The Best Brunch In The East

We had been working pretty hard all week, and by the time Sunday came round, we felt we had been put through the wringer and needed to give ourselves some kind of soul-soothing treat. So the family and I pottered over to Private Affairs in Joo Chiat Place for a spot of brunch. It’s not a new restaurant, but it still remains to be experienced by many out there.

Despite the sometimes seedy goings-on in that neighbourhood at night, don’t let the restaurant’s suggestive name mislead you – it’s not that kind of place”, nor is it private dining. It’s a perfectly lovely little restaurant which serves a nice degustation at night, a good value lunch on weekdays and a most delightful brunch on Sundays.

The latter is a semi a la carte buffet – a choice of main course, and a free flow of other courses which is served only as you order. Two adults and one kid, thank you….and like all our meals, we paid our own way.  

After spending a leisurely afternoon there, I’d say go there before it moves to its new premises in Shenton Way later this year. What a shame, for its quaint, daring location in the heart of rustic Joo Chiat is part of its charm. From the rustic five-foot-way of pre-war shophouses, we walked into a hushed, dark, polished setting where they sat us promptly and politely and proceeded to feed us well. 

 

On the far end was a small iced bar with freshly shucked oysters for the taking.  As there was (sadly) only one other table occupied, the chef had prudently kept the numbers of oysters small, and shucked fresh ones as we finished it up. We picked from fresh, chilled, unadorned oysters with just a lift of lemon; oysters with a gently savoury topping of smoked miso with yuzu jelly; and my favourite, with rice vinegar, coriander and pickled cucumber. They were perfectly fresh and absolutely addictive, washed down with bubbly prosecco that flowed freely. Oysters and bubbly – how else to start a Sunday?

 

Then it was a tiered serving of ‘sunny essentials’ – tiny glasses of strawberry and raisin muesli, berry yoghurt, little scones with basil infused crème fraiche and mini muffins dotted with choc chips. The muesli was particularly enjoyable, and the scones were soft and fragrant too. Nice! But we were not even halfway there yet.

 

This was followed by a choice of eggs. We had two orders of eggs Benedict, soft whites and creamy warm, runny yolks, served with sausages, bacon and ham if you had a large appetite. I paced myself so I only took a few pieces of bacon to go with the egg.

 

This was followed by an endless parade, first were four cold appetisers, followed by five hot appetisers! They were little tasting portions served daintily one after another like a little kaiseki. What stood out were the warm trout with avocado coulis, and absolutely lovely scallops with a drizzle of baslsamic, piquant sansho pepper, tomatoes and tarragon. The flavours were uplifting, complex but came together so well with the soft juicy tenderness of the sliced scallops. Heaven. Then the hot appetisers – most exciting was the kurobuta pork rib with onion confit and a papaya seed dressing; and the foie gras with rhubarb puree and balsamic, all nice and warm and sweet.

 

With a massive brunch like this, I guess it’s best to completely starve yourself for a couple of days before that. Certainly don’t venture in if you had just rolled home from a dinner party the night before. For mains are full sized offerings and very tempting ones too. I had the kurobuta pork belly (can’t resist those) which turned out juicy soft and very flavourful; the wagyu burger was a big portion, very juicy and thick, served with truffle mayo and chips. The hubs said it was great. The daughter had the pan roasted barramundi with cream of lettuce – it was probably the healthiest thing on the menu, but it looked a little too prim to be tempting. It was enjoyable though, but I felt there were better options for a serious indulgence.

 

Throughout this time, we worked out way from prosecco to white wine to red. And finally dessert rolls by – another tiered structure piled high with lemon tart (yums!), tiramisu, chocolate mousse and more. By now, we are eating on greed alone.

 

All in all, it was a real treat of a brunch, and a feast not just for the palate but for the eyes as well, ‘cos Chef Paul Ng’s presentation was very artful indeed. I would say it compares just as well with any find restaurant in town – just that this has the added charm of being in a most unexpected, rustic corner of Joo Chiat.

 

What’s more, the price is nice – $98++ for a free flow of drinks and alcohol, and $68++ if you don’t want the alcy. Kids between 6 and 12 pau $42++ with free flow drinks and younger ones eat for free. And for those with gargantuan appetites, you will be happy to know that apart from the eggs and main courses, all the courses are on a buffet basis, so if it’s not enough, just order more. So long as you remember  your Ps and Qs like mommy taught you, and refrain from demanding free meals, SimplyFab says this is the best brunch to be had in the east (of Singapore, that is)!

45 Joo Chiat Place Tel: 64400601 www.privateaffairs.com.sg