1925 Brewing Co Review: Teochew Gastropub in Joo Chiat

The 1925 Brewing Co is a pub serving craft beer from its own microbrewery and Teochew Food. With items like Chaoshan braised duck breast on the menu and Kaya Toast Stout on tap, this Joo Chiat restaurant sounded like a bao jiak kind of place.

At first glance, The 1925 Brewing Co. in Joo Chiat looks like a typical watering hole in Singapore. A nice bar counter at the front and a dimly lit interior that sports a rough industrial atmosphere. I might have been tempted to try the craft beers at the bar, but it would not be my first choice as a place for dinner. But the idea of a Teochew gastropub was too interesting to be ignored.

1925 Craft Beer Menu

The 1925 Brewing Co beer list and food menu were all accessed online when we were there. Here is a screenshot of a portion of the beer menu. The beer prices ranged from $6 to $7.50 for half pints. We tried a variety of the beers. My favourites among the beers were the Blk 622, a dark ale with some spicy overtones and the Yellow Van, a pale ale that was pleasant and which one can easily drink copious amounts of. Leave the car at home is my advice!

The 1925 Brewing Co Menu (Food)

Here are some portions of the 1925 Brewing Co food menu. It features familiar pub grub with some Teochew food (but with the 1925 chef’s intepretation).

Our 1925 Brewing Co Starters

We started our meal at 1925 with a couple of items from the “Tapas” and “Seasonals” sections of the menu. The lotus chips ($6, picture above) is the kind of food to nibble on while downing the beers. Like many other items on the menu, it has some spice (but not in the fiery sense) flavours. More interesting was the vegan dumplings ($16). These were wonderful, with the broth and the mild chilli oil providing a complex taste to the dumplings.

Meat Dishes

Our meat dishes were the Signature Charred Ribeye ($18 picture above) and Braised Platter ($32, picture below). The ribeye was good and highly recommended but we had mixed feelings about the braised platter. We liked the idea that we can find loh bak in a pub and the braised pork was very good. But the egg and the duck looked pale to us and we thought they had not absorbed much of the dark braised sauce. Normally we would eaten this dish with plain rice or Teochew porridge. But these items are not on sale at 1925 Brewing Co. The closest would have been the fish porridge.

The Carbo Items

Both the carbo items were well received during our dinner. We like kway chup but usually avoid it because of the intestines and associated tastes. At 1925, the flat rice noodles ($6, picture above) was made with only duck gravy and so had a clean taste. The Wagyu Beef Noodles ($16, picture below) is the dish I would order if I was dining solo in the eastern part of Singapore. All the separate components – noodle, beef, soft egg, vegetable toppings and the beef soup were delicious. Combined they were a harmonious bunch.

Dinner at a Teochew gastropub in Joo Chiat was a unique experience. We are glad that 1925 Brewing Co. had taken the brave step of combining the trendiness of craft beer with Teochew food. Our pleasant server unfortunately could only understand Teochew and not speak it. Otherwise it would have an even better experience. Nonetheless, it was a first step to making dialects great again. For more information on the microbrewery and the Yeo family behind it, you can read this ST article. Another dining option nearby in Joo Chiat is British Hainan.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

1925 Brewing Co
261 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427515

Tel: +65 6909 1425

Website

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog