Say hello to GRUB Noodle Bar. The guys from GRUB had gave us the answer to good old comfort food in a chilled out atmosphere with this new noodle bar at Rangoon Road.
Walking towards the shop, I was welcomed by this huge mural depicting soup noodle heaven by a local illustrator known as eeshaun. This is probably how my version of utopia would look like; with endless noodles and prawns all waiting to get into you. Did I mention this also makes a really good background for an Instagram check in?
Starters
To start, I went with one of the ciders they had brought it from the UK; the Cornish Orchard Gold Cider (S$12). A decent cider, that tastes a bit like if champagne was made with apples. A good way to start the supper, but I do wish I had tried the 2 German craft beers (Weihenstephan) they had on tap.
Ready to dig in, I was happily bombarded with all seven of the appetizers they had to offer. To jump start my palate, they suggested starting off with their very own Kang Kong Salad (S$7). To be honest, I was hesitant, as I have never thought of Kang Kong as a salad vegetable, but they surprised me with a nice twist by using nonya achar as the base. Together, it made a refreshing starter, where the delightful sweet and sour achar complimented the fresh crunch of the kang kong stem.
Next up were my favourite companions to the cider I was nursing. The curry leaves-coated Chicken Drumlets (S$9) and the deep-fried Baby Cuttlefish (S$9) with basil pesto mayo (my favourite) were crispy to the point that I could hear that delightful crunch as I dug in. I watched enough Masterchef to understand that we all deserve better than chewy over-cooked seafood, and therefore, I really enjoyed how the cuttlefish was still soft and succulent after the deep frying process.
The seafood dishes they had on the menu are all definite must tries. They get their seafood, live and fresh every day, and you can taste it. I am still unable to decide which one is the homestar runner between the Live Tiger Prawns (S$15), Venus Clams (S$13) and Hokkaido Scallop Tataki (S$15). The sweetness of the Japanese sake and the fresh muscular tiger prawns complimented by a garlic and ginger glaze made a broth that I wanted to just pour over a bowl of white rice and eat it for days. Likewise, the generously fat venus clams sautéed in beer, ginger and lemongrass, made an equally flavoursome broth that I could not help but soak my clams in before dropping them in my mouth. Last but not least, the one that ends the appetizer journey was a light dish featuring thinly sliced Hokkaido scallops with a mustard glaze. Be sure to grab a piece of mandarin orange with the scallop, to get the full gist of this sweet and savoury dish.
Mains – The Noodles
GRUB Noodle Bar offers two choices of noodles; the local take on the classic Penang Assam Laksa (S$13) and the extravagant Beef Noodles (range from S$12 to S$19) with 4 choices of cuts to choose from.
The Assam Laksa started us off looking colourful and fresh, with crisp onions, bright red chilli and pineapple slices garnishing the thick flavourful fish-based broth. While the classic Penang version uses mackerel for the broth, GRUB went for a more economical choice of sardines. Together with the tamarind, it gave birth to a lighter but still complex balance of tangy and spice. My favourite combination would be with the pineapple, onion and the fresh bite-sized shrimp in one generous spoonful of broth and rice noodles – Shiok!
Then came the main attraction; the Beef Noodles! I went with the promised-to-melt-in-your-mouth 100% hormone-&-antibiotic-free 150-day grained fed Angus Ribeye (without question). Freshly made every morning, the ramen-like noodles (Japanese/Chinese fusion) were served dry, soaked in their rich minced beef and mushrooms stew, with succulent western Angus beef meatballs. With it, the slices of Angus Ribeye were in another bowl, swimming in their full-flavoured broth. As sinful as this may sound, believe me when I say they have thought thoroughly about this simple bowl of noodles. The Angus beef for the meat balls were chosen to be on the leaner side, and their broth was boiled for hours with beef bones to give a fulfilling beefy flavour without a single sprinkle of MSG or artificial flavouring. That aside, what truly made this star shine even brighter that late night supper night was the specially made chinchalok chili sauce that accompanied it. I dipped everything from my beef slices, meat balls and mushrooms in it, before I realise, I had poured the whole serving onto my noodles.
Verdict
We’re seeing a mass of new cafes and restaurants popping up all over the island, all vying for our attention. Sadly, as a calorie-conscious young lady, I am having trouble deciding. It’s a tough world where everything around looks so good, and promises to taste just as, or even better than what your eyes are telling you. Would I recommend GRUB Noodle Bar to my friends, and all the readers? Yes, those cuttlefishes and the succulent beef (ramen) noodles are definitely worth my calories, and you get to look all hipster in the clean cut monochrome shop front (Yes to perfect Instagram pictures!).
GRUB Noodle Bar is located at 221 Rangoon Road, Singapore 21845. It is open 6pm – 12:30am daily and is closed on Monday & last Tuesday of the month.
About the Writer
Jessica is a young lady of many obsessions. She gets herself into everything ranging from the latest in the monochrome fashion world (she only wears black, and sometimes, white) to convincing the masses that Community is the best TV series ever made.
Currently, she enjoys looking like Sailor Mercury had a baby with Wednesday Addams.
