TCS

The Coastal Settlement
200 Netheravon Road (Opp Commando Camp)
Tue-Sun (1030am-12am)
6475 0200

An "Old School Charm" indeed.

Hidden in the far eastern end of the island, The Coastal Settlement was one heck of a drive to get to (even for an Eastie like me), but its eccentric contemporary decor (think shelves lined with Vespas) and kampong feel made the journey totally worthwhile.

I am going to be brutally honest about the food here though as I don't really think much of the few dishes we sampled. In fact, I am going a little 'hmmm' about how the food served on that day turned out a little different from what have been previously written about by other famous food bloggers who were there on personal invites by the owner(s). However, that being said, I would still head back there just to hang out on a nice afternoon with good company as they have really nice pockets of sitting areas around. Plus, i love the kampong feel of the surroundings too (less the eerie now-defunct hospital opposite the eatery).

 

The most exciting part about the visit to TCS wasn't the food, but the exploration of the ex-army-barrack-warehouse interior. The quaint decors were well-juxtaposed against a modern contemporary lighting and layout. Some decors were 'live', like this fighting fish - with great ambitions nonetheless.

Now, about the food!

For starters, we ordered a recommended snack (thanks Clar): Fried Portobello Mushrooms with Truffle Mayo - $15. ( i know, everyone is jumping on this 'Truffle Fries' bandwagon). I personally am a big fan of mushrooms, so this was a great way to start the meal for me...except for the fact that the cooks over-timed the frying and the coated breadcrumbs were almost charred when it was served. Gave me a crazy sore throat after that.Thankfully, the mushrooms underneath the layer of coating still retained its juiciness, the mayo was nice too..so in all, it wasn't too bad.

 There was a whole list of Singaporean hawker dishes featured in the menu, but we sure as hell weren't willing to pay $16 for a plate of Nasi Lemak within a 1 km radius of the fabled Changi Village Hawker Centre(rumoured to be close till the end of this year though).  So, we went 'angmoh' and ordered 3 western main dishes. The first of which was the Rosti Sausage served with Arugula and a dollop of sour cream. Being the underdog, I was quite pleasantly surprised at the way this dish turned out. The potato shreds used for the rosti were not your normal Marche-sized ones, they were flatter and broader, which gave the entire potato pancake a smoother texture. Interesting!

2nd main dish: Prawn Aglio Olio with XO Sauce - $22. Overpoweringly (is there such a word?!) flavourful. Left my dining partner (Fish) a little overwhelmed. The essence of the flavourings were derived from the XO sauce served at some Chinese restaurants we have over here. We tasted lots of dried shrimps. It was a nice dish, but a little 'jer-la' to conquer an entire plate by yourself, so, share!

 Finally, the highly-acclaimed Char-grilled Wangyu Beef and Mushroom Pizza -$23. The pizza dough was a little undercooked and chewy, and it sure did not look like the one featured in thefoodnomads.com You can say I was feeling really cheated when I read that review! Other that that, the wangyu beef and mushrooms were great, and the caramelization of the toppings really did give a nice finishing touch to the pizza.

For deserts (upon Fish's insistence), we ordered the Waffles - $14. Definitely a big thumbs-up for erm, food art. The 'sides' provided were bananas, strawberry, cracker crumbs and chocolate ice-cream, all dusted with some powdered sugar. Mix and match for each bite! Waffles were so-so only.

It was an enjoyable dining experience in all. I guess largely due to the great company and the rustic ambiance of the dining area. Again, a little too pricey for my liking (petrol $$$ not even included yet.grr.), but still worth a visit or two in the near future!