Usually when I chance upon a restaurant I like, I don’t wait a second to rave about it. But I dragged my feet writing a review for Swis Ling BBQ Restaurant and Coffee Shop. Here’s the thing: besides the wonderful food they’ve been serving me, I also enjoyed the tranquillity of eating by the street side with no more than 10 other tables, while an eclectic mix of oldies played softly in the background. Inviting too many people there will destroy this ambience, an ambience already rare in Singapore.

My friends, ranging from the demanding, deep-pocketed ones to the undiscerning, like this place too – it is one of my favourite choices for social gatherings. I remembered how the image of their bloated cheeks and greasy mouths used to please me. I guess the joy in eating comes partly from the power to share.

The first dish that I, and many others, fell in love with was the Butter Pork. It is creamy and buttery with a tinge of spiciness coming from the chopped chilli padi. The curry leaves adds a refreshing citrusy flavor to this can-be-easily cloying dish. I preferred this to the one served by Two Chefs at Commonwealth, which had a strong milk powdery taste and brought back bad memories of my mother force-feeding me with formulae milk.

Another buttery dish that is worth noting is the Salted Egg Frog Legs. The meat was masterfully fried to a crisp yet not drained of all its moisture. It remained reasonably crispy even after a generous coat of salted egg and butter.

A lesser known but absolutely fantastic dish is Assam Stingray. Here’s a little story behind it: The restaurant used to offer sambal grilled stingray but stopped ever since the new nearby car park took away half of the available sitting area. The small space that remained would be too hazy with the thick smoke floating around. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they came up with the assam version which is as, if not more delicious than its predecessor.

It has been two years when I first visited Swis Ling. At that time, its clientele was mainly Ah Peks and their paid lovers. Today, I see more young executives and expats, whom I think will otherwise not set foot on this derelict street in Chinatown. This, by itself, says enough about the food.

Swis Ling
1 Teo Hong Road
6323 6110
12pm to 1am, Mon to Fri
4pm to 1am, Sat to Sun