The Place When celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was interveiwed last year about the prospect of opening a restaurant in Singapore, many guesses leaned towards the rather established food scene in Keong Saik Road. Finally, the Michelin starred chef opened his casual dining British concept Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands about a week ago. Occupying two storeys, the street level offers a view of Singapore’s beautiful skyline and water promenade, including a bar section which is great for people watching. The restaurant is done with the original London branch in mind, industrial chic with modern touches, which does not have an imposing vibe even though it is a celebrity chef’s restaurant. Getting a dinner reservation this period is almost as difficult as striking lottery, be prepared to wait in line for a few weeks.
The basement level of the restaurant feels more sombre, with offers more privacy and intimacy if people watching or being seen is not your agenda.
The Food We were served some awesome warm bread before our orders arrived, the homemade butter was so good!
Affordability is definitely subjective, at least that is what Gordon Ramsay promises when being interviewed about the price point at Bread Street Kitchen. Serving traditional British fare, we started with the recommended Tamarind spiced chicken wings, spring onion, coriander ($18), very well-seasoned with nice crisp skin. However, one of our foodie companion lamented the chicken was slightly overcooked.
The other starter we had was the Potted salt beef brisket, grain mustard, piccalilli, Caraway crackers ($19). Personally, I am no fan of mustard but I thought the mustard element in the dish was not too overbearing. Unfortunately, the beef brisket was dry in texture and it might be better if it is served with some hot toasted bread instead of the Caraway crackers.
As a side dish, the best part of the Macaroni cheese with garlic roasted crumbs ($16) is the top layer of melted cheese with the garlic crumbs. Having said that, the macaroni itself could have fared better. It was way too creamy for my liking.
For mains, we look to the Traditional fish & chips, crushed peas, tartar sauce ($26). We all agreed that it is definitely not one of the best in town, given that I expected more from a British restaurant. The soft batter was the Achilles’ heel of the dish, which fell apart easily. The fish was good on its own, but what’s a good fish & chips without a nice crispy skin?
One of the better dishes of the night was the Slow-roasted Dingley Dell pork belly, spiced apple puree ($28). True to its name, we were raving how succulent the pork belly was, until we got to the skin. The crackling skin was way too tough to bite, to the extent it was impossible to cut through the knife. In the end, I gave up and just use my hands.
Rants Hits and misses across the dishes I tried, but I guess it will get better with time and a grasp of the local palate. Our mains took quite long to be served, but I discount that because the restaurant was running at full capacity. Teething issues aside, I did witness a group of passionate service crew who tried their best to provide good service, though I would say it has not reached a polished level, yet.

Will I Return Again? We ran out of capacity to try the desserts this time, so maybe an excuse to be back? It is a good restaurant to visit after work if you are working in the vicinity, but to make my way specially down for the food, I am less sure about that.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

Bread Street Kitchen
Bay Level, L1-81
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 5665

Opening hours:
Lunch
Daily 11:30am – 5:30pm

Dinner
Sunday – Wednesday 5:30pm – 10pm
Thursday – Saturday 5:30pm – 12am

Bar
Sunday – Thursday 11:30am – 1am
Friday – Saturday 11:30am – 2am