The Place Whisky bars are a niche market in Singapore at the moment. The scene is not as developed as cocktail bars or beer pubs, but one certain fact is that it is an upcoming trend in the years to come. Meet The Wall along Tanjong Pagar Road, one of the newest Whisky bar which opened in town housed in one of the conservatory shophouse. The two storey concept has its main bar on level one which spots a more casual ambience; or if privacy and intimacy is what you seek, you can opt to proceed to level two where you can soak in the plush leather sofa seats. 

The Food Whiskys aside, one of the main differentiating factor of The Wall is its Sumiyaki menu, which is probably one of the only whisky bar with sumiyaki pairing. You can opt to try specific whiskeys, or if you are not a pro whiskey connoisseur like us, go for the brainless whisky flights where you get to try a specially curated whisky combination.

We started with the addictive Miso Nachos (S$8), served with minced beef and chilli, an addictive munch to whet our appetites.

The Eihire Grilled Skate Fin (S$15) is grilled dehydrated skate fin, something interesting which I have never tried before. The texture and taste is somewhat akin to grilled cutter fish, which went well with the spicy mayo sauce.

For the sumiyaki or charcoal-grilled items, we tried the Tebasaki (S$5), Kashiwa Chicken Thigh (S$6), Tsukune (S$6) and Negima (S$6). The Tsukune was most interesting of the lot in terms of flavour, which is essentially minced chicken meat with black pepper and yuzu peel shaped in a ball, paired with egg yolk and teriyaki sauce.

Alternatively, go for the Kashiwa Chicken Thigh. I enjoyed this for its tender texture and the tinge of wasabi sauce which gave it a different profile from the usual rendition.

Other than the meats, the grilled vegetables were equally enticing. One surprise for me was the Miso Nasu (S$6), or grilled Japanese eggplant. This was first grilled with butter, and served with sauce made from miso, minced chicken, sake and mirin.

The Piman Niku (S$6) is Japanese capsicum from afar, but it was stuffed with minced chicken and yuzu peel.

I am usually quite skeptical of grilled squid as it is usually either too tough or fishy, but I enjoyed the Surumi Ika (S$18) at The Wall. The Japanese squid was grilled with butter and soyu and served with yakitori mayo. The texture of the squid was soft, easy to chew and I could almost taste the freshness of the sea in this.

For our meal, we also embarked on the East Meet West Whisky Flight, starting from the Scottish Auchentoshan Three Wood (S$25 per glass) and the French Les Moissons (S$18 per glass), to the Japanese Yamazaki Distiller Reserve (S$20 per glass) and Taiwanese Kavalan Single Malt (S$18). I am not a Whisky expert with the most astute whisky taste bud, but I did enjoy the Auchentoshan Three Wood, which was seemingly the less intense of the lot with a tinge of fruitiness. The Yamasaki Single Malt was the most smoky and spicy flavour for me, where you can also taste bits of cinnamon towards the end. Similarly, the Kavalan Single Malt also had a touch of spice, with floral notes, vanilla and mango traces.

Rants The catch here is that there is a minimum spend of S$100 per pax if you want to dine and drink at level two.

Will I Return Again? The idea of Whisky bar and food pairing is still a relatively new concept to us, an arena which we have fallen short of exploring fully yet. Regardless, we had a fun experience exploring the various taste profiles of the whisky we tried, alongside the delicious sumiyaki dishes. If you are bold and keen to take an introductory step to whisky tasting, The Wall is a good starting ground without breaking the bank.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservations instantly at The Wall here.

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

The Wall
76 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088497
Tel: +65 6225 7988

Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 5pm to 1am
Closed on Sundays

Ranted by The Ranter