“If you’re going to kill the animal, it seems only polite to use the whole thing” -Fergus Henderson
Salted and Hung is a true star of contemporary nose-to-tail Singapore dining. With almost every edible animal part on the menu, this hip Australian eatery celebrates the slow cooking philosophy and getting connected with the food we eat, while minimizing waste and impact on the environment.
There is no better spot for an adventurous, environmentally conscious diner than this meatcentric restaurant with its strong focus on sustainability. With a bustling open kitchen and cozy, informal seating featuring wooden tables and concrete floors evocative of New York’s Lower Eastside bars, it’s a favorite among Singapore foodies, expats, entrepreneurs and creatives.
Chef Drew Nocente’s childhood spent on the family farm near Brisbane combined with his stellar resume—he worked as sous-chef at Gordon Ramsey’s Maze Grill, Jason Atherton’s Table No. 1 and Skirt, one of Singapore’s best restaurants—served as ideal prerequisites for opening his own successful restaurant in one of Singapore’s top foodie neighbourhoods.
Nocente embraces the nose-to-tail philosophy as one of the most economically and environmentally friendly approaches to food preparation. He makes a point of treating ingredients with respect and using them to their fullest potential. The menu at Salted and Hung is strictly seasonal and changes every three months depending on produce availability. Transparency, traceability and ethical practices are essential to Nocente. He works closely with both local and Australian farmers and knows exactly where his produce comes from.
The chef’s resourcefulness doesn’t stop at meat. The restaurant offers plenty of fish and seafood options, too. In addition to the exclusive Wagyu beef tri-tip and charcuterie plates, his signature dishes include the delectable hamachi collar draped with strips of lardo, and baby Fremantle octopus served with nduja (spreadable pork salume), charcoal, and black squid ink.
All parts of vegetables are also used and reconstructed in a multitude of creative ways. Take beetroot, for example. At Salted and Hung, it gets pickled, dehydrated and served as chips, or transformed into a sweet glaze to accompany the kangaroo tartare paired with blood orange crème. Although lacking strictly vegetarian options, the restaurant certainly gives vegetables the prominence they deserve in every dish.
What sets Salted and Hung apart are also their unique preparation methods. Almost every ingredient of any given dish, including seafood and vegetables, has been smoked over an open flame, cured, grilled, pickled or fermented. On the menu, you’ll find the likes of confit eggs, roasted cabbage, charred cauliflower and pickled asparagus.
A veritable master of secondary cuts, Nocente elevates his cooking from something traditionally seen fit only for a poor man’s fare to a fine-dining work of art. Through his creative menu and dedication to minimizing waste, he makes it clear that modern sustainable dining doesn’t necessarily entail a compromise on innovation and taste.
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