What would you cook for someone you love?
That was the question on chef Joel Ong’s mind as he worked on his newest dining concept — Home by Enjoy — in partnership with local film director Jack Neo.
Now open at Bukit Merah Enterprise Centre, the restaurant serves a variety of local comfort dishes meant to nourish and care.
Developed together with Come Here Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, the menu focuses on balance, warmth and long-term well-being.
As part of the collaboration, the menu also features dishes made with Chu Collagen Soup, a soup brand founded by Jack Neo’s daughter.
“This is not about putting a name on a menu,” said chef Joel. “It’s about shared beliefs, about family, about responsibility, and about doing things with intention.”
As someone with a soft spot for a good home-cooked meal, I visited the restaurant on its opening day (Dec 29) to see if the food truly delivers on its promise.
Stepping into the restaurant, I was greeted by a homely space decked out with antique marble tables and round stools. The walls were plastered with vintage posters, and there was even an old-school, kampung-style kitchen corner for taking photographs.
The tables were also set with retro Chinese tableware — something you might see at a grandparent’s house.
Overall, it was a nice and spacious place to dine, with ample nostalgic details without seeming too cluttered.
Comforting local feast
Among the restaurant’s offerings is the Yang Sheng (nourishing) dishes prepared with Chinese medicinal herbs. I gravitated towards the Grandpa’s Braised Pork Trotter ($16) — a dish that felt familiar, and one I wanted to try because it is something my grandmother often cooks at home.
Cooked with ingredients such as astragalus root, Chinese rice wine and Solomon’s seal root, the dish is said to promote blood circulation, relieve fatigue and reduce throat dryness.
The pork trotter struck a good balance between lean and fatty meat. The lean parts retained a satisfying bite while the skin remained soft, melty and full of flavour.
I could easily imagine having this dish with rice as a comforting, no-frills meal.
Other Yang Sheng items on the menu include Claypot Liver and Kidney ($17), 5-Ginseng Baked Kampung Chicken (from $21) and Tau Cheo Steamed Local Barramundi (from $29).
From the Cold section of the menu, the Classic Yusheng ($18) is described as a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Cantonese dish.
Served chilled, it was crisp and refreshing, with a tangy hit of lime that elevated the dish’s flavour without overpowering the ingredients. The sashimi also tasted fresh and not too fishy.
As someone who has not tried traditional yusheng, it came across as a well-balanced sashimi salad — light and easy to enjoy.
I kept going back to the yusheng throughout the meal as it was a nice palate cleanser from the richer flavours of the other dishes.
If you’re not a fan of raw fish, the Cold section of the menu also consists of other dishes such as the Winged Bean Salad with Dried Cuttlefish ($9) and Black Dog Quail Egg ($8).
