Welcome to Da Bao Diaries, a column dedicated to what Time Out Singapore's editors are eating and drinking at home. Da bao is a Singaporean colloquialism derived from Mandarin that refers to having a meal to go instead of dining in at an establishment.
Switch up your usual takeout orders with these delivery inspirations. This week, treat the family to a winning feast from The Dempsey Cookhouse and Bar, sample exciting Latin American dishes from Canchita Peruvian Cuisine, and switch up your usual zi char order with The Dragon Chamber.
The Dempsey Cookhouse and Bar
The Dempsey Cookhouse and Bar is known for its familial dining atmosphere. The sprawling space – which occupies what was once the cookhouse of the British military – is now a casual yet classy restaurant helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Its convivial dining room might be empty for now, but the same communal spirit can still be enjoyed at home, through its build-it-yourself family platter.
The option to feed up to four hungry mouths ($120) comes with the choice of two starters, three main dishes, and two desserts. You might want to start with the famed crispy sushi, a signature of the chef, where soy-glazed fatty salmon comes draped over a deep-fried rice parcel. Or grab the plump samosa, which comes loaded with so much spice-marinated chicken filling that it almost bursts at the seams. But the guacamole is the sleeper hit worth ordering; the creamy mixture, studded with peas, adds texture to each bite and makes eating it with warm tortilla chips much more fun and addictive.
For mains, go for the crackling chicken, which lives up to its name. The batter is shatteringly crispy, and a side of creamed corn helps cut through the grease. Other popular options include the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza ($5 top-up); or the tagliolini ($8 top-up) with Maine lobster, tossed in a piquant tomato sauce brightened with pickled chilli.
Desserts can come in the form of brown butter carrot cake, soft and light, or chocolate malt ganache cake with marshmallow frosting. Whatever the choice, be sure to save room on the order chit for the salted caramel ice cream sundae – a firm favourite at the restaurant. Assembling it is half the fun: the hot fudge needs just seconds in the microwave, before drizzling it over a half-pint of the frozen treat, then toss in handfuls of popcorn and candied peanuts.
Minimum order None
Delivery fee Varies according to your location
Order here Call 8121 6122, or browse the full menu here
Canchita Peruvian Cuisine
These days, chef Tamara Chavez (from now-closed Ola Cocina Del Mar and Tono Cevicheria) is busy sprucing up her latest venture: Canchita Peruvian Cuisine. The soon-to-open restaurant will showcase Latin American flavours and cocktails made with Peruvian spirits once the dining ban lifts, but eager diners can now get a first taste of Canchita via its delivery menu.
Patacones ($14), or deep-fried plantains make for a crispy and addictive snack, while the iconic ceviche ($28) features cured fresh fish tossed in a tangy pool of tiger’s milk. And while chicken taco ($16 for two) might not be designed for travelling (the corn tortilla shell was soggy from the marinade of the chicken), the Arroz Con Mariscos ($34) fared much better. Reminiscent of paella, the seafood rice comes cooked with Panca chilli, white wine, and tomatoes to yield a filling bowl of creamy, tangy mixture.
Alfajores ($14), a Latin American set of dulce de leche sandwiched between cookies, is sticky and buttery all at once – perfect for those with a (very) sweet tooth. You’ll find the same heavy-handed showing of flavours in the tipples, too. Sip on Chilcano ($22), where Pisco comes finished with ginger beer for an immensely refreshing drink; or try the Gin and Chica ($22) which comes mixed with spiced purple corn and green apple.
Minimum order None
Delivery fee $12
Order here canchitaperuvianrestaurant.oddle.me/en_SG
The Dragon Chamber
Hidden mod-Chinese restaurant The Dragon Chamber is keeping up with the intrigue despite the dining out ban. Its delivery menu comes filled with surprises – with uncommon flavour combinations that jazz up the usual zi char classics.
Whet the appetite with some Firecracker Chicken ($16), which comes accompanied with an addictive snack of dough fritters baked in maple syrup. While outside variants see the chicken cubes blanketed in a sea of dried chillies, the version at The Dragon Chamber flips the ratio around, giving you more bang for your buck. Also popular is the wasabi prawns ($20), sprinkled with tobiko; and a dish of egg spinach and charcoal-infused tofu ($20), slick with sweet pumpkin gravy.
And what is a Chinese meal without some nourishing brew. Sip on the belly-warming double-boiled chicken and pork soup, cooked with almond and Chinese mushrooms, conpoy, and sea whelk ($16); or sample the umami-laden prawn broth ($16) with bits of scallops and crabmeat.
Mains can come in the form of classic fried rice ($13), or whipped up with crabmeat, dried scallop, and piquant XO sauce ($18). But we’d much rather spend our calories on the wagyu truffle beef hor fun ($32) instead. Rice noodles are first wok-fried to develop plenty of char and smoke, then topped with slices of wagyu short rib and a soft-boiled egg. To enjoy, add the accompanying deep-fried hor fun strips, then douse the entire bowl with truffle-scented gravy and mix everything for a silky, crunchy, and multi-layered meal.
Minimum order None
Delivery fee $10
Order here tabletop.sg/tdcU (From now till June 13, orders made with the Tabletop application will receive a 10 percent discount)