Lunch at Tippling Club restaurant in Tanjong Pagar

The Tippling Club restaurant in Tanjong Pagar is listed number 27 in the 2017 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.   The list was published two days ago.  Coincidentally, we just had lunch at the Tippling Club by chef Ryan Clift only last week. The Tippling Club occupies the ground floor of shophouses (including house number 38) along Tanjong Pagar Road, just off Duxton Hill.   The upper level hosts other facilities including a private dining area called Bin 38, named after the Penfold’s Bin series of wines.  There is apparently a tie-up with Australian wine heavyweight Penfolds.

Tippling Club Lunch Menu

During lunch, Tippling Club offers a choice of a 2 or 3 course lunch menu ($46 and $60 respectively) and a Classic tasting menu ($170).   We opted for the two course option.

Before the real meal begins. lunch starts off with three rounds of amuse bouche or snacks as they are referred to at Tippling Club.    They must have been prepared with a lot of care and skill as they looked and tasted very well.   Our server did try to rattle of the details of these little morsels but we did not catch much of what was described.  Suffice it to say that they were all impressive.  The last one was the most interesting.   A shot glass containing a mixture of fluids that created a lava lamp effect as the less dense globules rise to the top.

For our starters, we selected the chilli crab and salt baked celeriac.

The baked celeriac (also known as turnip-rooted celery) had a nutty celery taste.  Mixed with slices of ham and venus clams, this was a delicious dish.

For mains, we selected the Katsudon Risotto and the Duck.

The risotto was topped with some pieces of deep-fried chicken done Japanese katsu style.  Unlike the other dishes this risotto did not hold any surprises – just a good hearty dish of risotto.  Which was appreciated as we were afraid that we might finish lunch still feeling hungry.

The Duck was another beautiful but light dish.  The small pieces of duck and other condiments were delicious but the portion was tiny. Thank goodness for the risotto which we shared.

Overall, the talent of the chef behind the dishes at the Tippling Club was obvious. The food was creative and expertly crafted.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was more smart casual than formal, which is a good thing.  Service was efficient but we thought that it was a bit clinical and not of the high level as the food.

Ratings:

Food: 5

Service: 3

Value: 3

Atmosphere: 4

Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

The Tippling Club

38 Tanjong Pagar Road

Singapore 088461