The Coconut Club is one of the rare places Singaporeans would willingly spend good money on a local dish that isn’t from a hawker centre, even if it means forking out $21 for a plate of ayam goreng berempah. So when news dropped that the popular restaurant is launching a sister concept called Belimbing, many were understandably excited. Now open above The Coconut Club’s Beach Road premises, Belimbing is the latest addition to The Lo & Behold Group’s belt of restaurants.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it resembles Belimbing Superstar, a Peranakan eatery also by The Coconut Club, which opened and shuttered within months between late 2019 and early 2020. But while the former was a jazzed-up economical rice concept offering over 30 kinds of dishes, the new Belimbing brings something entirely different to the table – ‘new-gen’ Singaporean cuisine.
Let’s face it – we Singaporeans can be sticklers for tradition, especially when it comes to food. We value purity, authenticity – whatever that means in this day and age – and basics done well. So the term ‘new-gen’ may sit uncomfortably for some.
Chef Marcus Leow, formerly from Naked Finn and Magic Square, helms the kitchen at Belimbing. He explains that Singaporean cuisine seems to be at a “standstill, often equated solely with hawker fare”. He hopes that diners can get a fuller picture of what the cuisine can offer through his dishes, which he assures are “comforting and unmistakably Singaporean”, albeit not necessarily “how our grandparents would remember it”. Fittingly, the restaurant is named after the obscure indigenous belimbing fruit – a metaphor for the undiscovered potential of Singaporean cuisine.
Belimbing offers a two-course menu ($58) and a limited à la carte selection for lunch, as well as a four-course menu ($88) for dinner – not too steep compared to the exorbitant prices at some fine-dining establishments. Expect the meal to begin with vibrant, refreshing flavours, unlocked by pickled pink guava in the aged kanpachi, paired with a cold curry made with The Coconut Club’s proprietary cold-pressed coconut milk. Next comes an elegant rendition of rojak featuring grilled firefly squid, followed by a clam custard where asam pedas, dashi, and clams form a silky chawanmushi.
The main courses are rice-based – not surprising for a Singaporean restaurant. Nasi ulam is making a glorious comeback these days, and Leow rides on that wave with his wok-fried rendition of the dish, laden with complex flavours thanks to the layering of dashi, sambal belachan, banana leaves, ulam raja, ginger flower, laksa leaves, and the whole hodgepodge. Another star – the grilled short rib – evokes old-timey flavours with a rich percik sauce, buah keluak used as a glaze for the accompanying satay, and The Coconut Club’s winning coconut rice.
Desserts are only available on the à la carte menu, and feature kueh like corn salat ($14) and pumpkin bingka ($14). Then there’s the cocktail selection, which sees three exclusive drinks crafted by Side Door’s Bannie Kang – the Pandan Colada, Tomato, and the Sambal Marg. And if there’s anything we know about Bannie’s mixology style, it’s that she specialises in clean, minimalist pours where each note is crystal-clear on the palate.
Reservations for Belimbing are now open – book a table here.
Belimbing is open from Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 3.30pm, and 6pm to 10.30pm at 269A Beach Road, Singapore 199546.
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