Pilot Kitchen

The first time I heard about Pilot Kitchen was on TV and I cannot remember which program was doing an introduction about the restaurant. As the name suggests, Pilot Kitchen is a space which allows young aspiring chefs to experiment and hone their culinary skills and expertise without any restrictions on their imaginations

The kitchen is currently being helmed by 4 young chefs in their 20s with 13 years of culinary experience between them. Located in the basement of Havelock 2, Pilot Kitchen allows the chefs to break culinary boundaries both inside and outside the kitchen. This can be seen in the exterior of the restaurant as the glass entrance was filled with chalk doddles by the staff which is full of character

The interior of the restaurant is small but cosy with only 6 tables available at any meal time. It is also absolutely necessary to make reservations for a table during meal times. It took my friend quite many tries to get us a table during dinnertime

Their menu is rather simple with 8 different dishes for starters and another 5 as mains. We found the starters more interesting so we ordered almost everything in the starters category. The first to arrive was the Ajo Blanco which is pickled mussels, sourdough in chilli oil. The mussels were tender and had a fusion of flavours as the chilli oil tasted like sambal chilli and was paired with the sourdough cream which tasted like a light sour cream flavour. The combined flavour was refreshing and appetizing as the cucumber gave the dish a nice juicy crunch

The 2nd dish which arrived was a mushroom salad dish which is grilled king oyster mushroom with spinach leaves and a light soy dressing. The mushroom texture was great which resembled lightly grilled meat and paired well with the spinach leaves

One of the highlights of our meal was this homemade milk bun with house-special butter. The bun was warm, soft and fluffy complete with a milky and buttery flavour. The butter had a nice mushroom flavour to it and when eaten with the bun, totally elevates the experience. We wanted to order more buns but were afraid we could not finish them and taking them away would not be as nice as having them fresh

The next starter which was served was the ceviche of sea bass on a bed of citrus vinaigrette decorated with herbs. The fish was sliced thickly like Japanese sashimi fish slices and not so much like the usual ceviche thinly sliced fish. With the thick slices, we could taste the freshness of the fish and the tangy vinaigrette brought out the natural sweetness of the fish

The duck Menchikatsu is like a little meat patty fried katsu style and served with a dollop of spring onion aioli sauce. Instead of an entire duck steak, the katsu is filled with minced braised duck meat which is soft and succulent. The crust is fried till golden crispy and gives the katsu a great crunch. The aioli sauce helps to cut away the heaviness of the meat and gives it a lighter flavour finishing

The Hasselback and crack potato is served with Ras EI Hanout and chives sauce. The potatoes are sliced hasselback-style and seasoned with a blend of Moroccan spice. The potatoes are roasted well with the skin of the potatoes very crispy and adding a nice texture to the soft fluffy inside of the potato. This dish was like munching on potato chips in terms of flavours but cooked in a different manner which is equally delicious

The next dish was the Brussels sprouts cooked in whipped brown butter and tomato vinaigrette which I personally really liked as the brussels sprouts were roasted very well with a charred flavour fragrance which worked well with the buttery vinaigrette sauce. I found the dish very addictive as a side dish and I could definitely finish an entire plate by myself

The last of our starters is the cheese balls which are made of Gruyere and Pecorina cheese and served with pineapple ketchup. The cheeseballs had a chewy texture with a lava centre but not very strong with the cheese flavour. I personally did not like the pineapple ketchup as it overtook the flavour of the cheeseball

Our last dish was from the main section which is the double Ds pork served with grilled vegetables and some bamboo shoots. The pork was tender and flavourful without too much seasoning so you could taste the natural flavour of the meat itself

Overall, all the dishes did not disappoint and in fact, surprised us with the new flavours introduced into traditional dishes. The attention of the staff was also great and they went way out to explain every single dish in terms of concept flavours and ingredients which made the dining experience very enjoyable. The meal experience was like dining in a fine dining restaurant but the atmosphere was cosy and homely which was really great as it did not feel daunting at all. I would highly recommend anyone to try out their dishes as they bring surprises to your tastebuds

Address: 2 Havelock Rd, B1-04, Singapore 059763

Operating hours: 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm ( Closed on Mon and Tues and opened from 5 pm on Fri and Sat )