Smokey's BBQ

I've been to Smokey's about 4-5 times, and like the previous reviewers had the pulled pork sandwich, or bbq ribs both of which are pretty good, handcut chips, bit of salad on the side etc. 

Felt like a burger last night and thought I'd try Smokey's as I live nearby, and was sadly disappointed as the standard is nothing like the ribs. It was literally a slab of beef on a bun, and not particularly cooked well (I like it medium but with charcoal outside, this was like out of microwave) with a token with of lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on the side, and a small serve of average fries (not the handcut ones). Sure it was only $14 or $16 bucks, but if that's the burger you name after your establishment, you should make it memorable. I would've prefered a burgerking/mcd burger as it would've actually been better then this, and any burger from brewerkz kills it.

So moral is, avoid the burgers, stick to what they are good at, corn chips + dips and bbq ribs.

Came here on the advice of some American friends who raved about Smokey's...

I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and my boyfriend got the ribs. As promised, the portions were generous, the ribs were falling off the bone, and the meat had a rich smokey flavor.  Both were served with hand-cut french fries (delicious) and coleslaw. 

While I did enjoy the meal, I wasn't blow away by it. So much of the enjoyment of BBQ comes from the sauce and I think Smokey's is just a little too sweet for my tastes.

On the positive again, service was excellent (friendly, competent Fillipina ladies who speak perfect English) and there's a big selection of craft beers, including Archipelago. 

A few doors away from PA (who serves nice looking but horrible food); For those who want to quench their hunger in Joo Chiat, i would recommend Smokey BBQ. Great value for the ribs (though felt very thirsty after due to the heavy sauces they use), but a few ice cold beers will help. But the things that struck me the most is their handcut fries. The french fries was crunchy, but can get better one elsewhere. But the handcut fries, just add $1 i think is one that is a must try, very unique, my kids love it. Will be going back for more.

Great food, lovely staff, good atmosphere, great for different occasions, bf liked the beer from the microbrewery. 

Such a find!

I met the boss, and he was really nice too, made an effort to come say hi. 

I've had the ribs both visits, i love it too much to try anything else. 

One criticism was the buffalo wings were a tad dry compared to ones i've had in America. 

They do sports on the tv depending on the night, american footy/football/golf etc. 

I really recommend it!

Came across this place while hubby and I were perusing HGW website. With a huge craving for ribs, we picked Smokey's. The restaurant was unpretentious, simple decor and with the smell of smoked meat wafting out to the street. We made reservations, just in case and the waitress was pretty friendly.

First visit- I took the full slab of baby back ribs ($29), swapped the fries to a side salad. Hubby took the beef brisket. After tasting the fries that came along on his plate, I regretted swapping mine to a salad. The side salad was drenched in vinagrette dressing, I think, too much dressing for such a small salad. But the fries..oh, the fries!! *salivate* Crispy on the outside, and soft texture on the inside with the right amount of salt sprinkled on it!

Baby back ribs- A little dry, but it certainly is smoked, no doubts about that! Well marinated, just the right amount of sauce coating it, I made a good call asking for a full slab than a half-slab.

ABC-stout beef brisket- well, this one has the stout flavour but it was also a bit on the dry side. Good thing they had the sauce for it. But between the ribs and the brisket, ribs won, hands down.

Coleslaw- I loved it that they had celery and purple cabbage in the 'slaw. Just creamy enough and served very chilled.

We had the Archipelago Bohemian Ale. Very smooth with a little bitter aftertaste, perfect with the meats!! Limited Edition Ale- Surprisingly this was a little sweet. Hmm..

Second visit- I still hadn't gotten over the ribs' craving and wanted to try Smokey's again. So I reordered the baby back ribs, and this time it was fantastic! Tender, juicy, meat falling off the bone, marinated well,  perfection! Tried the Archipelago Summer Ale and still preferred the Bohemian Ale. This time I remembered to get a side order of fries! Still consistent with the previous time we dined there. So-good!!

Also ordered the St.Louis ribs ($19 half slab), but it wasnt as good as the baby-back. Sure, it was a tad more fatty but ended up with a drier texture.

Buffalo wings (6pcs, $9)- We requested it to be a lil' bit spicier, and they were pretty tasty. The blue cheese sauce that came with it was really nice too. Not too "stinky" and very creamy so it balanced out the spiciness of the wings quite well.

*A note on the wings, contrary to the usual chicken wings, you only get the joints, not the wing tips (see pic), so to some, they might feel as though they only got 3 full wings instead of 6pcs.

All in all, it was satisfactory, well priced and we'll be back to try the fish and chips, ribeye steak and more fries!! :)

My friend and I starved ourselves for half a day in anticipation of the reportedly huge portions which other reviewers spoke of. Turns out it really isn't that massive. I wouldn't recommend trying to take on the family-sized serving of St Louis on your own, but for someone with a decent apetite, the full rack should not be a problem.

As for the food itself, it is great. I personally preferred the St Louis over the normal baby back ribs but my friends had the opposite opinion. Both are good in their own way. The chips are great too, perfect with beer. But give the chicken a miss. I thought it was a little disappointing; maybe in contrast with the ribs.

Would definitely go back to satiate future ribs cravings!

I have never eaten at a BBQ before.

 

To provide some context, Americans call what we do with chicken wings, firestarters and charcoal at the BBQ pits of east coast park grilling, not BBQing.

 

Every now and then, I'd come across an article describing the American concept of BBQing, that is, huge slabs of meat slow cooked over woodchips until the meat is pinkish from the smoke and is infused throughout with flavour, and try to imagine what it would taste like.

 

I just found out last Saturday evening at Smokey's, and I like it.

 

Okay, to clear the brickbats first. Our food took around an hour and a half to come, and the serving staff were pleasant if somewhat disorganized (forgot water, missed our soup order). Also, this may be a matter of personal taste, but we don't like Archipelago beer (which is what they have on tap).

 

There were three of us at dinner, and we decided to share a full rack of St. Louis ribs (having read on another review on this website that they are massive). Rather naively, we also ordered a plate of BBQed fish and chips (we figured that splitting a single portion of ribs three ways would not be enough).

 

The ribs came heaped three layers high on a well sized plate. The top layer had three ribs, each around 20cm long (yeah, we're not talking the short and stubby Tony Roma's type baby back ribs). At this stage, we figured that the ribs would be doable, the three of us could just take three massive ribs each. I took the first layer of three, friend B took the second layer of three... Lo' the last layer had 5 of the massive blighters. We didn't have a shot at finishing the ribs AND the fish and chips (we wound up doggy-bagging 2 of the ribs).

 

In my opinion, the ribs were wonderfully done. Well marinated in tangy BBQ sauce (we're talking flavour at all levels of the meat, not just on the epidermis), the meat was tender and juicy but with bite (not like the "so soft that it falls of the bone at just a touch" type ribs), and most importantly to a guy like me with a massive appetite, they were MASSIVE. Also deserving honourable mention was the accompanying cole-slaw, which was zesty and made using fresh and crunchy veggies.

 

The two friends liked the BBQed fish and chips even more. Calling the fish BBQed is a little misleading. The fish are battered but cooked over the BBQ (so they taste fried and smoked at the same time). I liked them a lot (but not as much as my friends who preferred the fish over the ribs), although I have to admit that I am really not quite sure how to describe how they taste. For the avoidance of doubt, the fish was also MASSIVE, with our plate holding two large pieces of the stuff (we had to doggy-bag one of the large pieces).

 

While I wasn't exactly happy at having to wait forever and a day for our food to come, I will definitely return. When a chef takes pride in his food, this is apparent to the customer through the food. Whoever is manning the grill at Smokey's takes pride in his food.

 

 

 

 

    Despite the rave reviews on this site and in the papers, we thought the ribs here were average. The babybacks were falling off the bone, yes, but need something to pick them up, and the St. Louis style ribs did have a good sauce (sweet and piquant, with a good shot of vinegar, and close to the right consistency) but arrived cold, or at least in Singapore tropical terms lukewarm. The smoke was lovely but may have dried them out just a tad too much.

 We also had the extra spicy wings. Again a good attempt at providing flavour plus heat but we'd give them a 7 out of 10 at best. 

 Other observations: Strawberry margaritas with SALT on the rim? The severs said it was the house style but we didn't believe they really knew the difference. Also, the Archipelago beers are a good attempt at a microbrew by a mega brewery (Yes Tiger fans it's them!) but really fall well short of the mark. The lager is not light and crisp enough, and has too much of a hoppy, bitter finish, while the summer ale was pedestrian. 

If you have a larger group and get liquored up enough it may be worth a visit, then a walk through the more interesting Joo Chiat night-time sights.

 

 

I have lived round the corner from this place for 9 months and passed it many times on my way home. I finally visited when I needed somewhere quick and close to take a couple of friends before they went to the airport. Wish I'd called in months before. The food, as other reviews have said, is SMOKY. I enjoyed it. The main thing for me is the beer. Archipeligo Straits Pale is absolute nectar and served just perfectly. In my opinion, probably the best pint on the island. The $100 for 2 people was mainly the beer as the Mrs tucked into the Samui (which is a pilsner type with a lime kick) and that went down very well too.