us. We thought they could have done a much better job. Maybe … it is very much the British fare indeed. In short, if you like food with stronger flavours and not in its natural taste, Oxwell & Co is not for you. On the last note, I would love to see more flavourful food from Oxwell & Co.
Oxwell & Co
5 Ann Siang Road Singapore 069688
Tel: +65 6438 3984
Website: http://www.oxwellandco.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/OxwellCo
Opening Hours
Tuesdays – Saturdays 1000 till late; Closed on Mondays and Sundays
Getting There
By MRT:
- Downtown line – Telok Ayer station or Northeast line – Chinatown station
By Bus:
- alight opposite PWC Building 186, 970
- alight opposite Sri Mariamman Temple 61, 166, 197
- alight opposite Hong Lim Complex 51, 63, 80, 124, 174, 174e, 186, 851, 961, 970
Rating: 6.5/10