Stirling Bar and Grill, is a casual bistro-bar concept located along the bustling Al Ameen stretch on Bukit Timah road. Known among revellers for being a destination for late night eats, this joint injects a bit of fresh blood, booted by its craft beer and munchies offerings. I'm not too sure about the Scottish influences in this establishment, the name as explained, expressing the brothers and owners' love and respect for good English history; pitching the harmony and well-being of previous capital city of Scotland, Stirling. Gateway to the highlands, I prayed sincerely that the good nature of the city would translate into some solid comfort food.
First things first, loading up on the greens before the onslaught of the proteins. The Haloumi Salad ($9) was a very non-conformist presentation of the usual suspect. Here, Greek cheese isn't presented in slab form, instead, painstakingly severed into cubes and pan seared to increase optimal yield of golden crust. Smart move to make up for the compromise in quality of haloumi here in Singapore. This is then tossed with baby spinach and capsicum in a light tangy dressing. Perfect starter to kick start a meal.
Another clean option, the Caesar salad ($8) did not fare so well. It's overly fishy dressing, possibly from anchovy oil weighed heavily on the palate. Croutons disappointed with a slight soggy texture; a quick flash in the oven would have solved the problem.
The Grilled Watermelon ($12) was a tad underwhelming. The desired charred scoring on its sweet flesh appearing a bit patchy on the irregular slices of watermelon. Thank goodness for the salty shavings of parma ham and olives that helped to offset the insipidness of the dish.
Just in case you are looking for a dish that highlights the brilliance of bacon, then there is the Bacon wrapped asparagus ($11) for the taking. Bacon meets asparagus and sun dried tomato in an ultimate show down. My only gripe would be the slightly limp asparagus, but understandably, it's a tad harder to nail cooking time on these given their pencil thickness.
Another deal not to be missed are the Sliders ($2). Not to be douchebag or anything, but deals like these have to be shared! Bearing a slight resemblence to muffin tops, these beasties are a little bread-heavy, however, with such juicy patties, we'll let that slide (Sorry for the pun).
Before you know it, our entourage of mains were parading the table. Sirloin Steak burger ($19) was the first dish to tease the taste buds. Following a rapid fire of camera shots, it was time for the taste test. Unfortunately, due to hunger issues, this didn't make the trip from across the table, disseminating into nothingness it was passed on. Nonetheless, with a description that constitutes Jack Daniels infused shitake mushroom sauce, I had no doubt that this fared well.
The same can't be said about the Delicieux duck breast ($25). Bleeding profusely from the seams, (almost like a menstruating girl, painful and similarly depressing), the duck was grey in the middle and left little for imagination.There was only so much the creamy truffle mushroom sauce could do to salvage the mess. Do not go there.
And like a torrent of light shining through the darkest skies, appeared the Crispy King Salmon ($23). Best dish of the day, period. Salmon cooked to perfection, in the pink of health, sitting daintily on a bed of fork mashed potatoes, a flavorful dill and leek cream sauce acting as a moat lathered around the fortress of deliciousness. This is a dish that warrants many visits, even especially so in the rain.
There were some consistency issues with the Ribeye ($35 for 250g and $29 for 200g) we ordered across the board, the faultless seasoning in mine, a jarring contradiction to my partner's overly salty steak. I yearned for a little bit more of a sear on the exterior, which was non-existant, a problem I accredited to their slow charcoal grilled techniques. That aside, it was an enjoyable and particularly affordable hunk of protein.
Desserts weren't too successful at satiating the sweet aficionados at the table. The Green tea waffle ($6) served with vanilla ice cream a stodgy affair that yielded absolutely zilch returns on the matcha scale of things.
Other offerings include the Muddy Mudpie ($8), Nutella Crepes($6) and the Tiramisu ($8) . Frankly speaking, the sweet endings are not much to write home about. You're better off taking off for UDDERS or Carpenter & Cook just around the corner to satiate those cravings.
Stirling Bar and Grill is a solid option for comfort grub in the neighbourhood, most of its' protein dishes are technically sound with a few exceptions that might need a tweak or two. All in all, craft beer nerds and steak lovers will enjoy this place. Stay tuned to their facebook and instagram accounts for promotions and think about rewarding yourself with a pint or two of archipelago beer from time to time.
Stirling Bar and Grill
15 Cheong Chin Nam Road
S(599 739)
t: 6469 9096
Opening Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 11 30am - 2pm, 6pm - 12am
Fri - Sat: 11 30am - 2pm, 6pm - 1am
Sun: 11 30am - 2pm, 6pm -12am
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