The TikTok viral Chinatown restaurant, Singapulah
You’ve probably seen Singapulah on TikTok, let’s be honest. One of Chinatown’s newest additions that took the food influencer community by storm. One of the hottest tickets in town. In fact, you only need to look at the queue around the block to know that this place is very popular.
Bookings aren’t possible, so you’re advised to join the back of the sprawling queue, but lucky for us, we’ve got the dinner review golden ticket and are ushered straight upstairs to the buzzy and quirky dining room. The open kitchens you pass en route, are a buzz of tall flames and friendly chatter.
By its own definition, Singapulah takes you on a gastronomic journey through the melting pot of flavours and cultures that represent the “little red dot” in Southeast Asia that is Singapore. The specially curated menu celebrates the vibrant culture and produce, bringing products and ingredients to the UK that have never been used before.
A big fan of all Asian food and culture, we were excited to dig in. But first things first, a perusal of the exciting cocktail menu. Each is a variation of a classic with a Singaporean twist. We ensured to try the Singapulah Sling, a twist on Singapore’s national cocktail. This is a mix of gula melaka syrup with gin, cherry, pineapple juice and line with a hint of herbal notes. Other notable options include a Yuzu Grapefruit Paloma, a Kumquat Martini and a Long Island Ice Teh – a twist on the lethal classic that also includes mango puree, orange juice and pineapple juice.
Onto the menu, there’s a whole section of the menu dedicated to Singapulah’s Singaporean food partners, an educational read for those wanting to know what exactly they are about to dig into, and where exactly it came from.
Each small plate dish to start is tempting, but we went for the Cuttlefish Ball Skewers, Chargrilled Satay and some delicious Mushroom Dumplings. Each morsel was incredibly tasty, well seasoned and portioned well. The friendly and approachable team were extra attentive too, showing the love that goes into service here.
The main dish menu is quite extensive, there’s definitely a reason to return here. For example, it was a super hot day in stuffy Chinatown so we didn’t go for the Singapore Laksa, which is a must, I’ve seen it all over TikTok since.
Instead, we opted for a rich and indulgent Bone-In Beef Rendang which simply fell off the bone and was perfectly accompanied by a salty and sweet Egg Fried Rice. The star of the show had to be the Singapore Chilli Crab. A whole crab is served simmering in chilli and egg gravy, alongside four deep fried mantou buns – not too dissimilar to doughnuts. This is a messy, messy dish, as your encouraged to dig fingers into the sauce to retrieve and break crab legs. Maybe not one for a first date, but delicious, nonetheless.
To finish, we were encouraged to try the Mao Shan Wang Durian Ice Cream. Durian is also known as a ‘smelly’ fruit and it quite frankly, stinks! This one wasn’t for me, but the Calamansi Plum Sorbet was zesty, tart and perfectly balanced.
I really enjoyed Singapulah, I understand the hype, and the prices are super reasonable too. The whole crab dish, for example, came in under £35.00 and is easily sharable between two or even three people. Definitely pop this spot on your ‘places to visit’ list, if you can stand the queues. Do it for the gram people.
Find out more > www.singapulah.co.uk
