TongKang Colonial Bar & Restaurant
3D River Valley Road
#01-06 Clarke Quay
Tel: 63334986
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Colonial Classics on a Tongkang
08 Sep 2011Must Tries: Old English lamb and kidney pie, oxtail stew with potato and carrots, granny smith apple tart
You may have eaten on a cruise or ship but how about on a tongkang (bumboat)? Imagine the excitement when we found this surviving pair of tongkangs berthed on the banks of the Singapore River serving food and drinks.
Tongkangs are vessels used in the early 19th century to ship goods along the Singapore River. So as to retain this part of our history, more than a million dollars have been spent on refurbishing these two tongkangs along the river, transforming them into an F&B outlet known as TongKang Colonial Bar & Restaurant.
One of the boats houses a gin bar, while the other is a restaurant offering exquisite colonial cuisine. The offerings here are a mix of old English and Indian cuisines, which reflects Singapore’s colonial past.
We started with the mulligatawny soup ($12), a creamy orange broth bursting with piquant curry flavours with crispy poppadum (Indian crackers) served on the side. This soup is not for everyone as the spices can be quite overpowering, particularly if you’re not a curry fan.
The old English lamb and kidney pie ($18), on the other hand, was a crowd pleaser. Beneath its flaky pastry crust was a slice of tender kidney stewed in an addictive sauce. This dish makes for a very hearty dish. If you love your stews, the oxtail stew with carrots ($18) is another option.
Leave some space for the classic desserts such as bread and butter pudding ($12) and granny smith apple tart ($14). Paired with vanilla ice cream, the warm and crumbly apple tart worked to excite our palate with its hot and cold combination.
Overall the dishes here are quite distinct and well executed. But the most enjoyable part of dining at TongKang Colonial Bar & Resaturant has to be the ambience and the feel of the cool evening breeze by the serene river.
You may have eaten on a cruise or ship but how about on a tongkang (bumboat)? Imagine the excitement when we found this surviving pair of tongkangs berthed on the banks of the Singapore River serving food and drinks.
Tongkangs are vessels used in the early 19th century to ship goods along the Singapore River. So as to retain this part of our history, more than a million dollars have been spent on refurbishing these two tongkangs along the river, transforming them into an F&B outlet known as TongKang Colonial Bar & Restaurant.
One of the boats houses a gin bar, while the other is a restaurant offering exquisite colonial cuisine. The offerings here are a mix of old English and Indian cuisines, which reflects Singapore’s colonial past.
We started with the mulligatawny soup ($12), a creamy orange broth bursting with piquant curry flavours with crispy poppadum (Indian crackers) served on the side. This soup is not for everyone as the spices can be quite overpowering, particularly if you’re not a curry fan.
The old English lamb and kidney pie ($18), on the other hand, was a crowd pleaser. Beneath its flaky pastry crust was a slice of tender kidney stewed in an addictive sauce. This dish makes for a very hearty dish. If you love your stews, the oxtail stew with carrots ($18) is another option.
Leave some space for the classic desserts such as bread and butter pudding ($12) and granny smith apple tart ($14). Paired with vanilla ice cream, the warm and crumbly apple tart worked to excite our palate with its hot and cold combination.
Overall the dishes here are quite distinct and well executed. But the most enjoyable part of dining at TongKang Colonial Bar & Resaturant has to be the ambience and the feel of the cool evening breeze by the serene river.
