Outpost No 903 Gastrobar – A good place to wind down after a long day [CLOSED]

Located in Tin Tee House, a 111-year-old single-storey shop house in Bukit Timah, Outpost No 903 Gastrobar is sitting at a spot which is familiar to many. This gastrobar is opened by ex host of Channel 8’s Good Morning Singapore Iriana Halim (Lin Youyi) and her husband Alfred. They revamped the entire interior to give it a more raw yet chic design. They specially source furnitures and deco from Vietnam – door handle, construction lights, sconces, wooden table – very cool!

First snack that appeared on my table already wow-ed me. Long Bean Fries ($8)! I have never eaten long bean fries before and it is definitely a refreshing start. They also serve other fries such as luncheon meat fries, buffalo spiced fries, truffle fries, chilli con came fries and the normal straight cut fries.

A typical bar food platter is 903 Platter ($36) which is a combination platter of outpost wings, onion rings, golden beancurd, salt & pepper calamari, chilli bombers and cheesy mushrooms.

Outpost offers a good combination of old-fashion American and British bar menu classics with a Peranakan twist in some. Its Herbal Chicken ($18, only available on weekends) bring a western twist to the usual traditional herbal chicken we always have. The juicy tender chicken thigh is marinated in herbs and oven baked, served on top of home-made mash and special herbal sauce.

Its piping hot aromatic herbal steam raised to our noses. It is not too herbal to give you a bitter-tonic fright. The thick herbal sauce is pleasantly sweet. And you may think pairing herbal sauce with mash may taste weird, but no no, we voice their approval with a unanimous “yum” and give a thumbs-up to it.

Question: are you someone who loves surprises? Or someone who is more down to earth?

Not sure? Perhaps you can order W.T.F ($32, only available on weekends) to find out what kind of personality are you. I am not scolding vulgarities here lah, W.T.F is the short form for What-The-Fish. A crispy whole grouper, meat filleted off and pan seared served two style: chef’s secret sauce vs sherry mushroom toppings. The whole grouper head and bones are deep fried till it is so crispy that you can eat every bone and fin.

Obviously I am someone who loves surprises because I love Chef’s secret sauce which is similar to thai chilli sauce. Tangy, sour and slightly spicy. Love how this dish offers two kinds of choices, and you can share it with your friends! One small complain I have is, the fish we had that night had quite a few bones, so you gotta be careful while savouring it.

For meat that is really tender and juicy, the Crispy pork belly ($18) is the thing to order. The aromatic fat easily melts in the mouth, perfuming and moistening the meat along the way. And I loved the crispy crackling.

Irish Beef Stew ($18) is another dish I hate to lose. Especially during cooling weather and I was in the mood for comfort food. A stew would be perfect. There is no need to come up with a creative pot, just something down to earth. The tenderness of the beef chunks come from long simmering with a hint of spices.

If there is one dessert that you must try, it is definitely Mango float ($14) which has graham biscuit layered with mango and cream, topped with fresh mango slices. This looks and tastes as if it were incredibly hard work and it gives me inspiration for my next cake! :p

Drinks wise, Outpost 903 has six beers on tap including three craft brews (from $9/pint), bottled beers (from $6) and cocktails ($10). They also offer Sunday brunch, be sure to check them out!

Outpost No 903 is really cozy and comfortable. Ambience is not rowdy like a typical sports bar, and you get interesting food from this gastrobar! If your impression of bar food is all about deep fried oily stuff, this place may change your perception. Parking is available at Cherry Avenue which is just a short walk away. Thank you Youyi for inviting us! 🙂

Outpost No 903
Address: No 903 Bukit Timah Road
Tel: 6468 4903
Opening hours: Mon 5pm – 12am; Wed to Thu 5pm – 12am; Fri 5pm – 2am; Sat 3pm – 2am; Sun 10am – 12am. Closed on Tuesday.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outpost903