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An award-winning heritage restaurant will be relocating at the end of Oct. On 24 Jul, the founder of British Hainan, Frederick Puah, shared on Facebook that his restaurant would be moving out of Kallang Way after 8 years there.
Mr Puah told SETHLUI.com that in Jun, he was asked by the building management to vacate the premises by the end of Aug. However, after negotiation with building management, British Hainan will end its lease at the end of Oct instead.
Mr Puah expressed sadness about having to move out after being at Kallang Way since 2018. He also shared that British Hainan has yet to find a new location, but he sees it as one of the many hurdles that his business will overcome.
British Hainan was established in 2013 by Mr Puah as a tribute to his father, a Hainanese cook on a British ship. His restaurant won the RAS Epicurean Best Asian (Casual Dining) Award in 2021.
When SETHLUI.com visited the restaurant’s now-defunct Joo Chiat outlet, we enjoyed their Traditional Hainanese Oxtail Stew (S$34.90++), which was so tender that the meat easily fell off the bone.
Even with zero MSG, the dish remained flavourful. The potatoes were steamed, sliced and grilled to create a savoury barbecue flavour, while the oxtail was stewed for 6 hours to bring out its natural sweetness.
We also enjoyed the Hainanese Pork Chop (S$17.90++), which also came with tomato and French fries. The chicken was breaded, creating a crisp, layered texture, while the meat inside was incredibly tender and juicy.
These dishes indeed conveyed a harmonious blend of English and Hainanese flavours, the exact thing that British Hainan aims to achieve! If you’re keen to try their dishes for the first time, or are a returning customer, don’t forget to visit them before the end of Oct!
