Neon Pigeon @ Keong Saik [CLOSED]

Served in two sizes, the tapas like concept caters to the hip and discerning clientele. A place to chat, nibble a little and drink a lot - a warm up to a late night out perhaps. An upmarket Izakaya similar to the likes of Izy at Club Street and Bincho at Tiong Bahru. Seated in a Prime corner location on the junction of Keong Saik and Neil Road. 

We came in a group of 6 and pretty much ordered most of the items on their menu! 

So we started off with the "Chicken Liver Mousse" $17/32 - Cereal Crust, Yuzu Kosho Marmalade, Toast. The mousse was very rich in flavour, a very fine balance between salt blood and liver... And to tease you with a marmalade to throw you off. I prefered it without personally. 

Next up were the "Tsukune Sliders" $14/26 - Pickled Kyuki, Tare Aioli. Personally, my Tsukune standards have been set high by Chef Asai from Bincho. There wasn't enough tendons and parts in its patty to give it enough bite. And it was a tad over cooked that made it quite dry. 

We had ordered two larger "Roasted Bone Marrow" $19/36 - Furikake Seasoning, Crispy Garlic, Toast. But unfortunately it was all taken up, and we could only land ourselves with a small portion. It was done pretty well, with some flavours but lacked that punch. Perhaps they were attempting to mimic an escargot recipe but the marrow could not have the same textures, and it lacked some salt. 

The bottle you see in the background is the celebrated Dassai 50 $150 - a sake made from grains that were polished till 50% of its outer layer has been removed. 

We had also ordered a clean tasting "Tuna Crudo" $18/34 - Miso, Pickled Apple, Sprouts. 

They two types of Miso Soups $10 per person, which we had ordered one each. When the soups came, I was pretty taken aback by the size and appearances. It did not look like a $10 bowl of soup. 

In the Miso Black Cod - Smoked Dashi, Seaweed, it was mainly tofu and one piece of a inch-long piece of fish. I am still questioning if it wa indeed Black Cod. The soup merely had a taste of a double-broiled cuttlefish and radish soup. 

The "Slow Braised Oxtail" - Butterd Corn, Hokkaido-style Miso, Chilli, had a little more meat in it but was tasteless due to the fact it has been boiled for quite some time. 

Definitely overpriced these soups. 

Surprisingly, this is one of our favourite dishes! "Chilled Cucumber" $9/17 - Crushed Chilli Peanuts, Nori, Goma. It was refreshing yet tasty with its sauce and peanuts and a tinge of spice left it addictive. 

The "Crispy Brussel Sprouts" $14/26 - Mirin glazed Bacon, Karashi, seemed terribly and sadly out of place. Must have been done over the hot plate, this dish looks very haphazard to cost $26. Some brussels tossed over tepanyaki, the bacon done american-style left it dry. Dry bacon and fried-yellow brussels doesn't look nor taste good. 

The "Yuzu Kosho Cauliflower" $13/24 however was something I liked. Perhaps cause the Caulis are more resilient to heat, retaining its flavours. But its cream based sauce complements the cauliflowers well, compensating for its inherent lack of taste. 

The "Pan Roasted Grouper" $18/34 - Sweet Potato Puree, Sesame Soy, Wakame was normal. The fish was fresh, and retained its firm texture despite being a tad overcooked. The presentation was ghastly amateur, an overbearing chunk and chuck of a sweet potato puree. It almost seem there was no consideration of how the two components would or would not sit together... The fish had lacked taste, and depended on the sweet potato - unfortunate. 

The "Slow Cooked Octopus" $20/38- Cauliflower Puree, Shicimi, wasn't too bad. It was not as dry as I expected - soft and tender. But again, perhaps the presentation is lacking somewhat. 

The "Smoked Baby Back Ribs" $19/36 - Sake BBQ sauce, was good. An interesting idea to mix sake with BBQ sauce but I was not able to notice the hints of sake, especially when it has been smoked as well - it may have cancelled each other out. 

The "Grilled Duck Breast" $20/38 - "Katsu Curry" pumpkin puree, Japanese red pickles, tasted very good - tastes almost smoked. Again, their presentation is standard: puree and some frizzly vegetable on top. 

Shots of Pink Pigeon

Red Miso Lager & Neon Pigeon's Junmai Daiginjo

Taste: 3/5 
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Price: 2.5/5 (ave $100 per pax) 


Neon Pigeon
Address: 1 Keong Saik Rd, 1-03, 089109
Phone:6222 3623
Opening Hours: 6:00 pm – 12:00 am