Keong Saik Road has seen its share of openings — some forgettable, some destined to become permanent fixtures on your group chat's recommendation list. Mortar, which quietly swung open its doors last week at 25 Keong Saik Road, is shaping up to be the latter. Run by a husband-and-wife duo who cut their teeth at Noma and Burnt Ends, this 32-seater is equal parts neighbourhood café and serious kitchen.
Let's get the headline out of the way: the sourdough crumpets ($18) are absurd. Thick, tangy, with that signature open crumb that catches pools of brown butter and a swoosh of house-made kaya that leans more coconut than pandan. They arrive on a handmade ceramic plate, golden and audibly crisp. If you've been chasing the crumpet high that London's cafés promise but rarely deliver, Mortar nails it without the plane ticket.
Beyond the crumpets, the lunch menu pivots to heartier fare. The dry-aged chicken rice ($24) reimagines the hawker staple with a 14-day aged bird, ginger-scallion oil, and rice cooked in roasted bone broth. Purists will argue, but one bite and you'll concede this is its own beautiful thing. The smoked beetroot salad ($16) is the sleeper hit — roasted low and slow over coconut husk, dressed with a tamarind vinaigrette that cuts right through.
The space itself is a lesson in restraint: polished concrete floors, a long communal oak table, and a small open kitchen that lets you watch the team work without the theatre of a chef's counter. Morning light pours through the original shophouse windows, making it one of the more photogenic spots on a street that already photographs well.
Mortar is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 3pm for now, with dinner service expected by mid-April. No reservations — it's walk-in only, and the queue starts forming around 9am on weekends. Get there early or get there patient. Either way, get there.
Mortar, 25 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089132. Mains $16–$28. @mortar.sg on Instagram.
