Tom Tanglin Cookhouse is a restaurant that has cuisine inspired from the British colonial era as well as our local Singaporean heritage. Some in-house signatures include the Crispy Hainanese Kurobuta Pork Chop, Tanglin Pao Fan (Poached Rice) and the classic English Fish & Chips. Even the interior decorations bring you back to a bygone era where the rich mingle in a classy and luxurious environment. This time, we visited Tanglin Cookhouse, but were not fortunate enough to be seated indoors. But from outside, we could see the beautiful colours of green and gold that lines the interior. Reminded us of our stay at The Prestige Hotel Penang…
Tanglin Cookhouse Menu and Offerings
As we flipped through the menu at Tanglin Cookhouse, we realise that they have ALOT on offer! You’ll be able to choose from signatures such as their fish & chips, hainanese pork chop as well as brunch favourites such as steak & eggs and eggs benedict. You’ll also be able to find a good selection of sandwiches, pasta as well as Asian/Western dishes. What’s interesting is that as you flip to the end of the menu, you’ll find some Gin-inspired cocktails, classic cocktails along with a wide selection of wines.
What We Had at Tanglin Cookhouse
We started with the Pan Seared Salmon ($28) at Tanglin Cookhouse. As we’ve mentioned earlier, we were impressed by the interior decorations as well as the wide variety of offerings on their menu. However, we were mildly disappointed by the first dish – the Pan Seared Salmon that was served. We have had several good renditions before and there are 2 main things that make this dish great. Firstly, a crisp outer skin – which unfortunately, the version that we had, failed to achieve. Secondly, a fresh slab of salmon – which instead of the fresh and sweet taste of the meaty fish, we tasted a little bit of fishy-ness. 😢
Nonetheless, the cous cous salad that accompanied it was surprisingly appetising – something that we enjoyed about this dish.
The Slow Cooked Spice Pulled Pork ($26) was actually quite good. The sour dough bread had a nice crisp on the crust and a delicious sough dough bread within. This, combined with the fatty pulled pork brings about a crunch texture from the bread and a rich oily flavour from the pork. Delicious. However, we had 2 gripes about this. At $26, we thought that a small salad would make this dish a little bit more appetising instead of presenting an “all brown” dish with the fries. Secondly, while the pulled pork tasted really good, the portion was really small. You’d really have to apportion the pulled pork but even after apportioning, we still had parts of the bread that did not accompany the pulled pork.
Lastly, in terms of the of Bread and Butter. It was actually good. We love the slightly charred bread crust that gave a nice crisp texture along with the sweet (but not too sweet) bread pudding within. Probably our favourite selection this afternoon.
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To end of this review of Tanglin Cookhouse, we have a couple of tips. Firstly, remember to make reservations before you come. Otherwise, you won’t be able to sit indoors and thus miss out on a major part of this British colonial era experience. Secondly, you may not want to be as adventurous as us and avoid the signatures. Perhaps the signatures such as the Hainanese Pork Chop and Fish & Chips could have been a better option. Lastly, if you have no preference, bread and pastries seem to be a safe bet. The sour dough bread and bread pudding were highlights of this otherwise lacklustre meal. If you have been to Tanglin Cookhouse and have a similar experience, let us know more in the comments section below!
