Chef-owner Drew Nocente’s contemporary tasting menu has evolved the last couple of years, and today, he continues to focus on a ‘Zero Food Waste Dining’ philosophy. Most of the dishes are marked by creative use of the entire animal, from the meat to byproducts like skin, innards and bones.
To prep his dishes, the Australian chef uses traditional techniques like curing, ageing, pickling, fermenting, smoking and grilling. Meanwhile, trimmings are often used to add depth of flavour to broths, sauces and seasonings.
Salted & Hung’s signature Aged Turbot (pictured) is the perfect example of how every part of the fish is utilised. Firstly, the fillet is aged five days, then slow-cooked. The skin and trimmings are fermented into a garum that is used to season the vegetables. The dish is then laced with a sauce made from the liver and vin jaune (yellow wine). Finally, the bones are hung and dried for 14 days to rustle up a dashi perfumed with local herbs and flowers.
For the main course, dry-aged, grass-fed A4 Kagoshima wagyu is grilled over coconut husk charcoal and binchotan. The carrots that complement the dish are confited in excess beef fat, then slow-cooked, dried and rehydrated with beef sauce. The carrot trimmings are used to make an accompanying smoked carrot ketchup.
Beyond the dishes, the team uses different ways to upcycle food waste, including turning abalone shells into cutlery holders and steak knife handles. The kitchen has also replaced all cling wrap, garbage bags, and disposable packages with biodegradable versions. At the table, there are no plastic straws, and paper coasters are replaced with marble ones. This Purvis Street establishment will be rolling out an updated menu in April, so keep a lookout.
12 Purvis St, www.saltedandhung.com.sg
