[Review] Kingsman Bar & Bistro @ Thomson Plaza, by Chef Kelvin Yam

The first thing that struck me when I stepped into Kingsman Bar & Bistro is the club-like interior design. After speaking to the service crew, I found out that the restaurant was repurposed from a KTV lounge which needed to pivot its business concept due to Covid-19 restrictions on operations. This was a pleasant surprise to learn of the resilience of some of our local SME establishments.

[Review] Kingsman Bar & Bistro @ Thomson Plaza, by Chef Kelvin Yam - Alvinology

The redesign is done thoughtfully, with individual KTV rooms converted into private dining suites and the stage area into a members-only exclusive dining area. The main area adopts an open layout, with spaced out furniture, a darkish imperial design, peppered with quirky paintings.

For the F&B, the restaurant serves Asian and Western fusion cuisine, with a wide selection of wines and liquors. The menu is curated and designed by Executive Chef Kelvin Yam, a Singapore chef and restauranteur, who also owns Yam’s Kitchen in Pasir Ris and House of Yam in Kovan.

Chef Yam has a wealth of culinary experience under his belt, having worked his way up in the restaurant industry before opening his first restaurant in 2011. His achievements and awards include receiving the Gold award at the international Youth Chef Competition 2009 in China, as well as the Gold award at International Chinese Culinary Competition in China.

These were the items I tried at Kingsman during a dinner tasting:

Fusion Oriental Salad - Iceberg Lettuce, Carrot, Fish Skin, Oriental Dressing (S$10.90) — Fusion Oriental Salad – Iceberg Lettuce, Carrot, Fish Skin, Oriental Dressing (S$10.90)

Cream of Pumpkin Soup - Butternut Squash, Heavy Cream (S$6.90) — Cream of Pumpkin Soup – Butternut Squash, Heavy Cream (S$6.90)

Kingsman Fries - Parmesan Cheese, Straight Cut Fries (S$11.90 with truffle oil, S$10.90 without) — Kingsman Fries – Parmesan Cheese, Straight Cut Fries (S$11.90 with truffle oil, S$10.90 without)

XO Otah Carrot Cake with Prawns - XO Sauce, Muar Otah, Homemade Carrot Cake, Prawns, Belachan Chili (S$15.90) — XO Otah Carrot Cake with Prawns – XO Sauce, Muar Otah, Homemade Carrot Cake, Prawns, Belachan Chili (S$15.90)

Wagyu Steak Sandwich - Ciabatta Bread, Wagyu Beef Slice, Pickled Cucumber, Cheddar (S$17.90) — Wagyu Steak Sandwich – Ciabatta Bread, Wagyu Beef Slice, Pickled Cucumber, Cheddar (S$17.90)

Seafood Pasta with Chili Crab Sauce – Flower Clam, Prawn, Mini Scallop, Tomato Base, Parsley (S$22.90)

Siam Style Spicy Garlic Fish - Fresh Snapper, Vermicelli, Japanese Cucumber, Garlic, Red Chili Padi (S$16.90) — Siam Style Spicy Garlic Fish – Fresh Snapper, Vermicelli, Japanese Cucumber, Garlic, Red Chili Padi (S$16.90)

To sum up Kingsman’s menu in one sentence, it is like elevated western tze char and I am saying this in a good way. Tze char dishes are always delicious, quick, comfort food that are less elegant in presentation, but strong in flavours.

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At Kingsman, the east-meets-west fusion is in bringing the strong flavours that we are accustomed to with tze char dishes, marrying that with more elegant presentation, premium ingredients, plating and conceptualisation.

A must-try dish is definitely their signature XO Otah Carrot Cake with Prawns which ticked all the boxes. It is essentially three local hawker favourites, Otah, Carrot Cake and Roti Prata (the wrap around the carrot cake and otah) rolled into one beautifully presented fusion dish.

The other standout dishes for me were the Siam Style Spicy Garlic Fish and Seafood Pasta with Chili Crab Sauce. Both these dishes look like conventional western dishes, but serves up strong Asian flavours. Fusion dishes have a tendency to fall flat by being overly pretentious, Chef Yam had avoided this by keeping things straight-forward with distinct, heavy flavours and an emphasis on plating.

Prices are extremely reasonable too, with most items kept in the S$10 to S$20 price range, at cafe prices, but elevated restaurant dining experience and culinary offerings.

I attended the tasting with my parents and son and all three of them enjoyed their dining experience at Kingsman. The menu can cater to both young and old taste buds, serving up both Asian and Western flavours.