Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
I was contemplating penning this down…but I shan’t be selfish, and will let the cat out of the bag and lead you through the inconspicuous walkway to the secretive drinking hole.
Heard of The Refinery at 115 King George’s Avenue? Little Bastard is located right above it. And the entrance is at the back of The Refinery.
If you are sharp, you would spot the tiny faint black words ‘WARNING Little Bastard Spotted Nearby’.
A few steps down and you come to a door named ‘115’. Enter at your risk. Just kidding.
Walk up a flight of stairs and you come to a doorway with the words ‘What Happens Behind This Door Stays Behind This Door’. This is where everything begins…
Some house rules first. The whole point is really just drinking all you can, don’t be a paparazzi and beware of couples making out. That’s easy peasy lah.
Enter the dimly lit bar and you get menus like this. Like WTF?? Yea, WTF acronym for “Where’s The Food”. heh.
Let’s start with desserts first.
Cheng Teng Gao (S$18) is really a potent cocktail disguised in the form of an unassuming bowl of dessert. From its appearance, you’d think that it is made with typical Cheng Teng ingredients like pearl barley, white fungus, red dates, dried longan and gingko nuts.
Here’s the catch, the sweet soup was spiked with brandy so this was a good way of getting your lover drunk, unknowingly. I should probably get my hands on more of these.
Some more boozes to go along. The names of the cocktails are so quirky. We had Mee Siam (S$22) made of Hendricks Gin and homemade lemongrass syrup with a dash of red and green chilli. One slurp, and I could feel the base of my throat turning numb from the heat of the chilli. It was so shiok! Word of caution: You would get high from this.
Have a glass of Smokey Bastard (S$24) with Laphroaig 10 years and Buffalo Trace Bourbon sous vide with preserved plum. The taste of the sour plum is strong while the drink remains smooth and easy to drink.
For starters, our local favourite Chwee Kueh decides to go on a makeover and becomes Swee Kueh (S$12). There were three tofu medallions topped with crispy chilli oil, salted bean soy and wild puff rice. The toppings were a good rendition to the usual Chye Poh (preserved vegetables), savoury and tasty against the plain tofu.
Another very interesting dish is the Little Bastard Beef Tartare (S$20) that came serve with about 150g of Wagyu Shoulder Tendon served Kou Shui Style. It was mixed with spicy Sichuan seasoning which created the charred-looking texture in the dish. But, don’t be deceived by its black appearance!
The beef tartare was tender and very flavourful. Paired with the toasted bread and pickled vegetables that came alongside with it, this dish won us over.
Since we are here together, let’s make this a one night affair. I mean… the One Night in Tom Yum (S$20) should be on your list. Ever tried cold Tom Yum before?
You’ll get a bottle of cold Tom Yum consomme to be poured into a bowl of cold Japanese Inaniwa Udon filled with crab meat. The broth is light with a spicy punch to it. Our only complain? More soup for the noodles please!
As the night continued, we had our last dish, the Duck Confit Penyet (S$20). The duck confit had a very crispy skin covered underneath a generous scoop of homemade sambal and kecap manis. It was a good marriage of sweetness and spiciness from both sauces which worked really well with the tender duck meat.
End off your night on a sweet note with a glass of Not your average Chendol (S$22).
The perfect Chendol drink for Chendol lovers (duhs), topped with everything that a good bowl of Chendol needs. Though infused with Jagermeister, the taste of the liquor is rather light and you get to enjoy the dessert in its originality.
If we have to choose which dishes we enjoyed the most, it will be a tough one to answer. But I’d say, just go with an open mind and try the Thai-Chinese fusion dishes and exotic cocktails. You’ll never know which one you may fall in love with.
Expected Damage: S$50 onwards
