Father’s Day 2020: DIY Meal kits to make together with your old man

As we inch closer to Father’s Day (and inexorably towards Phase 2), you’ve probably noticed that meal kits are in vogue right now. Pretty much everyone’s hopped on the DIY train – we’ve even covered it once for Mother’s Day (check them out, all of them are still valid).

There’s a few obvious benefits of meal kits over delivery. For one, the food is always freshly cooked and exactly the way you’d like – especially important for time-sensitive dishes like pasta or steak. Furthermore, restaurants that’ve provided the meal kits have usually done all the mise en place for you, giving you a chance to really feel like a home chef without all the time doing prep work.

It also lets you focus on what’s important: whipping up a great stay-at-home meal for your father or father-figure. Who knows? It might even give you the confidence to whip up home feasts completely on your own in the future. Until then, here are some meal kits for restaurant-standard Father’s Day menus completely at home.

Meal kits from Wine RVLT
It's time to induct dad into the wonderful world of natural wines with the Father's Day set from wine bar RVLT. Pick from 2 starters including an intensely moreish beef tartare that comes studded with crunchy croutons; as well as four mains – options include their notorious patty melt featuring a Westholme wagyu patty, sauce gribiche, and homemade milk buns, and fettucine with uni yuzu-kosho cream sauce and red prawns. The set comes with a magnum – go big or go home – of Frederic Brouca Champs Pentus 2013, a spicy syrah, grenache, and carignan blend from Languedoc.

WhatsApp 9022-2655 or 9388-1436 to order
Bochinche’s DIY steaks
Consummate carnivores Bochinche bring’s classic flame-kissed Argentinian steaks to Singapore. Head chef Farbrice Mergalet’s years in France, as well as working for the Hilton Hotel Group, lends well to the restaurant’s dedication to hearty, convivial plates. For Father’s Day, bring home fine Argentinian cuts, complete with the requisite chimichurri, a piquant and herbaceous condiment that cuts through the smoky decadence of the steaks. You’d also get to pick a bottle of vino along with the bundle - and don’t skimp out on the dessert. Get a traditional creme caramel, also known as quesillo, a silky-smooth pudding smothered in caramel sauce.
Cicheti’s Margherita pizza kit
Cicheti is an unfussy Italian joint headed rather unconventionally by a Singlish-speaking, Penang-born chef Lim Yew Aun. Despite its unusual provenance, the trattoria is known for its excellent Italian food, thanks in part to Lim’s creative takes on traditional recipes. Though their DIY Margherita pizza kit includes their three-day fermented pizza dough, housemade tomato sauce, fior di latte and other typical trappings, we’ll miss the irreplaceable char of their two-tonne wood-fired oven. That being said, there is a little magic in attempting to toss your own pizza dough: especially on Father’s Day. If all else fails, just make sure to get a slice of their crack pie. The dulcet almond frangipane spiked with butterscotch is almost mandatory in any meal from Cicheti.
Noka’s sushi kits
Noka is an offshoot of Open Farm Community that brings the farm-to-table concept, well, to the skies. More exactly, the rooftop. Expect Japanese cuisine bolstered by farm fresh local ingredients - though we’re most excited about their hand-roll sushi kit. Sadly, it’s unlikely for novices to make good maki (sushi rolls) or morsels of sushi: sushi chefs typically train for years, with such rigorous austerity precisely to create perfect little bits of the stuff every single time. Luckily, you can still (somewhat) recreate your “Jiro dreams of sushi” moment with your father by making simpler hand-rolls out of high-grade salmon, kanpachi and Bluefin tuna.

Images courtesy of Noka.
The Butcher’s Wife’s wine & barbecue set
A cosy backstreet establishment with a knack for gut-flora friendly food and drink (think natural wines, gluten-free grub and fermented everything else), The Butcher’s Wife DIY Wine & Barbecue set is the perfect package for a Father’s Day soiree. Chef Mariana Campos D’Almeida’s time at the Institut Paul Bocuse, French and Brazilian kitchens shines through: with up to four choices of meats, including Wagyu picanha, a popular (and sinful) cut commonly seen at Brazilian churrascarias, with all the trimmings.
Amo’s pasta kits
Pasta is notoriously fussy - getting perfectly emulsified carbonara sauce that sticks to noodles is already difficult enough. Factor in the travel time and potentially, the need for reheating, and you’re looking at something that doesn’t travel all that well. Amo’s pasta kits allow the aspiring home chef to flex his culinary chops, particularly when it comes to such an exacting dish (don’t worry, they come with instructions. Though kits already come with housemade pasta and fresh ingredients, eating at home allows you the flexibility of adding any extras you’d like, without drawing the withering gaze of an offended Italian nonna. They’ve also got some pretty impressive pizza kits as well.

Images courtesy of Amo.
Crossroad’s DIY Father’s Day kit
Dubbed the bundle of happiness, Marriott Tang Plaza’s Crossroads’ eclectic cuisine is condensed into a convivial package that brings some Mediterranean-inspired cheer to the family. Enjoy a selection of marinated meats, including chimichurri-glazed minute steaks, spiced lamb patties and chicken skewers, as well as accompanying sides. It also comes with a choice of red, white or a six-pack of beer - great for a family barbecue out on the patio.