Eurasian Impressions in Mt. Lookout: Citrus & Sago

Were we ever sad when El Camino, a Latin American street food restaurant in Mt. Lookout, closed its doors in late 2018. But are we ever enthusiastic about its immediate successor, Citrus and Sago!

Citrus and Sago is a tiny Eurasian restaurant headed up by Chef Paul Liew. Liew's previous restaurant in Mason, Straits of Malacca, was widely acclaimed for its Malaysian cuisine. Sago can be regarded as the diminutive sequel, and given Malaysia's rich melting pot of varied cultures, patrons can expect quite a bit of variety despite its relatively abbreviated menu.

Sago features five appetizers, including chicken curry puff pastries, barbecue pork buns and pork dumplings. Rotisserie meals of roast duck, barbecue pork, roast chicken and a poached Hainanese chicken are available, as well as four meal platters: sweet & spicy shrimp, curry chicken, Nasi lemak (a coconut-infused rice dish served with spicy beef), and stir-fried vegetables with shiitake mushrooms. All meals are served on sturdy paper plates along with sides of garlic butter rice, roasted mixed vegetables and pickled vegetables.

We stepped into the familiar, small dining space jammed full of people save two conspicuously empty spots. Loud, jarring bangs in the back of the kitchen erupted as we approached the counter to give our order. There we enjoyed a clear view of the chef deftly cleaving through meat and bone while preparing a large plate of roast duck.

My girlfriend and I selected a chicken curry puff for an appetizer, but unfortunately they had run out. Instead we opted for a 4-piece plate of seared pork dumplings ($5). She also chose the curry chicken plate ($11.50), while I, entranced by the loud cleaving cacophony, chose the roast duck meal platter ($14.50).

Pork dumplings

We sat down at our fortuitously available seats and watched as large plates of food whizzed past our heads to neighboring tables. The chopping continued to ring out through the evening because virtually everyone in the dining room had ordered some form of roast duck.

Our four pork dumplings arrived lightly pan-fried with a small tub of a soy sauce-based, slightly sweet and tangy dipping sauce. These were notable mostly for their pleasingly light, crispy edges; otherwise, they were the usual comforting and familiar appetizer one would find at many Asian restaurants.

Roast duck plate

Curry chicken plate

The chicken curry and roast duck plates were set before us a few minutes later: each protein was accompanied by large mounds of golden garlic butter rice, pickled strips of carrot, cucumber and onion, as well as a serving of roasted cauliflower, carrot, green beans and red peppers.

The quarter-portion of duck was piping hot with crispy skin slathered in a deep crimson Hoison sauce exhibiting sweet cinnamon, star anise and licorice notes. Its aggressive flavor profile nicely paired with the subtle garlic butter rice. The pickled vegetables added a necessary and welcomed acidic kick to each bite.

My girlfriend's curry chicken was a uniquely fragrant and spicy variant of the popular Asian dish, with strong hits of garlic, chilies and ginger infused in the milky coconut-based curry sauce. Both of us had ample garlic rice to spare, though it had admirably served its purpose as a cooling, neutral side dish.

Citrus and Sago is a worthy successor to the building's previous tenant and a welcome follow-up to Chef Liew's premier eatery, Straits of Malacca.