pince & pints katong: great lobsters, divine mac & cheese! · pince & pints katong:...

O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7B Y J U S T I N P E R E I R A

Pince&PintsKatong:GreatLobsters,DivineMac&Cheese!

When it firstopened in2014,Pince&PintsRestaurantandBaratDuxton garnereda reputation for

excellentlobstersfreshofftheAtlanticCoast.Fanswouldthereforebegladtoknowthatthebrandhas

finallyexpandedwithasecondoutletinthemidstofidyllicKatong.

As Iwalked downa charming stretch of shophouses on a drizzly Thursday evening, the restaurant’s

classy, black-framed, parlour-like full length panels stood out from the rest of its neighbours. Awell-

stockedbarawaitsyouasyouenter,andIwasquicklyusheredtothemaindiningareaupstairs.

Its minimalistic and loft-like layout struck a chord in me immediately; there were huge long wooden

tablesforabiggathering,butthefaux-marbletopsforthesmalltablesmadetheareainvitingaswell.

LaterdidIknowthattheinspirationbehindPince&Pintswasfromtheowner’sownexperienceinNew

YorkandBoston.AsIsatdown,Ican’thelpbutnoticetheinterestinggrid-likecageornamentontheir

menu,muchlikethefamedgridstreetsysteminNewYorkCity(oritmayjustbemyvividimagination).

Pince&Pintspridesitselfonservingthebestandfreshestlobstersintown.Twiceweekly,freshAtlantic

lobstersareflowninfromtheUSEastCoast,andaretransportedandstoredinin-housetanksbefore

beingservedtotheircustomers.Incidentally,itsdistributoralsoprovidesfreshseafoodtootherleading

establishments,soyouwillbeguaranteedoftheauthenticityandthefreshnessofthecrustaceansthat

yougethere.

DigitalBillboards

TheLobsterRollwithanexceptionalBun!

Westartedoffwithoneof their in-housecocktails,HighwayRun IntoTheMidnightSun ($18++), a

refreshingandsomewhatoverly tangyconcoctionof gin, vodkaand fresh limewithahint (or two)of

cilantro.Thisisadrinkbestenjoyedafterabriefwalkinthesummerheat.

TheMixedPlatter($32++;customtastingportion)wasservedupnext.Amoundofperfectlyfriedfish

skin, fried calamari and straight cut fries, what soldmewas the incredibly light and refreshing tartar

sauce.Tobehonest, Iwasnever a fanof tartar saucebecauseof theoverly briny versions thatwe

normallygetelsewhere.I,however,foundmyselfgoingbackfortherestaurant’startarsaucemore,and

more.

TheLiveOysters($30++forhalfadozen)werefreshanddecentlyplumpwithapleasantbrininessto

it,andwentreallywellwiththelightandtangyredwinevinaigrette.

The Lobster Roll ($58++) is the restaurant’s signature dish. Lobster chunks were laid on top of a

toastedbun,andtheportionwasgenerousinalightcoatingofgarlicaioli.Iwascompletelythrownaway

by the bun: it was buttery, golden, and pillow-y. The lobster chunks were intensely savoury, and its

salinitypaired reallywellwith thesweetandcrispybun.An In-housebuttersaucewasalsoprovided,

andwheneatenwiththerollgaveasmoothround-uptothemoreishflavours.

WealsohadtheSteamedLiveWholeLobster($58++)overthemorecommongrilledversion,andhad

no regrets. Steaming the lobster retained its moisture, and this resulted in a briny but sweet, and

somewhatmineral-ly tasting juicypieceofmeat.Thesamebuttersaucewasservedalongside,which

HighwayRunIntoTheMidnightSunHighwayRunIntoTheMidnightSun MixedPlatterMixedPlatter LiveOystersLiveOysters

LobsterRollLobsterRoll LobsterRollLobsterRoll

SteamedLiveWholeLobsterSteamedLiveWholeLobster

whenpairedwiththemeatgaveitanexcellentmouthfeel.

ADivineLobsterMac&Cheese

AnothergreatrenditionofaclassicdishwouldbetheLobsterMac&Cheese($29++).Glisteningina

goldenhue,thisversionhadelbowmacaroniandlargechunksoflobstermeattumbledinacheesyyet

lightbéchamel.Theadditionofthelobsterlendsthedishsomesalinitywhichcutsthecreamysauceand

making it easyon thepalate, and theadditionof cognacgave it a slightly flavourful dimension. I am

normallyaversetocreamydishes,butthelobstermacaroniandcheesewascertainlyanexception.One

thingtonote:Iwishthemacaronicouldhavebeencookedalittle lesserforatouchmorebiteineach

spoonful.

WealsohadaLobsterChowder($38++) totaste,butIpersonallyfounditabit lacklustre;otherthan

thelobstermeat,thedishdidnotreallyscreamlobster,orseafoodtome.Itwasalsoabitheavyonthe

palate,andIfeltitwasmoreofaleekandpotatochowderinsteadofalobsterone.

Allinall,IamimpressedwiththefreshnessoftheingredientsbyPince&Pints.Thelobsterroll,steamed

lobster and lobstermac& cheesewere all great; the pairings of the ingredientswere thoughtful, yet

whenit’stimeforthestaringredienttoshine,itwasdulyallowed.Whilethepricemaybealittlesteep,

the restaurant’s speciality of fresh Atlantic lobsters has its own appeal. Also, if you are looking for

somewheretogiveyourselfatreat,ortohaveaplacetowinddownafterahecticweekwithagroupof

friends,Pince&Pintsdeservesaconsideration.Oh,andIintendtohuntdownthebakeryinChinatown

thatsuppliesthemtheirbreadforthelobsterroll.Itwasthatgood.

ThankyouPince&Pintsfortheinvitation.

ThisarticlewaswrittenbyYanZhi.

Pince&Pints95EastCoastRoadSingapore428793

Reservations:63863988Website

OpeningHoursMon–Fri:12pm–2.30pm&5.30pm–11pmSat,Sun&PH:11am–11pm(AllDay)OpenonPublicHolidaysLastOrderforKitchen10pm

ConsideringMore?

LobsterMac&CheeseLobsterMac&Cheese LobsterChowderLobsterChowder

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