The English House

I have often passed by the stretch of houses along Mohd Sultan, but I never imagined I’d one day be dining here. If not for the wining cash vouchers gifted by the radio stations from the siblings, I probably wouldn’t have stepped in. The facade is so unassuming and distinct that it’s easy to overlook the fact that this place is actually a restaurant.

Macro Pierre White The English House

As I stepped into The English House, I was struck by its elegant yet simple charm. Inspired by colonial Singaporean heritage, the establishment feels like both an institution and a home for those who cherish the nostalgia of a bygone era. Its ambience beautifully complements its philosophy—serving classical food and drinks, presented with the simplicity and purity that nature intended.

Interior

Every detail, from the items to the furnishings, demanded attention, embodying the essence of a preserved golden age. 

Interior

The decor exuded a sense of grace and authenticity, delicately balanced with a touch of ostentatious eccentricity that added a unique charm to the atmosphere.

Decor

The walls are adorned with portraits of iconic English greats, immortalized through the lens of Terry O’Neill, adding a timeless elegance to the ambiance.

Interior

The restaurant's vast and spacious layout invited us to explore its unoccupied sections, where we admired the exquisite antiques thoughtfully displayed throughout The English House. Each piece seemed to tell a story, adding to the charm and character of the space.

Shelves

One of the highlights of the restaurant was its stunning ceiling, adorned with panels that allowed natural light to flood into the space, creating a warm and inviting ambiance. This clever design beautifully complemented the soft lighting within, enhancing the natural and serene atmosphere. Adding a whimsical touch to the sophisticated setting, the restaurant also featured Star Wars character statues on display, blending modern pop culture with the charm of its classic decor. This unexpected yet delightful addition made the experience even more memorable.

Star Wars

We opted to try the four-course station set menu along with a selection of à la carte items for sharing, eager to explore a variety of flavors and dishes.

Tasting Set Menu

This Tomato Bruschetta with 30-Month Parma Ham is a beautifully crafted appetizer. It features toasted bread topped with a layer of sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, and generously draped with thinly sliced, aged Parma ham. The ham, aged to perfection for 30 months, adds a rich, savoury depth to the dish. A sprinkle of fresh herbs enhances its aroma and elevates the overall presentation. The contrast between the crisp bread, tangy tomatoes, and delicate ham creates a delightful balance of textures and flavors, making this a perfect starter to whet your appetite.

Tomato Bruschetta with 30 Month Parma Ham

The Mushroom Cappuccino Soup with Fish Cake had a promising presentation, with its creamy texture complemented by bits of mushrooms, adding an earthy depth to the dish. The velvety soup had a smooth consistency that paired well with the crispy fish cake, which added an interesting contrast in texture. However, the overall flavor was on the saltier side, which overshadowed the natural umami notes of the mushrooms. This imbalance left us slightly disappointed, as the excessive saltiness detracted from what could have been a more balanced and enjoyable dish.

Mushroom Cappuccino Soup with Fish Cake

The fish cake was compact yet intriguing, featuring shredded fillings with a unique texture and a homemade touch. Its golden-brown crust provided a delightful crunch that contrasted nicely with the soft interior. Accompanying the fish cake was a tartar sauce that leaned toward the sweeter side, complementing the savory elements of the filling. The sauce's balanced sweetness added a pleasant dimension, making the pairing enjoyable despite the fish cake’s modest size.

Close Up on the Fish Cake

The third course arrived on a large plate, divided into four sections, each featuring a different dish: Crispy English Duck, Wagyu Fillet of Beef, Wagyu Sirloin, and seasonal vegetables on the side.

3rd Course

The Crispy English Duck featured a perfectly crackling skin, complemented by the sweet umami of hoisin sauce. 

Crispy English Duck

The slices of cucumber and spring onion that accompanied the duck reminded me of the classic Chinese Peking Duck, adding a fresh and flavorful touch to the dish.

Side View of the Crispy English Duck

We were advised to have the Wagyu beef cooked medium to fully appreciate its flavor. 

Wagyu Fillet of Beef

Paired with the rich brown sauce, each cut of the meat revealed its juicy tenderness, making every bite a truly satisfying experience.

Wagyu Sirloin

The final course of the tasting menu featured a Classic Chocolate Mousse, beautifully adorned with fresh strawberries and delicate pink cream. 

Classic Chocolate Mousse

The chilled dessert provided a perfect finishing touch, wrapping up the meal with a sweet and refreshing note.

Close up on the Chocolate Mousse

Traditional Fish & Chips 

Their Fish & Chips come highly recommended. From the traditional menu, you can choose from three variations of beer-battered fish: Greenland Halibut, Atlantic Cod, and Black Cod. Each dish has triple-cooked chips, mushy peas, and tartar sauce. The lemon was thoughtfully wrapped in a white cloth, making it easy to squeeze the juice onto the Fish & Chips without worrying about any unexpected splashes.

Beer Battered Atlantic Cod - $48

I love how the Fish & Chips were presented! We opted for the Atlantic Cod, and it turned out perfectly golden, crispy, and absolutely delicious.

Fish & Chips

Wellingtons 

Originally, we planned to try the Beef Wellington, but since beef was already part of the meal, we opted for the Mushroom Wellington instead. 

Mushroom & Spinach (V) - $48

It was served with flaky pastry rolled around a mushroom filling. Unfortunately, the dish leaned on the saltier side, and to our disappointment, the pairing sauce was similar to the mushroom soup we had earlier, intensifying the already salty flavor of the dish.

Despite the flavor disappointment, the presentation was impressive, with crispy fried mushroom slices elegantly placed atop the dish, adding both texture and visual appeal.

Pairing Sauce

Overall, the service exceeded expectations, offering a level of attentiveness that felt above average. The entire dining experience was further enhanced by the unique and charming atmosphere, making it a memorable visit.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

The English House
Location: 28 Mohamed Sultan Rd, Singapore 238972

British Hainan

The cravings for Hainanese Food had brought us to this corner of a shophouse on Purvis Road. Though there are 3 outlets, Joo Chiat, Kallang and Purvis Road, the ladies prefer to visit the last location for they are more familiar with the surrounding.

British Hainan

Welcome to British Hainan

Dining Area

We ordered a jug of Lemon Grass Drink and share it among ourselves.

Lemon Grass Drink in Jug

As we walked into the restaurant, we were their first batch of customers on the day. The interior was decorated with some of the old school stuff that can be found in the era of my grandparents' time. The furnishing kind of depicts the olden traditional Chinese with the use of the round wooden table, some straw weaved food baskets, charcoal operated iron as well as some metal hotpot and Chinese pictures hanging on the wall. They do have some English decorations with the use of piano, and some old school English luggage.

Interior

Take a look at the decorations

The caramelised onion soup was drizzled with some cheese powder and served with a slice of garlic bread. The soup was tasty but it can be better with the use of real cheese that gives the "cheese pulling" effect.

Onion Soup 洋葱汤 - $8

Garlic Bread

The platter was served with 3 kinds of Sausage and some lettuce with pineapple, tomatoes and cucumber slices. The platter was not really to my liking as one of them has a strong gamey taste although a lot of herbs have been mixed within. On top of that, the sausage meat was too minced and do not have the kind of biting texture and was kind of mashy to me. As we feedback to the restaurant, we were told that their supplier might have changed the Sausage Recipe and they will also feedback to them. 

English Pork Sausage and Bratwurst Platter 香肠拼盘 - $16

Sausages

This dish is da bomb! The portion can simply fit 2-3 pax as it is very stomach filling with 2 slices of bread and sauce. The meat was well braised till the point that the meat fell off from the bone easily. Its perhaps one of the best braised Lamb Shank I ever had. While every dish from British Hainan does not require the use of MSG, I would say that the taste was really up to the mark. The sweetness of the gravy was lip-smackingly good. Potatoes chunks, carrots and celery slices were part of the flavours too. 

Braised Lamb Shank - $28.90

The Fish was lightly battered and dory fish was tender. However, the batter was quite plain and it can be improved with more seasonings. Nonetheless, overall this dish still score on average and was served with fresh greens and fries. 

Fish and Chips 炸鱼 - $16.90

This is the classic dish that I will always order when it comes to Hainanese Food. Pork Chop was breaded and tender with a crispy exterior. Like any traditional Hainanese Recipe, the Pork Chop was served with the classic thickened tomato sauce with cut tomatoes and green peas. The dish is served along with french fries as a side. Glad that the sauce is not salty and makes a good pairing. Indeed their family recipe is based on their memory and tastebud. 

Hainanese Pork Chop 海南猪扒 - $16.90

Pork Chop

While the ladies could not take their eyes always from this Ondeh Ondeh Cake in the Chiller, we decided to save some room for dessert. The cake was topped with coconut shavings and alternating sponge cake layers with some Gula Melaka Cream. Well, it was a bit dry and a letdown to the traditional Ondeh Ondeh Cake as it did not impress much.

Ondeh Ondeh Cake - $7.90

Rating: 3 / 5

British Hainan
Location: 23 Purvis Street #01-01, Singapore 188600
Website

Lad & Dad

The sibling is having cravings for Fish & Chips and she wanted to try this place out after some searches online.

Lad & Dad

Besides Alcohol, there is not much selection of Soft Drinks, thus we ended up having Dry Ginger Ale.

Ginger Ale - $8

Freshly Deep fried, these Oysters were encased by a thin layer of flaky batter. This is a very good plate for sharing and together with the given dip as well as the lemon juice, it's perfect.

Oysters Nugget - $16

The fresh English Pork Sausages were decked up by a bed of mashed potatoes paired with beef & ale gravy by the side.

Bangers & Mash - $16

The pork sausages were made up of finely minced meat, unlike processed food.

Bangers are different

As we order the Beef Stew, it was kind of disappointing in the sauce as there was no variety in the dishes. Similar to the Bangers & Mash, the dish was prepared with mashed potatoes. These tender grass-fed beef chunks were also paired with root vegetables and herbs too.

Beef Stew - $19

One of the staples not to be missed is none other than their Fish and Chips.  We had the large portion of beer-battered Atlantic haddock fish weighing 300g. The flaky crust of the battered fish was delighting. The Fish & Chips was paired with mushy green peas, lemon wedge and gherkin tartar sauce.

Fish & Chips - $29 (Large)

The Fish & Chips also coupled with thick-cut fries. We enjoyed the dish with some malt vinegar drizzling over it, harmonizing the dish.

Fish & Chips

The seatings are a bit limited which may be a disadvantage. Other than that, I will say the fish and chips are better than average but not to die for.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Lad & Dad
Location: 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-108 Singapore 081007
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar (EW15)

Bread Street Kitchen

Updated November 2021

There have been numerous trips to MBS recently on our end for errands and it just happens that the mealtime coincides, thus we got a chance to dine there. We decided to revisit Bread Street kitchen after 4 good years and since it was an impromptu (without reservation) decision, we were left with the choice of dining at bar counters in which we were perfectly fine with it.

Dining Floor Area

The service is friendly and professional as usual. We took our orders and the basket of assorted bread and butter was served shortly. Out of the assorted bread, I'm in love with their focaccia bread with cheese. 

Assorted Bread

I love these out of all others that night. The Seared scallops come in a plate of 3 and we added another 1 for $8 to make it 4. The seared scallops were decked with sweet corn ragout and topped with n'duja chimichurri. The combination of sweet taste from the scallops and corns with a little sourish from the chimichurri is perfect. 

Seared Scallops - $25 + $8

Though the price remains the same since 2017, there are differences in the dish. The portion was smaller when compared and the section of meat used from the pig is definitely different. We still enjoy the upper luscious cracking layer of the skin however the experience was not so fantastic with bones in it.

Slow Roasted Dingley Dell Pork Belly, apple puree, whole grain mustard jus

Besides the glistering surface of the Pork belly that makes the dish stands up, I will comment that the combination of Apple Puree and mustard jus to the meat is wonderful.

Adding the mustard jus

The mashed potato was surprisingly good. It looks like dough in a bowl too but the texture was way above what we can imagine. It was smooth and creamy.

Mashed Potato - $10

The Roasted Black Cod was served with mashed potatoes, salted capers, artichoke, red wine & lemon sauce. The Mashed Potato that decked the black cod tasted more flavourful as compared to the side order we had. There were hints of herbs taste in it.

Roasted Black Cod - $39

While we have expectations of the food in Bread Street Kitchen, the slow-roasted Pork Belly was a disappointment. The first time we had it did leave the dish a good impression but it seems that the standard is no longer the same.

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Posted on 9th May 2017

The industrial warehouse designed restaurant and bar, Bread Street Kitchen, which modeled after its London counterparts are serving a British-European menu in this bustling place of Singapore, Marina Bay Sands or MBS in Short. For those that do not know, this is the celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay's 2nd Restaurant in Asia.

Bread Street Kitchen At MBS

Without reservation, we manage to grab a table as "walk-in" customer for limited timing as pre-agreed with the servers. Avoiding the weekend crowd, we went in the early evening and luckily got a table by the side of the window, a lovely corner good for people watching.

Menu

The assorted complimentary bread was served lukewarm with a block of margarine at the side. It was refillable and interestingly served in an assorted where you can enjoy different texture.

Complimentary Bread

Love the checkered flooring and the laid back feel of the restaurant. Though furnishing may be dim in colors but during the day time with natural lights coming in from outside, it turns out to be very bright. I bet that when night falls, it's going to be very cozy and romantic here!

Interior

Besides the sparkling water we had, we ordered a glass of vanilla milkshake. Pretty ordinary with not much of a strong vanilla taste. The milkshake was topped with chocolate bits and smaller marshmallows.

Vanilla Milkshake - $12

Simply looks like eating something from the part of the bark of the tree as the dish was served on an earthy log. Roasted veal carpaccio was smokey, not gamey and brought together beautifully with the runy quail's egg, dill pickles mix in tuna dressing. What an appetizer that balance the flavor and texture!

Roasted veal carpaccio, dill pickles, quail's egg, tuna dressing - $26

The cider Onion soup was awesome, it was not too creamy or gelat for us. We were very please about its pleasant taste and the 3 cheddar cheese toastie that floats.

Cider-onion soup, cheddar cheese toastie - $17

The must-order dish when you are in Bread Street Kitchen. Indulging the traditional fish & chips we do find in London, a large chunk of it fried to its golden brown perfection with big cut chips. The thin and crispy batter had been well executed and holds the fish as a whole. Besides having the homemade Tartar sauce and lemon wedges by the side, there is minted scented crushed peas to complete the meal.

Traditional Fish & Chips, crushed peas, tartar sauce - $29

Pork belly? Really? Our kind of Chinese "Sio Bak" (Roasted Pork Belly) being served right here in Bread Street Kitchen. The external layer of Pork Belly was crisply done up leaving a good crackling bite while the pork literally melts in our mouths.

Slow-roasted Dingley Dell pork belly, spice apple puree - $29

What pondered us was that how did they manage to make the bite so crispy without compromising the juiciness taste in the pork belly meat.

Crispy Pork Belly Skin

Awesome! Moreover, the paring of spice apple puree makes it different, love the fresh tartness from the apple and they did marry well with the slab of Pork Belly.

With Heavenly Pork Belly

We did manage to dine within the time limit and all went well despite the 20-30 minutes wait upon getting our food. For those who wish to make a visit, do remember to make a reservation early to avoid disappointment. Overall service was attentive and friendly, I won't mind coming back again if its for special occasion.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Bread Street Kitchen
Location: 2 Bayfront Avenue, #01-81 Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018972