The Place Located along Tanjong Pagar Road at the junction of Tras Street is Crackerjack, the few months’ old restaurant and bar opened by the same team behind the acclaimed bar 28 HongKong Street as well as a former chef of Meatsmith. That sets our expectations high. Upon entering Crackerjack, the vibe of the restaurant is welcoming as the place is well lit by natural light through the glass panels at the side of the restaurant. The interior is beautiful and cosy, less the imposing vibes you get at some restaurants. The fun elements of Crackerjack is evident in the long play table at the side, wooden communal tables and the more private dining tables if you fancy, with a promising bar counter at the back of the restaurant.

The Food It is an all day dining restaurant and bar at Crackerjack, which boasts a different breakfast, lunch and dinner menu throughout the day, as well as a brunch menu only on weekends. 

We settled for a weekday lunch hour, starting with coffee. The coffee here uses a custom blend from one of our local coffee roaster, 2degrees north. The Flat White (S$5) and Latte (S$5) come in pretty ceramic cups which caught our attention even before tasting it. I personally like the robust flavour of the coffee.

On to the food, we had the House bone broth with egg stracciatella, barley and kale (S$12), an appetising bowl of soup which reminded us of our oriental soups. The broth is rich and flavourful even though it looks really plain with not much play on colours and ingredients. 

The Kale Salad (S$12) with sweet potato, spiced pumpkin seeds and parmesan is a healthy and generous option for sharing if you feel like starting your day with something clean. 

For mains proper, the Lentil Mushroom Scotch Egg (S$18) was disappointing. The mushroom scotch egg was bland, with no distinct flavour to begin with. The best part of this dish is the melon hummus and flatbread, a Middle-Eastern inspired element which score on the crispy flatbread and delicious hummus to go along with it.

Comparatively, the Three Cheese Barley Risotto (S$18) served with popcorn salad fared better with its on point and creamy risotto , though be warned that the cheese is relatively pungent and we won’t recommend it if you are not a true cheese lover.

Rants Sadly, the service here was not consistent. The kitchen service was way more on point, with the dishes all served up at the same time, brought to the table by the kitchen crew and the chef. Yet this professional approach was not undertaken by the service staff, which we shall not elaborate further. 

Will I Return Again? We came to Crackerjack with high expectations, but left feeling that the food is very average for its price and promising team. The service dented the dining experience as well, for which is a very important part of our review for every restaurant. You are not missing out much, really.

Make your reservation instantly at Crackerjack here.

Crackerjack
43 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088464
Tel: +65 8121 1462

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 2.5/5

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9am to 12am
Saturday: 10am to 12am
Sunday: 10am to 4pm

Ranted by The Ranter