hummerstons, singapore

sourced from hummerstons facebook

there is something about hummerstons that is vaguely reminiscent of restaurants in scottsdale, arizona. perhaps it is the gentle whirl of ceiling fans above the balcony seating or the clean lines and eclectic décor on the inside. a narrow strip of window allows a view of the kitchen. bouk, the chef at hummerstons was the former head-chef of ps café. although japanese, he has american leanings having been adopted by an american couple and grown up on the east coast. hummerstons is his mother’s maiden name. 

o and his colleagues frequent hummerstons often. i suspect mostly because of the familiarity of the food. in fact most of them tend to gravitate towards the burgers. they are a busy assemblage of american beef, apple wood smoked bacon, oak smoked cheddar and mushrooms piled on a brioche bun. i wonder if the kitchen could have possibly included any more? for me the star of a burger is the meat and it is a real pity that such excellent quality meat is drowned out by the extensive medley of additions. i guess i am just not a fancy-pants burger person.  

our starter of grecian style squid with sautéed lemon and olive-tomato tapenade is worthy of mention. large curls of squid had been cooked till succulent. the saltiness of the olives brought out the tart sweetness of cherry tomatoes that had been cooked just to soften them slightly. the sautéed lemon had a mild caramelisation and brightened the flavours of the whole.

my entrée of grilled salmon with cold soba salad would have benefited from better execution. the flavour combinations were thoughtful and interesting. the sweetness of the mango was sharpened by the chilli vinaigrette and yet contrasted well with the fatty notes in the salmon fillet. sesame oil lent nuttiness and paired well with the soba. the soba itself was meant to be cold but was warm which is a real pity as i was looking forward to the contrasting temperatures.

the kitchen at hummerstons has a lot of potential. it has a knack for flavours but what it really needs is better execution. i feel compelled to mention that it was the one of the few places in singapore where service was efficient and the bill was correct when presented. hummerstons is definitely worth eating at provided they can get the standard of service and the execution to the food to coincide.