The Place Along Telok Ayer Street, just next to Amoy Street Food Centre, The Market Grill is one of the pioneers to the recent silent-food-revolution taking shape in the enclave which hasseen many new concepts opening over the past few years. After your meal at Market Grill, you can hop over to Gemmills for a coffee, or take a walk down a few doors to Pantler for some of their delectable pastries.

The Food As the name of the restaurant suggests, the focus of Market Grill is on their grills. During our first visit to Market Grill more than a year back (which we unfortunately did not manage to pen our thoughts of the restaurant down earlier), we were impressed by the overall experience here, except that it ain’t a place to visit if you are on a budget. We returned as the restaurant has recently revamped its menu, and we were excited to be try more of its seafood offerings instead of the grilled meats this time!

First up, the Mussel Bisque (S$19) cleverly combines 2 of our favourites – mussels and lobster bisque! Done simply with mussels boiled in the crustacean bisque with white wine and brandy, the slightly spiced up broth with garlic and chilli made this a clear favourite of our meal. A perfect way to start the meal we would say, both as an appetiser and a soup. You can share this with at least 2-3 pax, although you may regret having to share this ultimately.

Another dish which took us by surprise was the Lamb Kofta (S$19), which is basically Moroccan-inspired minced lamb kofta accompanied with anchovy dip. With none of the gamy taste usually associated with lamb, the meatballs had its jus retained despite the high heat of being grilled.

The highlight of our meal was the Seafood Platter (Market Price, S$138 on the day of visit), which consist of the Catch of the Day, a Chargrilled or Steamed Whole Lobster (500g), freshly shucked Oysters, and grilled juicy Scallops (2 portions). The catch of the day will be served grilled as well, and a squeeze of the grilled lemon juice over it will further enhance the taste of the fish. If you are a fan of seafood, this is probably heavenly for you as Market Grill sources their seafood fresh and frankly, you might just be spotting the lobster you ordered being taken away live from the water tank at the open-concept kitchen.

While we were generally impressed with the meat grills here, the Secreto Pork Cheek (S$45) was not amongst the best grilled pork cheeks we ever had. Somewhat under-cooked, some bits of the meats were too tough to chew. Perhaps some lapse in the quality control here, since Market Grill has always pride itself in serving some of the best grills in town.

We may have suggested for you to head to the nearby pastry shops along Telok Ayer Street for some sweets, but do make sure you give Market Grill’s Fromage Blanc (S$12) a try. The soft texture of the cheesecake, complete with granola bits and berries compote took some of us by surprise.

Rants If you are heading here for a meal any time soon, just note that the restaurant does not take reservations for lunch.

Will I Return Again? We would. You will most likely have an enjoyable meal at Market Grill, although you have to be prepared to splurge here.

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

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

The Market Grill
208 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068642
Tel: +65 6221 3323

Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday
1130am to 230pm, 6pm to 10pm

Ranted by the Rantee