Singapore’s not the only one bombarded with foreign fare – take a look at how Britain has been invaded with alien cuisines. Fish and chips used to rule the day but now you’ll likely to find pakoras and chicken tikka masala instead as the preferred takeaway. Good, authentic British food seems to be on the decline. But over on the other side of the planet, one place in Singapore is aiming to bring back the good old taste.

Italian restauranteur Beppe de Vito, who has given us Il Lido and Forlino, used to live in London before coming to Singapore. That was in the 1990s when gastropubs had just evolved. He loved the good, quality, traditional British fare served at affordable prices, and so opened The Jackson Plan here. Scottish chef Christopher Dougan tries to keep the nosh as authentic as possible, but uses a hint of Far Eastern spices or ingredients to link this to Singapore’s colonial past.

The Jackson Plan, refers to the historic document: Singapore’s very first urban plan, by British surveyor Philip Jackson. This is the plan that eventually created zones like Chinatown and Little India.

Providing an array of signature cocktails, the Jackson Punch ($13.50; gin, Campari, orange, strawberries, Lambrusco) is pretty heavy on the gin and we preferred the Pimms No.1 Cup. Vintage ales and beers, wines, ciders and perry are also on the drinks list.

The Scottish staple of Cullen Skink (S$8) is a creamy potato and onion soup brimming with flavours of haddock. It’s like a rich chowder, and almost a meal on its own. For starters, we picked the Smoked Haddock Rarebit (S$12.50). The slice of haddock (smoked in-house) is topped with a poached egg and bathed in the most delicious blue cheese dressing.

Bubble & Squeak (S$22.50) is a typical English dish, usually made from leftover vegetables and served at breakfast. Here, you get hearty vegetables fried with mashed potatoes topped with cheese, plus a sunny side up egg with runny yolk. The homemade HP sauce makes it perfect.

The daily set lunch (S$18.50) comprises soup, main plate, and tea or coffee. Choices vary daily. We chose the quintessential British favourite of Fish & Chips, which is not on the main menu, and was only introduced for lunch. On other days you may get Lamb Faggots (minced lamb shoulder and offal topped with mashed potatoes), Shepherd’s Pie, or Steak & Stout Pie.

The British staple I selected was served fittingly on newspaper along with mushy peas. It also comes with chef Christopher’s homemade tartar sauce studded with chopped gherkins and onions. The huge piece of dory is really moist and tender, but the batter is a tad thick and greasy.

Finally there’s dessert. There’s only about half a dozen choices, mainly puddings and cheese. The Sticky Toffee Pudding (S$11.50) portion is small, but that’s probably appropriate since it’s extremely sweet. The vanilla ice cream is made in-house, like many items on the menu.

In all, what you’ll get at The Jackson Plan are slightly refined versions of English classics, some of which I’m glad to see are unusual and lesser known here. Chef Dougan was an understudy with renowned chefs Nigel Haworth and Paul Heathcote, who are both passionate about staying true to UK’s culinary roots, so the fare is fairly authentic. The “Asian touches” he adds are very subtle – a touch of cumin here, a dash of curry spices there and a smidgen of Gula Melaka in the Farquhar Mess dessert. For many of us, it can be a journey of discovery if we’ve never tasted such dishes before, or rediscovery as we savour the colonial classics we miss.

The Jackson Plan
40 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089618

Tel: +65 6866-1988

Opening hours
Lunch: Monday to Friday: 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 10:30pm

Bar hours
Monday-Thursday: 11:30am to 12midnight
Friday: 11:30am to 1am
Saturday: 3pm to 1am

Makansutra celebrates Asian food culture with various platforms – managing food courts, food guides, events and consultancy. For more, click here .