While most restaurants have reopened for dining-in, many of us are still enjoying the various restaurant delivery options available right now. And when you’ve got a family of over five or a small group of friends to meet, home is often the best place to hang out. If you’re looking for a new place to order food online, it’s worth checking out Island Kitchen Collective. The latest “cloud kitchen” concept offers a well-curated food menu of close to 80 Mediterranean and Japanese dishes that can be delivered; that means you can get your sushi fix along with a sumptuous spread of seafood grilled to perfection.
What’s on the menu?
With so many options available, I was spoilt for choice when ordering from Island Kitchen Collective. Thankfully, navigating the website is super easy. The dishes from the respective Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines are listed under two different concepts: “Mercato Gatto” and “Wabi Sabi”. This means you won’t feel overwhelmed by the choices. Those with dietary restrictions aren’t left out either; the online menu has clear indications of which dishes contain potential allergens like wheat, soy and dairy.
Focusing on fresh ingredients and robust flavours, Mercato Gatto represents the Mediterranean arm of the offerings, with a medley of grilled meats, classic pastas and hearty but healthy grain bowls. For Japanese food, Wabi Sabi’s creations are fresh, simple and comforting. Think sashimi, sushi and sharing platters prepared with premium ingredients flown in from around the world!
If you’re hosting a small party at home, I’d recommend going for the Best of Both Worlds combo for four ($165), which features a mix of signatures from both cuisines. You get to customise the combo by selecting your dishes from each section (grain bowls, pastas, small plates and more), so you can cover as wide of a range as you like, instead of getting a repeat of flavours. This also means picky eaters won’t be stuck with something they won’t eat!
A delicious mezze to begin with is the vegan-friendly duo of dips: freshly made hummus and baba ganoush. Paired with warm pita, both dips had great flavours that left us wanting more; but the baba ganoush, with roasted eggplant , tahini, garlic , lemon, olive oil, definitely stole the show! Another must-try is the handmade falafel, served with a creamy tzatziki sauce. If you’re more inclined towards a sashimi start, add on the sashimi moriawase ($49) for a restaurant-quality selection.
Fill up with some maki from the Japanese menu; my top pick is the Green Monster Roll ($10), loved by vegetarians and meat lovers alike. At just $10 a roll, this avocado and cucumber sushi was an easy side to fill up on. We then moved on to the donburi (rice bowls), which were some of the best I’ve tried. Piled to the brim with fresh sashimi-grade salmon, tuna, eel, salmon roe, sweet egg and shrimp, the bara chirashi is a must-order if you’re into raw seafood. The teriyaki salmon was another favourite at the table. The rice was delicious, and the ingredients undoubtedly of a high quality.
For mains on the Mediterranean end, you can tuck into hearty and filling grain bowls and pastas packed with Greek flavours. We devoured the grilled Mediterranean chicken with orange couscous, and the linguine vongole, which came with a mountain of clams (500 grams, to be exact) bathed in a white wine sauce. You’ll also get to pick a meat or seafood item from the kitchen; our choice of the grilled octopus leg turned out to be a fantastic one. Well-seasoned with herbs and grilled to perfection, the octopus was tender with just the right amount of bite. I’ve heard that fresh seafood is shipped to the kitchen weekly, so you’re getting the freshest catch possible. Seafood fans will be chuffed!
If you’re a hostess with the mostest, there’s an option to upgrade your meal with a beautifully arranged cheese and charcuterie platter of four cheeses, cold cuts, pickles and mixed nuts. This made for a show-stopping end to our lunch.
Why a cloud kitchen?
Cloud kitchens have been around for a while; they’re not a new phenomenon. These centralised and licensed kitchens can be rented by restaurants that are focusing on a delivery-centric menu. The concept makes sense – especially in labour- and space-competitive Singapore – as the restaurant gets to save on the rising costs of running a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“Taking the business online allows us to streamline our costs and focus on what’s crucial,” says Alan Low, General Manager of Island Kitchen Collective. “That is, providing freshness, variety and value through consistently high-quality food to our customers wherever they are.”
Cloud kitchens offer a great alternative for customers looking for flexibility and variety, on top of stellar quality and taste. You get access to different cuisines wherever you are, without having to pay for multiple delivery fees or arrange with different vendors. “Island Kitchen Collective allows us to be nimble while giving us access to more customers across Singapore as we continue to roll out more cuisines,” says Alan. The chef-curated menus are only available for online orders and delivery.
Order food online
Minimum order is $30. Delivery is free for orders above $100; otherwise islandwide delivery starts from $5. You can place your order up to 60 minutes in advance. Same-day orders can be placed before 10.30am for the earliest delivery slot at 11.30am and before 8pm for the latest delivery slot at 9pm.
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