June 20, 2017

The Masses @ Beach Road ~ Affordable, Quality, Delicious Fare From The Saveur Guy!



Ohh..... so the news goes that Joshua Khoo and Dylan Ong who founded Saveur have recently left the partnership. Diners would be familiar with the inexpensive French-inspired cuisine that the casual eatery serves.

It may be Saveur no longer for the duo, but their spirit of serving quality and affordable fare to the masses still remains. Joshua started Taste Affair at Amoy Street Food Centre, while Dylan opened The Masses at Beach Road (opposite Shaw Towers).

Not that I wasn't kaypoh (nosey) enough to ask what happened, but when I was at The Masses with my friends, its vibrant vibes and delectable food offerings excited us more.


So instead of looking back, we looked forward to what The Masses have in store for us.

Though the 35-seater space is small and the tables are spaced a tad too closely for comfort (we could hear all the surrounding conversations haha), the friendly staff made us feel comfortable by settling us in quickly, and bringing us drinking water even before we place any orders.

A quick check of the menu showed ala-carte food options of starters, mains and desserts, as well as a beverage selection of coffee, beer, sake, wine and cocktail.


Appetizers such as Chargrilled Corn and Chicken Collagen Veloute start as low as $7.90/$8, and almost all items are priced under $20. The only exception is the US Black Angus Striploin at $22.90, but a steak at this price? It's a steal!

The cuisine can be described as contemporary fare that transcends cultures, with a focus on using quality produce from both international and local farms.

For instance, The Egg ($9) is somewhat similar to Japanese chawanmushi. It comes either hot or cold (we chose hot as recommended), and was an absolute delight completed with crisp homemade potato chips and popping bursts of ikura and tobiko.


There is the French-inspired Foie Gras (single 50g $12 / shared 100g $19) with brioche, mixed berry compote and granola, as well as Duck Leg Confit ($12.90) with croquette, candied orange and foie gras sauce.

Both dishes are reminiscent of those Saveur days, but with a refreshed twist.

I really wanted to try the C & C Pasta ($9/$14.90) after seeing enticing photos of it across Instagram. It came exactly as pretty as expected, and with a lovely taste to match too!

The angel hair pasta was cooked to a pleasing al-dente bite and served chilled, covered with chunks of crabmeat in a luscious kombu and lobster bisque sauce. That topping of caviar was certainly generous! It was altogether so delicious!


Sounds crazy but the three of us (all girls!) went on to order more mains including the very hearty, meat-centric Duroc Pork Loin ($15) with truffle scrambled egg, plums and chicharron, and Honey Garlic Miso Chicken Breast ($13.90) with celeriac puree and sautéed kale.

Add a huge serving of Truffle Fries ($11) to all that!

Bye bye to our low-carbs diet plan, but none of us regretted shoving down those awesome thickly-cut potatoes spiked with truffle oil and Parmesan with a side of truffle aioli dip.

Finished it all.


Did it come as a surprise that we still have capacity for desserts? To sweet endings! Lol!

The fruity Popsicle ($6) dripped with lavendar honey would be an ideal choice for something light to cleanse the palate after the meal.

For chocolate lovers, nothing else would beat the satisfaction of Valrhona (66%) Dark Chocolate Mousse ($10.90) with chocolate ice cream and berries.

We watched in silent amusement as our friend literally scrapped the bowl clean and licked off any remnants off her spoon. The chocolate mousse was good. No further explanation needed.


The Masses was born from the belief that good food should be made for everyone to enjoy.

From our visit, we concluded that Dylan and his team have embodied it well. We generally like all the dishes that we've tried, and there was no need did not to break the bank for it.

This is a place that I would recommend all my friends to come if they're looking for quality, casual dining in the convenience of town.


The Masses
Address: 85 Beach Road, #01-02, Singapore 189694
Contact: +65 6266 0061
Website: https://themasses.sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themassessg/
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-9.30pm (last order) / Sun 12pm-9pm (last order) / Wed, Fri & Sat Bar open till 12am

Prices are stated in Singapore dollars and subject to 10% service charge & 7% GST. Information is correct at point of published date.

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