Singapore Dining - Tippling Club

[yflyer]

The Tippling Club has been on the dining scene in Singapore for quite a few years. A year or so ago they moved from Dempsey to a new location along Tanjong Pagar Road.



Mrs yflyer and I had never been to Tippling Club, and I suggested lunch there to celebrate her birthday there this week.

[yflyer]

I liked the decor in this restaurant -- modern and edgy, with a large open kitchen.

[yflyer]

We started with cocktails...a very impressive, and original selection (some with names which almost mandated ordering by pointing at the menu)



Bubble tea...fruity with a strong shot of gin...

[yflyer]

They had a set lunch, as well as a couple of degustation menus. We opted for the lunch set.



We were pleasantly surprised to receive several amuse bouches (The staff called them "snacks") as well as part of our set menu, which really elevated the whole lunch experience.

The first snack was the chef's re-interpretation of "curry rice"...crisp fried rice in a curry foam -- tasty and incredibly did evoke the taste of curry and rice.

[yflyer]

The second "snack" was an amazing dish: blackened red peppers...



This was a truly amazing dish...despite looking like pieces of charcoal, this dish had a lightness similar to tempura, and went very well with the soy dip.



I overheard the staff telling the diners sitting at a nearby table that this was so popular, that when they removed it, people started asking for it, and they decided it was easier just to reinstate this as a permanent dish that they served...

We found it quite delicious -- worthy of its status as a signature dish...

[yflyer]

The 3rd and final "snack" that day was a liquid/consomme of vegetable with small beads in it...I forget exactly what it was, although each dish was described in detail by the staff as it was served...



It had an intense, yet subtle, flavour...

[yflyer]

Our starters came next...Mrs yflyer had the gin-cured ocean trout...



I had the wagyu beef tartare.



You dropped the egg into the beef and mixed it all up (toppings and all) for a tartare which was near perfect in taste and texutre...



This was cold, chunky and refreshing, with a spicy hotness that started slowly and really kicked in only ten seconds after you took a bite.

[yflyer]

For our mains, Mrs yflyer chose risotto...



And I opted for the red snapper with tom kha veloute...



We swapped plates mid-way so that this effectively became two mini-courses, and both were delicious.

The red snapper had a distinctive fusion element, in the tom kha veloute, but this was fusion cuisine that worked well. I was very impressed by how well the Asian and Western flavours blended.

The risotto was a more conventionally Western dish with more muted fusion elements. Very creamy and rich tasting.

[yflyer]

Dessert was pineapple souffle, which also came with a mini chocolate coated coconut ice cream stick.

This was an exceptional dessert...the souffle was light and soft, with very subtle pineapple flavour. And who would not enjoy a chocolate ice cream stick when done with such refinement...

[yflyer]

My post-lunch coffee was an unusually smooth Italian blend...



Instead of coffee, Mrs yflyer opted instead for another cocktail with espresso as an ingredient. This cocktail was named "Wake me up, f*** me up"... which thankfully the waitress referred to only by the first part of the name.



We finished with a selection of delicious petit fours...three pieces each...

[yflyer]

We were both deeply impressed by the food here, and indeed the overall experience. And this was for the lunch menu. We are keen to return to try their dinner degustation menus.

We also found the cocktails very impressive. The restaurant has a bar section which looks like a good place to spend some time exploring the other cocktails on the menu...



Definitely planning a return visit!

[SQGamespeed]

Seems like a Western/Asian fusion restaurant. Is that how you would describe the taste?

Looks interesting nevertheless. And LOL at the espresso cocktail.

[RHG]

Australian influenced

[yflyer]

Seems like a Western/Asian fusion restaurant. Is that how you would describe the taste?

Looks interesting nevertheless. And LOL at the espresso cocktail.

They describe themselves as "modern gastronomy" and "experimental, ultra-progressive cuisine"...

I would say the cuisine is western, with Asian influenced flavours and ingredients. Not something that many chefs can pull off successfully. This chef does!

[KeithMEL]

Loved this place - I'm a sucker for inventive food. Also a fab place for a cocktail or 10. However they need to work on pacing as the dishes came out way too quickly with barely any time to rest in between courses. The matching wines/cocktails were very well done.

FYI they're run by the same guys behind Der Raum which was quite the institution in Melbourne for anyone who loves experimental cocktails. Alas they've relocated to Munich.