Don’t go to Raw Eatery and Wood
Grill if you’re after foams or sauce
smears. This newcomer is keeping
things simple by focusing on fresh
ingredients prepared or cooked
in a way that best preserves their
natural flavour. The result is honest
and hearty food, and dishes that are
easy to enjoy.
Taking over the second storey
of the building formerly home to La
Stazione, Raw has been fitted out
with a large bar in the dining room’s
centre and a dry-aged beef cabinet
that evokes love at first sight. The
atmosphere is friendly and warm.
The menu is separated into two
main categories: raw and Josper
charcoal oven dishes, plus sides,
sweets and bread.
It’s a short list of
offerings, with the
option to eat light
or hearty, not that
this makes deciding
any easier.
We opt for a
sample from all
corners of the
menu, starting with
a bread basket
(priced at 28RMB, although offered
complimentary to all diners on a
recent visit) which is served with
a moreish and smooth smoked
salted and black pepper butter, and
a savoury and rich seaweed and
garlic butter. Both
are addictive.
From the raw
offerings, a highlight
is the Icelandic
codfish ceviche
(98RMB), which
is topped with
coriander, a few
pieces of (not raw)
seafood tempura
and leche de tigre
(‘tiger’s milk’, a citrus-based
marinade). The ceviche is balanced,
with the mild fish having enjoyed some time soaking in the zingy and
peppery citrus juice, and teaming
well texturally with the fried corn
kernels and slivers of chilli.
The beef tartare (128RMB) is
another raw hit. The 120 grams of
Chilean wagyu is presented in a tin
on a bed of crushed ice. Our waiter
offers to mix in the smoked egg yolk
and the shallot and onion garnish,
which is no mean feat considering
the size of the tin. The finely sliced
tartare is soft, rich and smooth,
offset by the hint of smokiness from
the egg. Accompanied by bread
crisps (which feel superfluous) and
a side of fries, it’s large enough
to share between two or more as
an appetiser.
Raw boasts a Josper oven
– good for grilling meat at high
temperatures and for enhancing
natural flavours with charcoal – and
as such, steaks play an important
role on the menu. Although the
selection is small (only Chilean
free-range Wagyu and Argentinian
Aberdeen Angus are on offer), the
focus is on quality over quantity –
perfect for meat fanatics. Prices
range from 1,388RMB for a 1.3kg
dry-aged rib-eye (accompanied
by three sides, recommended for
three to four people) to a far more
affordable 298RMB for a 300g rump
cap (accompanied by two sides,
recommended for two people).
We opt for a mid-range cut – the
250g Chilean wagyu thin skirt
(358RMB) – that arrives pre-sliced
on a wooden board with fried onion,
a garlic bulb and salt. The meat is
mostly cooked to our preference of
medium-rare and is juicy but chewy;
each bite is packed with the real
meaty flavour that’s often absent in
easier or softer cuts.
The simple but authentic food
and warm and welcoming ambience
look set to make Raw Eatery and
Wood Grill a Jingan dining hotspot.
This is definitely one to check out
– especially if you enjoy stepping
away from fine dining and eating
honest (and not to mention damn
tasty) food.
By Victoria Brownlee
