The latest offering from the group behind Ecriture and Bibo partially fills the enviable space previously occupied by Lily & Bloom as a restaurant offering “sustainable cuisine inspired by the island of Bali”. Far from the first Indonesian restaurant to grace our city, Poem carves out its niche by offering a mid-high-end island experience, which is generally well done but somehow lacks that X factor to make it really stand out in this bustling part of town.
To start on a positive note, the interior is beautifully done, with a wall of lush vegetation gently leading the eyes towards a maelstrom of exotic shapes etched within the fixtures and furniture – done in wood, bamboo, rattan and stone. The venue clearly focuses on escapism, and it works as these elements bring the rainforest to the city in a tropical-cum-urban-chic environment that primes diners for the Poem experience before they so much as sit down. The menu is extensive with a good selection of dishes for different budgets and palates. This is a good thing as it affords diners the freedom to mix it up, with offerings like the Home-Style Fried Rice ($118), the Skipjack with Egg Noodles ($128) and Vegetable curry providing relatively inexpensive ways for diners to fill their stomachs here.
The Soft shell crab ($98) is as good a place as any to start, with a promising accompaniment of smoked eggplant caviar, coconut sambal, balado sambal and sea asparagus. This dish isn’t bad, with a nice earthy flavor, but it is let down by the meat’s lack of succulence. The Vegetable Curry ($88) is similarly a dish that would approach perfection if altered a little, however its flavourful veggies – including coconut-braised tempeh, chayote, tofu, pickled cabbage and burnt baby corn – deserve more curry sauce to swim in.
Moving onto the menu’s more expensive offerings, the Crispy Suckling Pig ($358) in the “Fresh From The Grill” section is a mouth-watering prospect for those wanting to push the boat – or jukung – out. Delectable as the crisp-complimented meat is however, there simply isn’t enough of it to warrant the price. All in all, there’s a lot of promise here, with the kitchen obviously taking pride in their dishes and using fresh, high-quality ingredients, and amicable and attentive service matching this standard. For this reason then, it seems as though it will only take mere tweaks to elevate Poem to new heights.
