The Bonta Group’s opening of District 10 in the thick of this year’s economic recession may have been risky but the equation of serving quality food in a bistro setting proved otherwise to its naysayers. Since its opening in August, business has been thriving thanks to an innovative bistro menu that injects an Asian twist to Western favourites. The cosy enclave just off Newton Circus makes for a cosy respite with its warm, wood-dressed dining and bar areas. A wine bar — the eatery’s newest feature — carries an extensive selection of wines arranged according to price range. Most are Italian wines of course, and while they do not have a sommelier on hand to advise diners, their staff are well-trained on wine-pairing with the restaurant’s food, should you be unable to decide for yourself.
District 10’s menu mirrors its image of a high-end bistro, featuring a range of salads, sides, sandwiches and its signature Louisiana baby back ribs prepared in four different ways for you to choose from. To start, we had the refreshing wild rocket salad ($14) comprising pear slices, avocado, grilled zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a zesty lemon dressing, highlighting a balanced acidity and a clean bite. The fried buffalo chicken wings ($14 for six pieces) was a reinterpreted version with an Asian-inspired chilli sauce concocted by Chef Dean Fisher. The accompanying spicy special sauce and blue cheese dip were only mildly impressive as they were overshadowed by the delicious wings.
One of the most popular menu items seen on many tables here, which were almost fully occupied during lunchtime, were District 10’s unique pizzas. Faced with a wide selection of ‘Old School Pizzas’ (typical Italian pizzas such as the margherita) and ‘New School Pizzas’ (innovative combinations such as the sambal chilli prawn pizza), we decided on the signature District 10 ($18) and Singapore chilli crab pizza ($25). The former, featuring tomato, chilli flakes and pork floss was a velvety dream — sweet, chewy, fluffy floss lent an addictive bite to each slice. The latter was homage to the national dish and while it was an interesting addition, the soft shell crab pieces made for clumsy eating. It might have been more palatable to have them in smaller pieces. However, the spicy sauce saved the day with its delicious combination of shrimp, rocket and flavoursome meat from flower crabs and brown crabs.
The highlight of District 10 has got to be the Wagyu beef cheek rendang. Inspired by his travels to Bali, Chef Dean applied his gourmet culinary skills to the traditional Indonesian version of the spiced beef stew and the result was a beautiful, fork-tender beef cheek permeated by spices and the sweetness of coconut cream while still retaining its meaty flavour. This, the bashful chef explained, is because the Wagyu beef cheeks are stewed separately before adding them to the gravy, which has some of the prepared beef stock added to it. Served with slices of toasted pita and a typical English mashed potato, it makes for a heavenly combination and is a must-try. The signature Louisiana baby back ribs ($27 per rack of six) done American- style with smoky barbecue sauce and served with fries (the other three options being English, Japanese teriyaki and Thai sweet chilli) were a tad overdone and needed more time for the barbecue sauce to infuse.
Desserts here may read as regular but once you’ve tried the Godzilla, you’ll think otherwise. With this platter of four chocolate desserts — comprising a home-made chocolate profiterole, a chocolate brownie slice, chocolate bread and butter pudding, and chocolate crème brûlée — there is nothing short of decadence served.

10 Winstedt Road. #01-17, Tel: 6738 4788

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