Endorsements of "the best <insert cuisine here> in Singapore" are a dime a dozen, so I could have written off Urban Bites with a sceptical shrug, but I didn't and my taste buds are much better off because of it.
Firstly, the recommendation came from an Lebanese ex-Singapore resident. A recommendation from someone who should know what they're talking about is always a good first step. Secondly, the recommendation was prefaced with "it's not fancy but...". This is always a green flag for me. Too many restaurants try to distract from their good-but-not-great cooking with fancy surroundings. Strip that away, and what do you have? Great food will most probably taste fabulous whether it's eaten out out of a brown paper bag or off a bone china over-sized white plate.
We tried to get to Urban Bites without checking the opening hours (it's closed Sunday's) and biked on, disappointed. I would not make the same mistake twice - our second attempt was confirmed in advance.
Walking through the doors I was struck by two things - the first being a solid cloud of garlic (yum!), and then the thought "oh no, I hope we can get a table" as almost every seat was full. Luckily we spied a table near the counter and squeezed five chairs around it.
Deciding to go for full immersion, we toasted a few times with arak which is similar to pastis. I love how the clear spirit becomes cloudy once you add water. Having arrived slightly earlier than everyone else, I'd spent about ten minutes salivating over the menu and promptly decided I wanted to try almost everything. A good way to start was always going to be the mezze platter with a selection of hommos, motabal baba ghanuj, and labne to scoop up with torn chucks of fresh warm pita bread. Some tabbouleh, fattoush and plump falafel and tahini sauce. I couldn't resist adding some grilled haloumi as well. Delicious. All of it. And so nice to have moist falafel rather than the overly dried out version.
One bottle of (surprisingly decent) Lebanese wine down, our attention turned to mains. Don't miss the kebab teen (minced lamb kebab with sweet fig) and the saffron-marinated fish kebab. Both are served with Lebanese rice and mixed vegetables.
They also serve traditional swarma, pizza and pasta and a selection of salads, but we were far too full to attempt anything more. That was until a small selection of bite-sized baklawa treats came out! After a few deep breaths I found some more space in my little toe and satisfied that sweet treat craving with a cup of strong mint tea.
The shelves behind the cash register are groaning with ingredients for those who want to try to recreate their menu at home. I was thrilled to see they have za'atar which I've found almost impossible to find anywhere else in Singapore. Hopefully they have sumac as well.
So would I go back? Absolutely, I can't wait! You should too! Just don't plan on a late dinner as they close by about 10/10.30pm.
Urban Bites
123 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore
P: +65 6327 9460
Firstly, the recommendation came from an Lebanese ex-Singapore resident. A recommendation from someone who should know what they're talking about is always a good first step. Secondly, the recommendation was prefaced with "it's not fancy but...". This is always a green flag for me. Too many restaurants try to distract from their good-but-not-great cooking with fancy surroundings. Strip that away, and what do you have? Great food will most probably taste fabulous whether it's eaten out out of a brown paper bag or off a bone china over-sized white plate.
We tried to get to Urban Bites without checking the opening hours (it's closed Sunday's) and biked on, disappointed. I would not make the same mistake twice - our second attempt was confirmed in advance.
Walking through the doors I was struck by two things - the first being a solid cloud of garlic (yum!), and then the thought "oh no, I hope we can get a table" as almost every seat was full. Luckily we spied a table near the counter and squeezed five chairs around it.
 |
| Mixed grill kebab |
Deciding to go for full immersion, we toasted a few times with arak which is similar to pastis. I love how the clear spirit becomes cloudy once you add water. Having arrived slightly earlier than everyone else, I'd spent about ten minutes salivating over the menu and promptly decided I wanted to try almost everything. A good way to start was always going to be the mezze platter with a selection of hommos, motabal baba ghanuj, and labne to scoop up with torn chucks of fresh warm pita bread. Some tabbouleh, fattoush and plump falafel and tahini sauce. I couldn't resist adding some grilled haloumi as well. Delicious. All of it. And so nice to have moist falafel rather than the overly dried out version.
One bottle of (surprisingly decent) Lebanese wine down, our attention turned to mains. Don't miss the kebab teen (minced lamb kebab with sweet fig) and the saffron-marinated fish kebab. Both are served with Lebanese rice and mixed vegetables.
They also serve traditional swarma, pizza and pasta and a selection of salads, but we were far too full to attempt anything more. That was until a small selection of bite-sized baklawa treats came out! After a few deep breaths I found some more space in my little toe and satisfied that sweet treat craving with a cup of strong mint tea.
The shelves behind the cash register are groaning with ingredients for those who want to try to recreate their menu at home. I was thrilled to see they have za'atar which I've found almost impossible to find anywhere else in Singapore. Hopefully they have sumac as well.
So would I go back? Absolutely, I can't wait! You should too! Just don't plan on a late dinner as they close by about 10/10.30pm.
Urban Bites
123 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore
P: +65 6327 9460
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