Still the talk of the town well into its fourth year, Dempsey stalwart The Disgruntled Chef continues to inject more colour and culinary inspiration to the destination dining alcove. Reinforced by original French cooking techniques, Founder & Executive Chef Daniel Sia re-energises the menu yet again by going back to basics with the help of newly-appointed Head Chef, Jac Lim.

On the main dining menu, The Disgruntled Chef now offers Small Plates and Big Plates. Fresh food from the earth – herbs, plants, flowers, fruits, seeds and nuts, Beet-Cured King Salmon ($18) has an attractive colour with gin-infused cucumbers and horseradish mustard. Seared Scallop Carpaccio ($18) is one of the freshest way to enjoy scallops. Served with soy brown butter, ikura, konbu, lime, a mouthful of it feels like a walk in the garden – refreshing!

The restaurant contributes to refreshing mainstay recipes including Crackling Suckling Pig ($68) with sauerkraut puree and pickled mustard seeds. With a pillow of soft fat left intact under crackling skin, the pork was succulent and tender while the skin was thin and crunchingly crispy. My favourite is Grilled French Quail ($32) with frisee salad, crispy bacon and poached egg.

Despite its quirky name, The Disgruntled Chef is serious about its food, innovative cocktails, great wine and warm service. They are having a brand new Wednesday Ladies’ Night designer cocktails at $9++ per drink all night (till 10.30pm), and the remixed all-day, everyday drinks menu.

You can now enjoy weekend brunch with French-inspired Brunch Tartines or open-faced sandwiches. Each of the twelve distinct confections are inspired by iconic people and international cities. Digging into the very essence of their roots, Turkish’s ($25) notable national dish resurfaces as stuffed eggplant on grilled pita bread, with imam bayildi, pine nuts and mint. Norvegienne ($25) has a beautiful range of colours consisting of beet-cured salmon, poached eggs and drizzled with hollandaise.

For something sweet, Elvis ($20) and Marie-Antoinette ($20) are recommended. Named after the eternal King of Rock N’ Roll, Elvis is laden with caramelised bananas slathered with hazelnut chocolate, and topped with vanilla ice-cream. I don’t know if Elvis really has sweet tooth, but the french toast is pleasantly soft and moist.

However, the first Queen of France, Marie-Antoinette, is definitely sweet to the tongue. The bourgeoisie ensemble of rich almond cream on bostock brioche is equally yoked with prunes & armagnac ice-cream. The hearty tartines are best enjoyed with freshly brewed Australian Vittoria cuppa from $5.

The Disgruntled Chef

Address: 26B Dempsey Road
Tel: 6476 5305
Email: bookings@disgruntledchef.com
Website: http://disgruntledchef.com