Meat n Chill is a laid-back, Americanized diner along Bukit Timah which serves tasty meats and a good dose of mellowness. This diner which sits along Bukit Timah road was started by three good pals Bruce, Shawn and Jerry who were fueled by their love for meaty American foods and for casual dining.
Comfort is served up in different ways at Meat n Chill. If customers prefer having their meals whilst soaking in the day, they can choose to sit outside, a good distance away from the busy cars whizzing by.
From the inside, Meat n Chill’s fully-functioning air-conditioning unit and cozy interior will make you feel like kicking back and spending the rest of the day away from the sultry sun, eating and drinking with friends for hours on end.
When I first entered Meat n Chill I was also thrilled when I realised that the overhead television was playing Daredevil, a show I’ve recently started watching and adore.
While the space on the first floor may appear to be very limited, fret not, the goodness continues up the stairs and on to the second floor where there’s more seats and where the toilet is also located.
If you’d much rather laze on a couch with your friends, the second floor which is away from the hustle and bustle of the first floor offers a snug corner for you and your mates to lounge at. This spot will be perfect for some evening drinks with your worn out friends on a lazy Friday.
Apart from serving draft beers and certain selections of wines, Meat n Chill offers groovy milkshakes that are topnotch in terms of taste and portion. I ordered an Oreo Madness ($6.50) which was not only highly refreshing, but milky, chocolate-y and absolutely delicious filled with minuscule granules of Oreo bits.
There was just enough of the milkshake for me to slowly savour over the course of my meal, without feeling “jelat” after.
One of the highlight meat dishes we tried was the gigantic New York Strip (500g) for just $27. The orders for the steaks at Meat n Chill are limited to about 10 to 15 a day as the process to prepare these meats are long and arduous.
The New York Strip was smokier, tougher and more substantial than the rib-eye we tried later on, but we did note that the flavours are richer. That being said, the dish was still scrumptious what with fresh slices of apple to balance out the hearty, meatiness of the steak.
Seth: If you know your steaks, $27 is an insane price for 500g of delicious steak. Its quite challenging to cook such a large steak thou.
Now, we come to the star of the show – Meat n Chill’s $100 Meat Platter. Available only till the end of April 2016, this magnificent platter which serves up to 4 or 5 people deserves all the attention it can get.
While I am not a big fan of sharing when it comes to food for fear that I’ll have less for myself, I had nothing to worry about when it came to this platter. It was extremely filling and I don’t commend it just for the sheer quantity of it but for its tastiness.
First up, the Cajun Fried Chicken was very fragrant. The well-seasoned skin was crispy and peppery and the juicy, tender insides were extremely savoury. To add an extra oomph (which is not entirely needed), there are various sides of sauces for you to dip you crispy chicken bits in.
The platter also sports a glossy, heavily-sauced up 6 Flavours of Ribs, which were tender but not overly soft. The meat tears apart easily and is richly-infused with a smoky barbecue scent. And while it is hard to decide, this was definitely one of my favourite meats on the platter.
After a 24-hours marinating and 4-hours smoking process, the ribs are served complete with delectable sauces at Meat n Chill.
If you are up for a challenge, try the Spicy #YOLO ribs which have left grown men crying.
As the only slab of seafood on the platter, the Crispy Skin Grilled Salmon does a good job representing its fellow sea creatures, taste-wise. While it was rather salty, the crisp skin and tender salmon meat which was surprisingly still very juicy helped to ease out the piquancy of the dish.
Another type of meat which made its way to the platter is the Red Neck Soo-veed Rib-eye Steak which was impressive, considering how affordable the entire platter is. The steak was very smoky, succulent and robust with flavours. It was easy to chew the soft meat and it left a lingering meaty taste (which is a good thing if you ask me).
Seth: Normally this 250g hunk of meat goes for $27 individually, so the platter is quite worth it. Very good overall tenderness in the meat from the slow-cook and grill technique.
To top things all off, the three very generous portions of the sides – Sweet corn, Salad and French Fries are refillable. This fact alone left my appetite giddy with joy. If this platter is not worth the money, I don’t know what is.
Apart from the Meat platter, we got to check out Meat n Chill’s $12 Free Flow Nuggets and Nachos set which is available between 2.30pm and 5.30pm. This superb deal is also definitely worth the mention as it helps any broke student around the area get a good fix of comfort food.
We also tried the 250g Black Truffle Angus Ribeye Steak (250g) ($38) which was just like the rib-eye except with a delicious peppering of real truffle shavings (not truffle oil hor). I love the taste of truffle essence in any form so the Truffle Steak definitely sat well with me.
Similar to the chili sauce for the Spicy #YOLO ribs, we were presented with the opportunity to try Meat n Chill’s Spicy Wings – we seemed to neglect the traumas of the previous time we challenged ourselves. This time was no different for me as I promptly lost my appetite and lost the ability to feel my tongue after biting into the chicken wings.
The spiciness comes gradually but trust me, it’ll get to you soon enough.
Seth: I call them the #YOLO wings, but check with the crew on how to order the destruction of your tongue.
To end things of on a sweet note, we tried Meat n Chill’s Fudgy Brownie ($8) which came with a creamy serving of Vanilla ice cream. The brownie was velvety and rich with chocolate which worked beautifully with the ice cream which was light and sweeter to balance out the slightly more bitter chocolate-y flavours of the brownie.
The final dish we managed to scuff down, even after being completely full, was the Belgian Waffle ($7) which was essentially waffles paired with a scoop of Chocolate ice cream. The waffles were very crunchy and reminded me of wafers. They went very well with the chocolate ice cream as there was a lovely hint of nuttiness and chocolate sauce drizzled all over the waffles.
All in all, my dining experience at Meat n Chill was very enjoyable. From the casual vibe to a delicious mug of Oreo Milkshake, from extremely savoury meats to murderous spicy wings, I appreciated the general light-spirited and relaxed nature of the entire place and the good food that came along with it.
Expected Damage: $20 – $40 per pax
