273 Tanjong Katong Road
Singapore 437056

(open in Google Maps)

Friday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Saturday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Sunday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Monday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Tuesday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Wednesday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

Thursday:
11:00am - 09:30pm

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Reviews

From the Burpple community

There may be quite a number of establishments serving up Indonesian cuisine in Singapore, but speak about Indonesian-Chinese fare and it does seem that the only establishment that comes to mind would be Kota88 Restaurant located along East Coast Road within the Springvale condominium complex — this is until we have heard of the new Ben’s Tavern. Located also in the East, Ben’s Tavern is a new entrant into the local F&B scene that also serves up Indonesian-Chinese fare — occupying a shop unit at 273 Tanjong Katong Road, the establishment is located within the same row of shophouses occupied by Kazo’s outpost at Tanjong Katong Road, and is directly beside the coffeeshop that houses Nan Xiang Chicken Rice. On first look, Ben’s Tavern does give off some vibes that is especially similar to that of Kota88 Restaurant — the facade of the restaurant coming with mosaic tiles and fittings with wooden accents; there are also cutouts beside the door that doubles up as dine-in space right by the walkway where one can sit facing into the restaurant as well, which is much similar to Kota88 Restaurant. Inside, the restaurant features wooden furniture and fittings amidst white dining tables and chairs, with cushioned booth seats in various colours for a contrast — the walls behind the booth seats being lit by green and blue lights which somewhat resembles that of an aurora, while there are various neon signages within the establishment to give a vibrant look. Being an Indonesian-Chinese restaurant, Ben’s Tavern serves up a menu that is split into sections including Bakmie, Breakfast, Goreng / Stir-Fried (i.e. Fried Kwetiau, Chicken / Sweet Pork Satay etc.), Lunch & Dinner Special (i.e. communal seafood and meat dishes), Roasted & BBQ, Soup, Congee and Special Meal (i.e. individual portion rice dishes). Beverages available at Ben’s Tavern include variations of Gula Melaka Kopi, Flower Teas, soft drinks, their signature Ben’s Coco Ice Coffee and Ben’s Coco Ice Teh, and Fresh Honey Lemon — just to name a few, while alcoholic beverages include beer and hard liquor.

Having skimmed through the menu and also looking through their social media on what they have to offer, we found ourselves pretty drawn towards their Nasi Campur even before making our way down to Ben’s Tavern. A dish which is a relatively difficult find locally, it translates into English as “Mixed Rice” — based on the description off the menu, the variation of the Nasi Campur at Ben’s Tavern features elements such as Cha-Siu, roast pork, Ngohiang, sweet satay (1 pc), sambal petai, Babi Goreng, and Achar, which allows one to give much of their various offerings from the Lunch & Dinner Special and the Roasted & BBQ sections of the menu a try without having to go for a full portion of everything on the side. The rice comes splashed with just a bit of savoury gravy here to provide some flavour and some moisture. Amongst the many components of the dish, our favourites would probably be the Cha-Siu, roast pork and sweet satay; the cha-siu itself was pretty satisfying, considering how it is tender whilst still carrying a good bite — it was in no way fatty or gelatinous, but we liked how it was easy to chew through each piece while each piece was also coated in that honey barbecue sauce and carries that slightly hint of char from the barbecue process. In retrospect, while the roast pork served here was slightly towards the leaner side, we liked how evidently savoury the spice rub used here was; the skin of the pork belly came crisp and crackling, while it also carried a smokiness that is perhaps the most evident amongst all of the items that came with the Nasi Campur. The sweet satay was the crowd pleaser though; again, the pork was especially juicy and tender despite the lack of use of pork belly here — pretty easy to chew through, but we liked how the sweet satay came with a honey-like sweetness that we found pretty appetising. Items like the Ngohiang and Goreng Babi were a little less relatable to us; both carrying a pate-like savouriness that our own tastebuds do not necessarily prefer, while the sambal petai was an element that boiled down to personal preferences — the bitterness of the petai amidst that savoury sambal that comes with a level of spiciness that would do ok for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness is something one would love or hate. The “Achar” consisting of raw onions and julienned carrots was a very welcome addition; one that we found to be rather refreshing amidst all the carbs and meatiness going on in the plate, while the Belinjo crackers were still crisp with a soft bite as one would expect it to be when served fresh — provides a bean-y and slightly bitter aftertaste that is pretty much signature to the dish.

Having tried the Nasi Campur and the Grilled Ayam Bakar Rice With Curry Sauce during our visit to Ben’s Tavern, we do feel that Ben’s Tavern does churn out Indonesian-Chinese cuisine of a respectable quality for its patrons. No doubt the entire concept does feel like there is some resemblance to Kota88 Restaurant — this would be from the vibes all the way down to even the items that is being served on their menu, but one thing is indeed certain here; there are not many establishments around the island that serves up Indonesian-Chinese cuisine, and to find one is pretty much uncovering a gem. We do feel that the Nasi Campur here does come with several elements that are a little less tuned towards the taste buds of locals here — this would include the sambal petai, Goreng Babi and their variation of their Ngohiang; this would be opposed to Kota88 Restaurant’s version that also comes with BBQ Pork, Roast Pork and Sweet Pork Satay, but comes with braised pig ear, siomay, soy egg and fried prawn beancurd roll instead. The Grilled Ayam Bakar Rice With Curry Sauce on the other hand comes with a barbecued chicken leg that is marinated with Kecap Manis (i.e. Indonesian sweet soy sauce) — juicy and tender with a sweetness that is accompanied with a spicy kick from the chili which is spread above; something which would tickle the tastebuds of those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Overall, Ben’s Tavern does do Indonesian-Chinese cuisine fairly well; a concept that also delivers when it comes to serving up a form of Indonesian cuisine that is less commonly found in Singapore — one spot that folks who either love Indonesian-Chinese cuisine or are curious about such cuisine should add to their list of places to visit.

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