Allons-y!

Kausmo


Stepping into Kausmo was like walking into a supper club - small, cosy, and reminds me of my sister's home in Perth. The 16-seater restaurant only had 9 diners on the night we visited because of safe distancing measures.



The entire dining experience was hosted by the humble duo - Lisa in the kitchen and Chew Shian out at the front. Despite the setup which seemed ideal for interactions between diners and the hosts, there was nilch, other than conversations within the party. 

Well, sure, Covid made intermingling between parties illegal, but Chew Shian was visibly nervous when introducing the dishes (reminds me of our presentation days in school) and made no real attempt to talk to the diners. I'm just nitpicking. 

Kausmo champions sustainability and purposefulness; a great concept and idea, but sadly their food was mostly underwhelming. It kind of feels like they threw a bunch of different ingredients together despite those elements not going well with each other just because they don't want them to go to waste, instead of pairing them purposefully.  

We had the Kombucha flight of 3 to pair with our dinner.  

Walnut Molasses Bun with Whipped Feta Butter and Trigona Honey

Trigona Honey tastes slightly acidic, which is different from the usual honey we are used to.

Papadum with some kind of slaw on it, can't recall what it is exactly hahah

Local XL Mussels and Indian Borage with Citrus Wing Bean and Seasonal Sofrito

Charred Local Kale, Sorrel and Mushroom Chorizo, with sauce of Sourdough Crust

The sauce was nice and tasted like the mushroom sauce you get from your neighbour western hawker stalls (I mean it in a good way).  

Wagyu Chuck Eye Roll with Wispy Mustard, Pork Lard Grenobloise

This was my favourite dish of the night. The beef was flavourful and melts in your mouth, so good.

Teochew Style Fish Congee with Egg and Chili Relish, Sissoo and Preserved Plum

Courteously grading this a S/U because I am not a fan of Teochew Congee. But I suppose switching the congee to a Cantonese style congee wouldn't make much of a difference because the texture and taste of the relish was jarring. 

Our third kombucha, can't remember the flavour but it was citrusy and sweet.

Hibiscus Jelly, Strawberry and Tropical Gooseberry

Pumpkin Beignet, Italian Meringue, Preserved Berries

The beignet was dry on its own but balanced when eaten with the meringue. This was quite a pleasant dessert for me, tasted like churros with cinnamon sugar.

In all, $105++ for a six course meal with two snacks is quite a decent deal, but I don't see myself returning to Kausmo again for their food. I know of people who will love their concept and vibe, and the only time I'll probably return again is for occasion dinners with said people.