Little Grace Dining: A Chinoy Foodie Review

So last Sunday, my husband was in charge of date night and he surprised me by booking us a tasting menu dinner. This was truly a shock because after multiple tasting menu dates in the past, we had both agreed to no more tasting menus moving forward because they’re so unbelievably expensive, plus the food very rarely wowed, AND my husband hates how all the dishes are so bite-sized so we usually end up getting some fast food after the meal to “satisfy” our hunger. So overall, we are definitely not tasting menu fans.

BUT we decided to take a chance with Little Grace Dining because it’s Chinoy food which Is so rare, and so we just wanted to check it out and see if it’s worth the hype. And guys, nakakatuwa siya!

First off, it’s a pretty intimate experience because Chef Sharwin only seats 12. I didn’t have high expectations coming in because it was located at CCA so I was like, OK ambiance is a n0. Haha! But on our table was this cute knitted pig stuffed toy which was so adorable and apparently made by indigenous people, and we’d later find out that a portion of the proceeds from the tasting menu actually goes to support and educating indigenous people which I super love, because education is truly the key to lift people out of poverty! So overall, we were off to a pretty good start.

When we were seated, we were served with freshly juiced orange, mixed with peach soda. It was good but a tad sweet. Still, we were excited for what was to come!

Finally, the food started to arrive. First up was Tiam Sim, which translates to snack in English. And true to form, it was presented in this metal lunchbox which I’m sure is familiar to all of us 90s kids, because it is such a throwback! Inside the lunchbox, we had:

• Tea egg with ikura and basil: this was cooked really well but nothing mindblowing
• Radish cake deconstructed with xo sauce: this was SO good. Radish sliced super thinly then reassembled and cooked like a normal radish cake, but there’s a distinct crunch when you bite into it that makes it an exceptional experience
• Wagyu meatball with homemade banana ketchup: Wagyu meatball was good, but I mean how good can a meatball be right? And the banana ketchup dollop was so small, so I barely tasted it

Clear winner: Radish cake

Second dish of the night was Kiam Tao Din. I was actually really baffled when I saw this on the menu because I’ve never experienced soy milk as sour. And even when Chef Sharwin was explaining this inspiration behind it as being the Taiwanese staple breakfast food, I was still pretty confused, because I eat tao din (soy milk) for breakfast in Taiwan with you tiao, and the soy milk was definitely not sour. So I dunno, have I been leading a half life because I’ve never tasted a kiam tao din before this?! Verdict: Nope. It’s weird. Haha! I mean, it’s a very interesting flavor but I like my soy milk the way it is. Still, the mix of vinegar in soy milk, then the classic ear mushroom, and scallop definitely made it interesting.

Next up, we’ve got the Si Dit Misua. This was a tad bland in flavor for me, although I must say, the angelhair pasta (which they make themselves) was very very good. And paired with raw-ish carrot, cabbage, egg – made it both a flavor I’m familiar with, but also unfamiliar with. Still, I prefer my birthday noodles more saucy, but this was interesting.

For the palette cleanser (o diba? Akala niyo Western food lang may palette cleanser), we got Pe Bok Ni which is made of white fungus, wolf berries, and lime (what a surprise!) Never had it with lime before, and I must say, I think the lime (and the tons of rock sugar that went into this LOL) made this soooo delicious. Ssshhh, don’t tell my grandma but this is way yummier than what she makes at home (although I’m sure my grandma’s version is 100x healthier haha)

Finally, it’s time for some mains. First up, we’ve got the Tao Meng Tsai – literally translates to hair vegetables. It was served with crunchy vegetables, a bit softer beard tooth mushroom, then finally incredibly gelatinous fish maw. I will say, I love all of these on their own – like I really really like hair vegetables and the sauce it comes with, which has this mildly medicinal taste. I also really like fish maw. So individually, I liked everything. Together, I don’t feel it meshed so well.

BUT THIS NEXT DISH MORE THAN MADE UP FOR IT. This deconstructed Beef and Brocolli made from Mayura Station wagyu, charred broccoli, and homemade oyster sauce made with real oysters was the best best best! The wagyu came from Australia, and uses the trunk part, which apparently has a bit less fat than normal, and it really makes a difference in the bite, I was surprised to discover. The broccoli was cooked perfectly with that char, and I’m still trying to figure out how I can replicate it at home. Also, how cute is it that their brocollis are arranged by size! And finally, that oyster sauce. AMAZING.

Last mains of the night was Kiam Peng, which I’ll be honest aint my favorite Chinese dish ever because it’s usually salty with little to no toppings (or at least not toppings I like). But Little Grace Dining’s version? Me likey! The kiam peng base was the same as what we have at home (ok, maybe a bit better), but the apple on top lent it sweetness, and the pork belly which was cooked masterfully gave it that amazing crunch. Also, this is the dish that makes you full, so don’t worry guys, you can bring your girlfriend here without pretending you aren’t starving, because you won’t starve. Stuff yourself silly with kiam peng haha!

Then for dessert, we had Amah’s Gulaman, which was pana cotta, found inside an empty orange peel (the actual orange went into my drink earlier tonight), topped with a glaze of pineapple and frozen yogurt. Wow, it’s like 5 desserts in one. So many different flavors and textures. This does not taste like any Chinese dessert I know but was delicious nevertheless.

As an ender, we were then given unlimited green tea (but the tea cup so tiny so I don’t think you can take advantage of this unlimitedness LOL) and rum cake malay ko. The malay ko was just ayt. I didn’t really taste the rum or anything.

Finally, Chef Sharwin popped by our table (actually he goes to each table every time a new dish is served so it’s quite nice because you hear him explain the inspiration behind each dish, and he’s really friendly!) to give us a personalized gift! How sweet? He said he thought of this gift because he knows we really like to travel (and I was like ehh? How did you know that? Stalker alert!), so he gifted us with champorado rice from the north! So clearly he isn’t that great a stalker because he realized we travel a lot, but he didn’t realize this ain’t a cooking household. Haha anyway, sweet gift nonetheless, and we saw the gifts he gave the other diners were different but I just couldn’t see what they were, boohoo!

We ended the night with a little interview (Josh interviewing the Chef) – why you ask? Wala lang. Pakulo lang ni Josh because oh, I should mention, the food service time is loooong, because it’s pretty much a one-man cooking team. So don’t come here with your arch-nemesis or a boring partner because you’ve got to fill in 3.5 hours of dinner time with conversation. Thankfully, I came here with my favorite person in the world (nux – I shall link him this blog so he can read this compliment AND so I can test whether or not he actually reads my blog haha), and so we had a great time just chatting + Josh had time to come up with all these questions he wanted to ask the chef. Thankfully, Chef Sharwin was really accommodating so Josh got to live out his interviewer dreams haha! Overall a fun experience!