[Review] MACA Restaurant at Tanglin Post Office

What: Despite being named after a Peruvian root and helmed by Australia-trained, architect-turned-chef Rishi Naleendra, who has previously honed his skills at restaurants like Taxi Kitchen in Melbourne and Tetsuya’s in Sydney, the cuisine at MACA Restaurant strangely falls under neither. 

What to expect: Enjoy instead intriguing combinations of ingredients, which seemed like they wouldn't work well together on a plate—such as beetroot, goat cheese, pickled raisins and horse radish—but amazingly do under the expert hands of Chef Naleendra and his team at this tucked-away establishment at the basement of Tanglin Post Office.

Price point: The compact menu of only 20 small and sharing plates ranges from $4 for an oyster, or $6 for marinated olives, to $48 for 225-grams of charcoal grilled USDA Prime Ribeye and a pricey $90 100-grams of Matsusaka Sirloin presented with fermented soya and wasabi cream.

Short-form review: I wasn't quite blown away by the grub at MACA Restaurant, but I enjoyed the chef's creativity with his contrasting play on ingredient choices, and it also offer a pleasant alternative if you're in the area and dining in a group.

Must-tries: Highlights include the delicately wood-smoked Swordfish Belly ($18), teamed with baby turnips, avocado and yuzu—the refreshing tang does well in coaxing the smokey and fatty notes of the fish out onto the palate—and the Grilled Calamari ($18) with squid ink, brilliantly matched with goat yogurt and tart, sherry vinegar-pickled cucumbers.

Also delicious and noteworthy is the rendition of Roasted Baby Globe Artichoke ($17), served crème fraîche and a rich, full-flavoured onion consommé, as well as the simple and succulent Chargrilled Baby Octopus ($22), enhanced with a lip-smacking, special recipe smoked miso.

Needs fine-tuning: While exceptionally tender and juicy, the 12 Hour Slow Cooked Iberico Pork Collar ($36) was slightly lacking in flavour and could do with a dash more seasoning. The Ceviche of Argentinean Prawns ($18) also missed the mark for me—that delicate seafood freshness unfortunately muddled by more dominating notes of seaweed and wasabi buttermilk.

That said, the establishment was still in its soft launch phase when I visited and I hear they've made adjustments to the menu since.

Desserts: If you only have space for one, go for the staff's recommendation of Blackberry ($15)—a chocolate and blackberry ice cream dessert punctuated with wonderful hints of liquorice and coconut.

The Burnt Pear with caramel yogurt, almond crumble and topped pear sorbet ($15) fares well too, though simply not as memorable.

Address: 56 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Post Office #B1-01. Singapore 247964 Tel: +65 6463 8080 Operating hours: Closed Tuesday Wednesdays to Mondays - 12pm to 4pm, 5pm to 10pm