[Review] Enjoy Eating House & Bar at Hotel Mercure at Stevens

Love Singapore-style zi char?

Enjoy Eating House & Bar at Hotel Mercure at Stevens (Enjoy At Stevens) serves up modern zi char dishes that are crafted to delight the Singaporean tastebuds. This is their second outlet in Singapore, following the successful launch of their first outlet at Kam Leng Hotel in Jalan Besar.

Old school zi char dining establishment can go hipster for their interior design and aesthetics – Enjoy At Stevens is one such:

[Review] Enjoy Eating House & Bar at Hotel Mercure at Stevens - Alvinology

The kitchen is helmed by head chef Joel Ong, replicating the success from their first Enjoy Eating House outlet. Established since 2018, Enjoy’s regulars are familiar with their hearty recipes, inherited from Chef Joel’s grandma, that are zhng-ed to give a contemporary interpretation of zi char delights that come with a strong wok hei flavour.

There were the items we sampled during a media tasting last week:

Singapore Style Chilli Prawns ($22) - 50 cents per mantou with minimum order of four — Singapore Style Chilli Prawns ($22) – 50 cents per mantou with minimum order of four

Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon (S – $14) — Grandma’s Te Kah Bee Hoon (S – $14)

Chef Joel's Mee Kia 2.0 ($17) — Chef Joel’s Mee Kia 2.0 ($17)

Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with Foie Gras ($30)

I have not dined at their first outlet before, so this was a fresh experience for me at Enjoy at Stevens. Overall, the dishes are all well-prepared and prices are reasonable at restaurant level pricing, though those who are accustomed to coffeeshop zi char prices will find it a tad pricey. You also pay for the ambiance, service, plating and the whole restaurant dining experience which I think is fair.

I like the creativity applied in some of the dishes like the addition of foie gras with the diced beef dish; popiah skin with their ice cream dessert; and saffron on the Thai-style salt-baked barramundi. Beyond the standard fares found at zi char establishments, Chef Joel took on the challenge to innovate, while not going overtly wild that the wok hei flavours are lost in translation.

The menu items consist of individually portioned dishes like their signature Mee Kia and Grandma’s Bee Hoon, as well as sharing portions like the salt-baked fish. We quite like both and find the restaurant suitable for both individual and small group dining.

For drinks, Enjoy at Stevens feature locally-brewed craft beers from Lion Brewery Co., an expanded range of alcoholic beverages including wines and spirits, as well as popular Asian drinks like Thai Ice Tea.