Mad About Salmon? Pink Fish Is The Healthy Fast Food Joint For You

The brand was established just over a year ago by CEO Ronny Gjøse, Chairman Svein Sandvik, and F&B Concept Manager and Bocuse d’Or World 2009 winner (the most prestigious cooking competition among chefs) chef Geir Skeie (pictured above). In that time, they’ve opened six outlets across Norway, along with this branch in Jewel, which is its first overseas outpost.

Like most other fast-food restaurants, diners queue up to order their food, pay upfront and then take a seat in the open-concept seating area. When the food is ready, someone will holler your name to identify you, before bringing it to your table. The space, set in Jewel’s food court, is clad in pale Scandinavian wood and accented with the coral hue of, you guessed it, salmon. What sets Pink Fish apart, says Gjøse, is its ambition to be the world’s first sustainable fast-casual concept.

“Sustainability is extremely important to us (Pink Fish’s salmon is certified sustainable by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council). Firstly, it’s much more sustainable to eat fish instead of meat. If this world is going to survive, we need to eat more food from the sea because there is just more capacity in the ocean,” he said. “Secondly, it takes four years to raise a salmon to 4kg, but in that time, it only eats 4kg of food and it doesn’t consume water. In comparison, a cow drinks 8 litres of water a day. Just by serving more seafood to the masses, we are contributing to sustainability.”

Everything used in the restaurant is traceable and biodegradable, including its compostable crockery. “That means if you throw our cups, bowls and straws in nature, they would just disintegrate and break down naturally and quickly. This kind of packaging costs three times as much as regular plastic and non-biodegradable packaging, but we believe if we want to be the change, we have to deliver it immediately.”

How do you make a single protein like salmon exciting? Chef Skeie says it’s easy because salmon is extremely versatile. “Whatever dish you have chicken in, you can have with salmon instead. So we use it in a green curry, in burgers and in salads. A lot of people think of salmon as something you pan-fry and serve with a side of vegetables, but you can use it raw and in soups,” enthused the youthful-looking 39-year-old Norwegian.

Pinkfish occupies a coral-hued space with a wooden-slat design that brings to mind the meaty grain of a slab of salmon. Beyond the order counter is a seating area comprising wooden chairs and tables painted in the same colour scheme, with a few jolts of brightly coloured stools in shades of lime and tangerine. There are also a couple of comfy circular booth seats cushioned in grey.

The menu is broken up on into Soups, Raw, Sides, Salads & Wraps, and three types of burgers. Each burger comes with a 110-gram salmon patty and costs $9.90. As for the other dishes, each contains cubed salmon or pan-fried salmon fillets and is priced by weight. So a dish containing 50 grams of salmon costs $10.90, 100 grams for $14.90 and 150g for $18.90.

We like how the patties of minced salmon are luscious and silky, with a distinct fresh flavour. The brioche roll is drier than an average potato roll that burger joints here tend to use, but is still light and fluffy. To give it an American flavour, the patties are lightly slathered in a barbeque sauce that tastes a lot like a non-spicy sweet chilli sauce, along with a dab of a rather plain-tasting coleslaw. Unlike a typical American burger, this one is gently flavoured and won’t punch you in the mouth with the kind of sweet-smoky American barbecue sauce you might expect because of its name.

The same bread roll and salmon patty as its American cousin, but this time given an Asian spin with the addition of a mango salsa and a spicy Vietnamese-style soy dressing. The former lends a touch of sweetness, while the latter some heat that comes at the back of each mouthful. These are not substantial burgers, especially if you’re a hardcore carnivore, but they are just filling enough if you’re a small eater.

Like a chilli con carne in soup form, this thick stew is strewn with lots of kidney beans, cubes of grilled salmon, and redolent of cumin and chilli powder (the non-spicy ang moh kind). It’s a warming, full-flavoured bowl that goes wonderfully with the tortilla chips served on the side. Not the dish one would think to pick as a standout here, but it is.

This tastes like any other Japanese salmon grain bowl you might find at a humble food court stall in the CBD. On a bed of Japanese rice are some pickled ginger, slivered cucumbers, edamame and cubes of salmon sashimi tossed in a soy dressing sharpened with vinegar. Good if you’re eating healthy, passable if you compare it to rice bowls of its ilk at other good fast casual concepts.

Personally, we find eating dressed lettuce atop a bed of Japanese rice rather odd, but that’s how this Hawaiian poke-inspired bowl is served. The dressing is reminiscent of a gently spicy creamy ranch sauce, while the cubes of raw salmon are tossed in a plain soy dressing. A pretty insipid poke bowl compared to all the others available in town.

Think a mildly seasoned grilled tandoori salmon fillet served on a bed of vegetables like lettuce and cherry tomatoes, and tendrils of cucumber dressed in raita (a yogurt condiment). The flavours are light and the salmon cooked just so — good if you’re hankering after Indian-style flavours in a light salad.

This is the spot if you want a quick, fresh and healthy meal sans meat. Or if you just really like salmon — a lot. But perhaps because the Norwegian palate is skewed towards a cleaner and lighter taste profile, we find ourselves wishing there were more punchy flavours to the dishes here.

Pink Fish is at #B1-261/262 Jewel Changi Airport. Open daily 10am-10pm. Last orders at 10pm. https://www.facebook.com/pinkfishSG/

Photos: Alvin Teo/8 DAYS