Maggie’s is Marcy’s brand new sister restaurant which focuses on unconventional Chinese cuisine. It is an intimate 60-seater restaurant where ‘grandma chic’ meets ‘70s glamour. Diners can expect familiar dishes like Carcio e Pepe and Croque Madame with an unexpected twist.
It’s back story.
Goh Tong Hann, restauranteur and founder of Pleasurecraft Group has partnered up with Ryan Nile Choo, chef-partner of Marcy’s Singapore to bring Maggie’s to fruition.
The Ambience
This is one of the most aesthetically-pleasing restaurants in town. The glittering glass chandeliers, vintage portraits of women in cheongsam and deep red carpets – all brought out that ‘old-money auntie energy’. Every corner of the restaurant is instagram-worthy and I find myself spending quite some time capturing the mood and vibes of the restaurant.
What’s on the menu?
There are a total of 14 dishes, including one dessert. The dishes are categorised into 5 categories: Cold appetisers, hot spicy dishes, meats, carb-focused mains and desserts. For the drinks menu, they offer some cocktails and mocktails. We tried one from each category and here are our thoughts.
Seabream Crudo ($16)
Ingredients: Kyushu Seabream, oak-aged pickle sauce, Dongbei Sauerkraut
It’s a pretty straightforward dish where it is simply seabream doused in pickle sauce. The rawfish is served with a bed of Dongbei Sauerkraut.
Golden Prawn Croque Madame ($15)
Ingredients: House-made Foccacia, Green Peppercorn, Tiger Prawn ‘Mojo’, Sunny Side Up, Passionfruit Hollandaise
This innovative dish was a showstopper. This crispy Hong Kong Classic prawn toast has an Sunny Side Up draped over it like a blanket. The combination of the crispy prawn toast with the refreshing zesty passionfruit hollandaise sets off an explosion in my mouth. There’s this lingering spicy kick from the green peppercorn which really sets this dish apart from the other dishes which we have tried that evening. Be sure to add this dish to your order if you are planning to head over to Maggie’s.
Xinjiang Lamb Prime Rib ($49)
Ingredients: Victorian Lamb Chops, XinJiang Spice, Watercress Salad
We were served with 2 slabs of lamb prime ribs which were fork-tender and flavourful. The flavour profile of the spiced lamb is somewhat similar to Kembing soup. This main dish was served with a bowl of watercress salad which we decided not to fill our stomachs with as we can’t really get acquainted with the taste of raw pea sprouts which was the main ingredient of the salad. We preferred the stir-fried version.
Cacio e Pepe ($26)
Ingredients: Jinhua ham, Guanciale, Pecorino, Fermented Bean Curd, Shao Xing Wine
I had mixed feelings about their version of Cacio e Pepe because instead of using the usual pasta for this dish, they used Chinese noodles instead. The texture of the noodles did not quite complement the ingredients used. But their combination of the Jinhua ham, Guanciale and Pecorino – all tasted so delicious on its own.
Maggie’s 8 Treasures ($16)
Ingredients: Glutinous Rice, Date Gelato, Red Bean Cloud, Logans, Jujubes
This dessert would either be a hit or miss for you. My dining partner enjoyed this while it was a no-go for me. The various ingredients did not gel well together and it felt like each ingredient was fighting to be under the limelight. For me, I personally would have settled with a nice big scoop of date gelato with some logans and jujubes as toppings.
Verdict
I would definitely frequent this restaurant again if they have a refreshed menu because the dishes here are truly one-of-a-kind and the vibes here are immaculate. Most importantly, the servers are helpful and they make you feel really comfortable dining here.
Maggie’s opens on 1 March and they are still in their soft launch period. The restaurant is open to reservations.
Maggie’s
Address: 1 Keong Saik Road, #01-04, Singapore 089109
Tel: +65 9622 6679
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday (5.30pm – 11pm)
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