Friendly Neighbourhood French @ Summer Hill
by Reuben Oh
@ 01 Jun 2018
Coming to the entrance of Summer Hill at Clementi, I had to pass through a block of flats and a Stickies Bar on the way. When I mention it to chef and owner Antony Yeoh, he laughs - “You should see the university students drunk at 5pm, that’s when the fun begins.”
Summer Hill is his latest project: after years spent as head chef of Cocotte, and a stint as group executive chef of Bird Bird and Artichoke, he’s decided to set out and start a business of his own. This time, he’s going with the friendly neighbourhood feel – the bistro’s kitchen is small but deceivingly well-equipped, the interior is awash with homely colours, and the seats out in the sun spell out simple comfort with their paper table covers and wooden folding chairs. There’s also a bunch of bananas hanging by the cashier, and the menu is fixed to the wall with tape. Old fans of his would find its contents familiar: it doesn’t fall far from his signature fare of ‘grandmother’ style French comfort food.
He seats us outside, and brings the first dish to us – a succulent piece of sous vide pork, sliced, with creamy mustard sauce and caramelised onions. He begins to speak about his experience cooking in heartland Clementi with enthusiasm, “The vibe is completely different here (from Cocotte). When restaurants are set up in neighbourhoods, the locals feel a strong sense of ownership and attachment to the place. When the restaurant is fully booked, they’ll even try to get in by mentioning they stay just across the road!”
As upbeat soul tracks and catchy tunes play overhead (all from his own curated playlist), the second course comes in the form of a roasted beef rib roast: rib eye torched and served with a green chilli persillade. “It is like the French take on pesto, almost,” he elaborates. ”Except we throw in green chillies, roasting them, taking their skins off to give them that smoky flavour, and puree it all up together.” The result is a pairing with a surprising, but not overwhelming, spicy kick.
For the final savoury, he serves us his signature dish made famous back in Cocotte: roast chicken brined and stuffed generously with herb and garlic butter. He lets me in on his secret, if even a secret at all: ”The recipe is simple – almost textbook. The main thing is that we use Sakura chicken that is hormone and antibiotic free. Chickens that grow fast through the use of hormones have an almost powdery taste to them; these ones on the other hand are juicy and moist with their flavour intact. Great for roasting and deep-frying.”
The bananas hanging by the cashier make more sense now with the serving of dessert – chocolate chip banana bread. “We hang them there to wait for them to get really ripe, that’s when all the flavours come out.” he explains with a smile. “We bake it with chocolate chips and serve it hot with salted caramel drizzled on top.” It’s topped off with a big dollop of cold whipped cream on the side. The smell itself is intoxicating: it hits my nose the moment it’s out the front door.
As I finish the final bits of my course, I ask Chef Yeoh for some advise for chefs looking to start out on their own, considering his journey so far. He stops and ponders for a bit, and answers: “Nobody ever focuses on the numbers, because its ‘unromantic’, I know because I used to be one of them. But you still do have to look at the business as a whole and say, look, how many tables do I need to get? What’s the average check I have to earn per customer? I think for restaurants somehow, universal business principles get thrown out of the window because people are too caught up in the idea and romanticism of running one. Cooking well is not enough – you must connect with the customer.” And he’s connecting in all the right places: if you’re looking for quality food without the pretense, Summer Hill may just be your next neighbourhood favourite.
Summer Hill
106 Clementi Street 12, #01-62, 120106
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