I was recently invited to taste the new menu at Belimbing, a new-generation Singaporean food concept by the people behind Coconut Club. As a big fan of Singaporean cuisine and a regular diner at Coconut Cub, I was excited to see what Head Chef Marcus Leow had in store for the new menu and how he’d interpret modern twists on traditional dishes while implementing fermentation and sustainability.
The Belimbing Space
Belimbing is located above Coconut Club at 269 Beach Road. I’d actually dined at the space before when it was the second level of Coconut Club, but the interior has been updated to a tranquil, stylish environment distinct from its sister restaurant. Local design elements are subtly displayed throughout, and the ambience is both relaxed and sophisticated—great for date night or a family dinner with adults. The aircon was also perfect, which is a must for me and not always a guarantee in old shop-house-style buildings.
The Belimbing Menu
The evening menu is a 5-course tasting menu, which includes a welcome snack and a pre-dessert treat. Diners choose one cold starter, one hot starter, and one main each, followed by a communal course and dessert. The dishes are varied in construction and design, with fermentation, sustainability, and whole ingredient cooking in mind.
Pre-Dinner Drinks
To start the meal, we ordered a Singapore Sling and the Belimbing mocktail. The Singapore Sling was a clarified take on the traditional, but still packed with flavour and sweetness. The Belimbing mocktail was an unexpected hit, featuring a sour tang that prepared our palates for the courses to come. A great start.
Welcome Snack
Pie Tee Amuse Bouche
All diners are greeted with a bite-sized Pie Tee with layers of flavour and texture. A lot was going on flavour-wise, but it was delicious and showed promise for the courses to come. The cup was crisp and the contents were savoury, creamy, salty, and umami.
Cold Starter
Aged Shima Aji
Belimbing’s shima aji is cured in-house, which was evident from the quality of the fish and its preparation. It was soft a succulent, pairing well with the pink guava, muscle, and coconut milk. Some curry spices livened up the dish, making it a great first dish.
Grilled Spanish Octopus
The Belimbing take on rojak, seasoned to perfection and easily recognisable as the local classic. I’m personally not a huge rojak fan, but this put a nice twist on the dish, and the octopus was extremely well-cooked—not rubbery at all, and melted in the mouth.
Hot Starter
Clam Custard
One of the standout dishes of the evening, we were fighting to share the last bites. Clams met scallops, asam pedas, and white pepper to create a heavenly bowl of local flavours. Enjoyable to the last bite, I definitely recommend ordering at least one of these per party to try.
Braised Angus Oxtail
In short, this was an elevated dish with a home-cooked soul. Letting the ingredients speak for themselves, the beef really shone through—especially in the braising liquid—and the smoked potato and green tomato didn’t overcrowd the slow-cooked flavour. There was no need for a fork or knife as the beef was shredded and simply fell apart in the mouth.
Main Course
Crispy Scale Marble Goby
My Singaporean family are very particular about their marble goby, so this was a test that could have easily failed. However, the only way to describe this was excellent. The meat was flaky and silky, and the crunchy skin on top added another layer of texture to a great dish.
Skate Wing Goreng
I am so glad I ordered this and encourage you to try it if you’re not usually a skate person. The skate was soft and succulent, and deep-fried in a batter similar to tempura but with added flavour. The only problem I had with the dish was that my heart was telling me to order another, but my stomach was aware of how many courses we still had to enjoy. A truly enjoyable dish, which was so good, my guest actually wished they’d ordered it themselves. I would come back just for this.
Communal
Claypot Rice
After such a choice of varied dishes, it would be easy to dismiss a claypot rice as the generic ‘carb’ for the meal and not be particularly interested. However, if that is the position you take, you’d be entirely wrong. This was potentially one of the best claypot rice dishes I’ve ever had, and not just because of the confit squid, buah keluak, and pomelo, which clearly took this beyond the usual hearty dish. The crunchy crust on the rice was perfect, and lasted throughout mixing in the ingredients and sambal. There’s nothing worse than a soggy claypot rice, but that isn’t a problem at Belimbing. Receiving the Singaporean seal of approval, we both agreed we would happily come back for this dish or just order one to take away. I’m so glad it’s the communal dish, and each person in the party gets to try it after their choice of main. It would be a real shame not to each this on your visit.
Pre-Dessert
Fruit Cocktail with Yakult Foam
I’m not a fruit cocktail fan, and doubt I ever will be. However, this dish was light and refreshing between the mains and dessert. The real praise was from my guest, who noted, “I feel like I’m a child again, eating fruit cocktail with Yakult, but the grown-up, fancy version”. Evoking childhood memories through elevated, sustainability-focused cuisine isn’t easy, and won over this fruit cocktail sceptic to enjoy the course. The balance of flavours was simple but effective, and readied us for the main dessert.
Dessert
Sunchoke Bingka
This was absolutely delightful. The black rice ice cream was really a star of the dish for me, with a subtle, almost nutty flavour that paired well with the bingka and pear chantilly. I was so full but finished every mouthful because it was too good to waste.
Kueh
Corn Salat
My favourite kueh is kueh salat, so this take on the traditional version was intriguing. Topped with a corn custard layer and the usual glutinous rice below, it was a great way to finish an all-around wonderful meal. We ordered one piece to share, which was the right choice after six other dishes, but don’t skip out if you like a kueh.
Special Shoutouts
I thoroughly enjoyed the condiments that Chef Marus paired with the dishes and will definitely order extra on my next visit. The tamarind ketchup was so delightful that I, a lifelong ketchup hater, became a tamarind ketchup enthusiast. The buak keluak sambal was so good I ate it with a spoon. Absolutely ones to watch you’re for if you’re a condiment person. The Belimbing team was also very helpful and attentive, but didn’t take up too much of our time—the perfect balance between helpful and letting us enjoy the evening.
The final highlight of the night was the open-plan kitchen set-up. As we entered and left the restaurant, we could see the chefs preparing the dishes, and it was nice to congratulate them on their great new menu as we departed.
If you’re looking for a date night, an elevated family dinner, or simply want to indulge in something both familiar and different, Belimbing’s new menu is a great choice. I’m already deciding when to go next with friends, which won’t be long.
Visit Belimbing and try the new menu at 269 Beach Road.
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