· BURPPLE

Dig In: alittle tashi

This hip new joint in the Jalan Besar 'hood dishes out Asian-inspired tasty fare made for sharing.

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Avg price: $25
For a fun and laidback night out with buds

The rundown
A new addition to the trendy Jalan Besar ‘hood, this laidback 60-seater joint dishes out comfort fare inspired by global flavours, but very much steeped in Asian roots. It’s the perfect place to hang loose with your colleagues or best pals over sharing plates, drinks and laughs.

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The vibe
Despite the Shanghai Tang-esque decor, the vibe in the main “Dining Room”  is casual, and great for enjoying a relaxing meal with friends. The mood turns convivial with the space fills up, and it can get noisy, especially when the drinks start flowing. This is great for gatherings, less so for a romantic date. They waive off the service charge, but this means you’ll need to place your order at the counter and collect your own drinks (food is served to the table).

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What’s good
The menu is broken into smaller and bigger bites, with all dishes made for sharing — think zi char with a lot more global flair. Based on our experience, a group of four would do well sharing four smaller bites, three bigger bites and three staples — sounds like a lot, but the food is tasty and you want to have enough to go around. From the small plates, we enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts ($12), coated in miso and deep-fried till roasty on the outside and soft inside, as well as the Blood Cockles ($14), which were fragrant with chili jam and fish sauce caramel, although we do wish the cockles were bigger and more plump.

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Photo by Burppler Dex Neo

As for the bigger bites, you will not go wrong with the Pork Skewers ($16 for four sticks). A value-for-money favourite at our table, this features large pork collar cubes served with pineapple sauce on the side. Coincidentally, the refreshing, fruity sauce is also our favourite, and went with everything else we ordered. Other bigger bites we recommend are the Squid ($20), perfectly grilled and enlivened with tangy Asian chimichurri, and the tender Lamb Ribs ($24 for four ribs), which came slicked in a unique, sticky preserved lemon sauce. Priced at $7 each, the Rice Cakes, Tashi Rice and Lettuce Cups (with ginger scallion sauce) will all do well as staples.

We highly recommend splurging on the sauces ($5) — there’s a wide range, and these really uplifted our meal. Apart from the pineapple sauce that had us swooning, the miso cream is also all sorts of sweet, salty and umami. In short, it’s the bomb. Wash everything down with a glass of Single Press Sugarcane ($6) that’s free from fibrous bits, or indulge in their excellent selection of sake. There’s also a compact selection of beers and wines, if that’s more up your alley.



Looking for more spots to hang out with friends? Check out our guide to the Best Places for Group Gatherings
here.