Alter Ego @ Esplanade : Eat Clean and Indulge Dirty

Angel and Demon. 

Pure and Evil. 

Clean and Dirty. 

Everyone has an alter ego hidden inside ourselves. That alternate face that's always deviating from the norm, gravitating towards the sinful, unhealthy actions. Imagine having healthy poke bowls with sinful fries drenched in cheese. That's what you can find at AlterEgo, an edgy underground space at Esplanade where you can "unleash your alterego".

Over food, that is. 

Indulge dirty with the Chilli Cheese Dog ($13), an impossibly soft butter griddled bun stuffed with grilled cheddar sausage smothered in sweet and spicy house-made minced beef, sour cream and melted cheddar cheese. It spoke the language of comfort food just like the twice-baked Buffalo Wings ($14). These were more smoky than spicy, but already flavorfully seasoned on its own without the need for house ranch dressing. 

Crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside consistency is the litmus test of good fries but Alter Ego takes it to an extreme new level with its original Pizza Fries drenched in seemingly endless three-cheese sauce and smoky pepperoni ($14)

Yes, this is bound to ruin your diet plan tremendously but you know you just want to jump right in the ship of melty goodness. And the bacon ketchup sauce served at the side only worsen things by making the fries extra moreish. Don't ever eat this with your hands. And this applies for the dangerously addictive deep-fried Fish Skin ($8) that latched to the special Umami dust. 

Yet another stunningly lavish treatment of potatoes is the heaping bowl of Loaded Taters ($13) I actually didn't know tater tots are hash browns in small cylindrical forms but knowing that made me realized how crazily tasty hashbrowns can be. 

The crisp, golden shells yielded gently to a soft piping hot interior. Tossed them with spicy japeleno cheese sauce, fragrant flecks of maple glazed bacon and sour cream and you've got an entirely different beast. 

With so many heavy, rich-flavored dishes across the board, the Grilled Cheese ($11) suddenly became pretty lightweight and easy to handle. Imagine golden toasts with wafer-like crispness collapsing into an ultra-gooey center as you sink your bite into it.

I knew I needed to work my ass out for all the #cheesepull goals but no regrets as this IS the best cheese toast I've ever had after the one at Dominique Ansel Japan. Add on $3 for beef short ribs fillings.

Healthy eats? Did I mention that at the start? Yes, the poke bowls are definitely a must-try and I loved them as much or even more than some of the above dishes. All the poke bowls are pre-set but you can still swap or top-up for certain ingredients.

Similar to bara chirashi dons as they seemed, these poke bowls got the higher vote as I find that the sauce marinade is more livid without draining the natural sweetness of the sashimi. The poke bowls also offer plenty of textures and nutrition than an average chirashi don. For example, the Umami Omega ($16) features a spicy garlic sesame salmon with lime avocado and kale chips on signature sushi rice. There's also a vegan option great for vegan and non-vegan eaters alike. 

To cap it all off, there's desserts such as Lemon Ice Box Pie ($11) and Berries & Cream  ($11) to help you gain more weight. Both of them reminded me of classic Ang-moh desserts that are buried under an incredulous mountain of fresh chantily. However, I soon realized that the amount of cream was actually just right to go along with the tangy lemon filling or even the juicy macerated berries.

At AlterEgo, it's really go big or go home. If you've already swallowed down so much cheese and flavors earlier, why still bother about the cream? :D 

Be true to yourself. 

Let loose and eat for your ego. 

Alter Ego by A Poke Theory

#01-13D Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue

Mon – Fri 11am – 1am
Sat: 10am – 2am
Sun: 10am – 1am

www.alterego.sg