Finally went for Sunday brunch at Bacchanalia at the Masonic Club today, and I am happy to share a great, if not slightly different brunch experience.

I had wanted to try out the food there for a while since I heard that the chefs hail from the famous Fat Duck in London, where they worked with Heston Blumenthal the man himself. Which means their way of cooking will be slightly left wing, perhaps more scientific or molecular.

Finding the place first is a challenge in itself. It's in the blue and beige Masonic Club building behind the iconic old red and white fire station and walking into the building there seem to be no signages with the restaurant name. But there will be a guy at the entrance, and you just need to walk up to him and say hi, I have a reservation (advised).

Walking in you will see immediately why it is not your regular sunny casual cheerful brunch place, but more of a posh-dark-luxe type of atmosphere. This is because after dinner the place transforms into a club. They were playing the Zouk mambo type of songs at an acceptable volume.

Well on to the food! Since we had 4 people, we ordered a Brunch Set for $38++ to share, two ala carte items, two teas and a latte. Works out to be around $24 per person. That's really alright!

Here's the Sunday brunch menu. Note that they are open for only dinner for the rest of the days. You can find the dinner menu here.



I had a specialty English Breakfast tea from Jing Teas ($6) to start. Loving those double-walled glasses! Speaking of drinks, did you know the name of the restaurant, Bacchanalia, refers to "the wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus (or Dionysus), the wine god. The term has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry." Nice.

 But in fact I was there to try their eggs, which apparently is sous vide. The hollandaise sauce was also sous vide, after which a siphon gun was used to aerate it. We got the Eggs with Salmon and Avocado ($18).


It was really good. I won't say it is very tremendously different from your normal eggs benedict, but the texture of the hollandaise was really light (thanks for the siphoning!) and the eggs are poached to perfection. For two eggs on 2 English muffins and a layer of creamy avocado and smoked salmon (from Tasmania no less!) each, the dish is reasonable at $18 ala carte.


The set also had French Toast ($18 ala carte) as dessert and it comprises of homemade brioche with  Greek yogurt, homemade blueberry jam and granola. The toast was light and fluffy, quite fragrant and goes well with the compote. It's also quite generous in portions. Be careful it can get quite filling for one, but a great brunch dessert to share!


Lastly we had the Bacchanalia Burger ($25) that came with crispy fries and a light salad. Even though the bun looked slightly burnt in the photo, it didn't taste burnt. It was very good. Found out that the patty was grounded from USDA fresh beef and the bun was also homemade.


Take a look at the cross section of 1/4 of the burger. The meat patty inside was the bomb!




I really enjoyed alternative brunch experience there. I would definitely recommend that you check the Sunday brunch menu out first if your wallet's feeling a bit too light for a dinner, though rates are high they won't be sky high.


Bacchanalia Restaurant and Lounge
Masonic Club, 23A Coleman Street, Singapore 179806
+65 65091453
Tue - Sat: 6:00 pm - 1:00 am, Sun: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, closed on Mondays

Edit: I've received note that as Bacchanalia has changed their operating hours and there's no more Sunday brunch! What a pity. But there's still the monthly saturday Bacchanalia parties if you are interested! Head to their Facebook Page for more.

Monday-Thursday: Lunch 12 noon-3pm; Dinner 6pm - 12am
Friday: Lunch 12 noon - 3pm; Dinner 6pm - 2am
Saturday: Dinner 6pm - 2am
Sundays: Closed

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Friends and colleagues: "So how was Tim Ho Wan?"

Me: "Actually it's just OK only."

Unfortunately, that is my opinion of Tim Ho Wan dim sum restaurant in Singapore, in a nutshell.

Everyone was really excited when it opened in Singapore last Wednesday, given all the hype of the 1-star Michelin restaurant brand arriving to our shores.

I was very very fortunate to be invited by the PR company to try out Tim Ho Wan before it opens - it totally made my day when I received the invite. I'm thankful for that. Perhaps if I had to queue on my own for two hours I would give the place an even more unfavorable review.

But what the media invite gave was a chance to give the place a fair and objective review. I also did not try the HK original branch so I have no benchmarks other than the dim sums in Singapore.

Here's the price list for your reference. 
Prices are definitely not as cheap as the one in HK. It is more similar to Singaporean dim sum prices in restaurants like Imperial or Crystal Jade.

Of course the most famous item from the chain was the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (3 for $4.50). I've heard that the Char Siew Bao was really just the one special item in the HK branch.

It is really good. Above average. But I won't say it is to die for. I do like how the powdery coating outside is a puff for the soft bun interior, that wraps the char siew pork. The sauce on the char siew was slightly too overwhelming and strong, but it gives it the flavour. 

Next on the list of the 4 Heavenly Kings (or must-order) is this strange looking cake called the Malay Cake, or Steamed Egg Cake ($3.80). It reminds me of the kueh my parents buy as offerings to our ancestors. But it was really fragrant, fluffy and fun to eat. Not too sweet. Good as a dessert.

Next up, the Vermicelli Roll with Pig Liver ($5.50). Some pieces were already taken from this plate here. But in any case, I tried it and even though the vermicelli is really soft, I didn't think it was anything special. The pig liver as stuffing as interesting, but I would prefer the usual char siew or prawns.

What I really liked, to my surprise, was this. The Pan-Fried Carrot Cake ($4.50) was a surprise hit for my tastebuds because it was like nothing I've ever tasted. Instead of being made with flour and radish, this seemed solely made with soft steamed radish chunks made into a square. The radish was slightly bitter, but had an inexplicable fragrance and sweetness. Really really good. Perhaps I would queue half an hour for it. Or do a takeaway from their takeaway counter, if I have a craving.

By then our table had filled up considerably. The folks were really generous to allow us to order whichever dish we like!


The next few items are really really just normal, so I won't say much about it. I do like the fact that they are very fresh, which is one of the most important things for the founders of this restaurant.



I would draw your attention to this - the Spring Roll with Egg White (3 pcs for $4.20). After coming back from Hanoi just the weekend before, I had thought nothing of the spring roll and was even hesitant to eat it. But I did, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how well this was done. It was crispy, and filled with such flavourful fillings, each bite was a joy. YUM!

Lastly for dessert - the Tonic Medlar and Osmanthus Cake (3pc for $3.50). It's cold and refreshing, but again, rather average.

And here's me with Chef Mak Kwai Pui! It must not be easy to set up another restaurant overseas - and they did it with such success. A huge congratulations to the team.


You know what? I would still recommend this place and give it a thumbs up. I do feel that the dim sum is above average, ingredients are fresh and prices are alright. Plus the Carrot Cake and Spring Rolls did it for me. But I would just want to manage your expectations on the Pork Bun, and the overall hype of the place. Don't let it get to you!



Tim Ho Wan
#01-29 Plaza Singapura, The Atrium @ Orchard
68 Orchard Road, Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 6251 2000


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