Wall mural between Jalan Sultan and Jalan Klapa
Peek-a-boo!
The husband and I met up with MS & C, our ‘son’ and ‘daughter-in-law’ for a Sunday brunch. Gave the kids 3 venue options of which they picked The Beast along Jalan Klapa which is right smacked in the middle between Bugis MRT and Lavender MRT Stations so walking there from either station is just as convenient.
An American bar and restaurant that serves up classic Southern cooking
As it was some last minute planning, we weren’t able to reserve a table in advance and were told to walk in to try our luck. Reservations are definitely recommended as the restaurant was fully packed that day so we had no choice but to sit by the bar which wasn’t a bad idea because we were seated at a corner that was conducive for conversations while we could also watch the bar in action, lol.
Brunch is served at The Beast on Sundays from 10.00am to 5.00pm. The menu is a straightforward one-pager with not a huge variety but has some dishes (what I would call COMFORT FOOD) with names that are already beckoning to us. (view menu in pdf here)
For the more adventurous, the carnivorous and the ravenous, you can also test your appetite at The Beast Burger Challenge where you’d be presented with a gigantic burger made up of 3.6 pounds worth of beef, chicken and pork. And if you manage to devour the whole thing (including a bucket of fries) within an hour, the meal will be on the house. Sounds like a daunting task! I urged the husband (who had taken part in 2 food challenges to date) to take on the challenge but he chickened out, haha. If you’re interested, just remember to call beforehand to pre-order the giant.
While we were waiting for the peeps to arrive, we ordered the Southern Sweet Tea ($7.00) and Arnold Palmer ($7.00) with a bucket of sweet potato fries. The Southern Sweet Tea was just like sweetened red tea. It was too sweet for my liking but the husband enjoyed it. I preferred my choice of Arnold Palmer which was a combination of their Southern Sweet Tea and Lemonade so it was a balanced concoction of sweet and sour flavours. Very refreshing and thirst-quenching.
If you’re into Bloody Mary ($16), you can have a bit of fun at the DIY bar where you can add your own condiments like lemons, tabasco sauce, etc. Make it tangy or spicy, it’s all up to you.
These Sweet Potato Fries ($8.00) were the best I had to date because they were fried to a perfect crisp and crunch on the outside yet they were soft and sweet on the inside. And best thing was, they didn’t even feel greasy on the fingers. No sauce was needed as they tasted so good on their own.
Finally, the couple arrived and we started ordering our mains – each of us picked one – for communal sharing.
The Pulled Pork Hash ($18.00) came with tender 10-hour-cooked pulled pork, potato cubes, a poached egg that was a little disappointingly overdone and a drizzle of bbq sauce. I had such great expectations of this dish but it turned out nothing more than ordinary. It just tasted like a standard stir fry with a lack of ooomph.
The Big Biscuit ($22.00) was a homey sight. One half of the buttermilk biscuit had a piece of southern fried chicken topped with a crispy candied bacon and the other half had a sunny side up with the yolk still runny. Served with pimento cheese and sausage gravy. The gravy was a real knockout for me – nice, thick and robust. It might have made the biscuit a little wet and soggy but since the buttery biscuit was more on the dense side, the gravy actually gave it moisture and an almost melt-in-mouth texture which was so welcoming. The fried chicken was also equally delicious. Chicken dark meat was used so it was moist and juicy whereas the crust remained crispy with a tasty batter. The side salad was simply tossed in vinaigrette.
After watching so many episodes of Guy Fieri’s Triple Ds, finally, I had tasted my first (savoury) chicken and waffles. This Chicken and Waffles ($20.00) was a beast. The waffles was crispy, salty and airy and it went really well with the crispy fried chicken breast that was surprisingly not dry at all inside. The batter of the chicken was the same as the chicken from the earlier Big Biscuit. Absolutely yummy.
The bourbon maple butter sauce was like a maple syrup sauce that was watered-down with jus or chicken stock. Seriously, I thought the chicken already tasted good, naked.
Definitely one of the better southern fried chickens I’d tasted! Delish!
C picked the Dutch Baby Pancakes ($18.00) as she adores them. Served with bourbon caramelized bananas, toasted pecans, vanilla cream and maple syrup. This pancake was a little different from the usual soft fluffy pancakes that I normally eat as this was more overdone with a more brown and crispier crust just like the exterior of a Yorkshire pudding and its texture was a little hard and chewy. I must admit the price tag for a pancake of this size is considered rather hefty but taste wise, it didn’t disappoint. The condiments made a great combination and overall it wasn’t too sweet either. Loved the nutty pecans that gave a good crunch.
There is free flow ice water near the counter which you can help yourself to.
Good company. Great service. Excellent American bar atmosphere where you can chill out with a drink and watch football. Will I be back? Definitely. I’m in love with their southern fried chicken and biscuit with gravy 🙂
The Beast
17 Jalan Klapa
Singapore 199329
Tel: 6295 0017
Website: http://thebeast.sg/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thesgbeast
Opening hours:
5.00pm to 12.00am (Mon-Thu)
5.00pm to 1.00am (Fri-Sat)
10.00am to 5.00pm (Sun)