Brought to you by the folks behind Siri House is Moxie, a new modern Mediterranean restaurant and lifestyle concept. I was already impressed by the private entrance leading up to the restaurant, and the walkway from the door leading to the main dining area. The restaurant goes by the concept of a modern beach house, with the wood rattan ceiling lamps creating the vibes. I did feel like I was transported out of Singapore for a while.
Out of the different menus available (Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch, Happy Hour), we had a medley of items from the dinner menu which features communal sharing plates and platters.
To start, we had the Moxie Dip Platter with Pita ($22 with 3 dips) comes with choice of dips and we were recommended the Spinach Yogurt, Smashed Kabocha and Whipped Ricotta. The Spinach Yogurt and Kabocha were the more interesting options, the former having a generous ratio of spinach to Greek while the latter has a light, natural sweetness of roasted Japanese pumpkin.
Directly air flown from Puglia is their Burrata ($19), with a creamy and flowy core that was easily torn apart. The salad was completed with red beets and grapes.
I don’t consume raw fish regularly but the Yellowtail Carpaccio ($32) was memorable. It had a slightly firm and chewy texture and was well-paired with chilli lime dressing and minced ginger flower.
Unlike its namesake, I was thankful that the Spanish Salt Cod Croquettes ($19) were not overly salty.
Our catch of the day was a 200g Seabass Fillet ($42) served chargrilled with salsa and charred spring onion puree. The skin had a nice, smoky taste while the meat was tender with a clean flavour.
The Arugula Pesto Orecchiette ($38) was a seafood feast, with crab meat, prawns and scallops. The fresh prawns were my highlight – sauteed with garlic confit in oil, dried red chili, white wine, arugula pesto and butter, they reminded me of a delicious gambas al ajillo without the spice. Though we found some parts of the orecchiette overly firm, the toasted pine nuts added a layer of texture and nuttiness that kept us going for more.
The list of cocktails at Moxie was interesting. I had a taste of the Amber Lit ($22), an Evan Williams Bourbon Infused Earl Grey Old Fashioned that was smartly paired with a small bark of rosemary and sea salt dark chocolate (70%) on top. The earl grey came as a smooth aftertaste. And well, the chocolate? I could have it as a snack all day.
We had 3 desserts and the Dark Chocolate Mousse ($16) was my favourite, hands down. The bittersweet mousse was topped with an addictive scoop of hazelnut ice cream which was distinctly nutty and not sugary.
>
The Tiramisu ($16) (note: only available for brunch) had a light, fluffy texture with a good amount of rum. The ratio of ladyfinger to custard was also in a range I preferred, i.e. not overly creamy.
The Moxie Mille Feuille ($19) reminded us of the kunefe, with a layer of whipped cream cheese sandwiched between 2 layers of filo pastry and finished with a crown of kataifi. This was quite heavy for me and I didn’t manage to finish it.
Overall, I thought the modern interpretation of Mediterranean food was quite well done and together with the ambience and vibes, Moxie is one dining spot I would recommend especially for large gatherings to feast on their extensive menu. The price point, I felt, was better than restaurants of similar standards in the CBD.
This was an invited media tasting.
2 College Road, Medical Alumni Association Level 1 Singapore 169850
Tue – Thur & Sun 11.30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat 11.30am – 11.30pm
Closed on Mon
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 