T-Bob’s Corner, Bras Basah: A heartland story, told brilliantly in BBQ Beef Ribs and Angus burgers

I remember going to T-Bob’s Corner for family dinners when I was younger. More often than not, these were special and big family occasions—its Tomahawk steak had a fierce reputation as being the tastiest meat in all of Bedok, and its portions were enough to feed an entire village.

When T-Bob’s Corner first started out selling halal Western cuisine at Shaikh Abdul Kader Al Jilaini Makan Place at Block 527 in Bedok North Street 3, the hype it generated was infectious. The humble stand-alone stall stood out for its take on Western cuisine, serving BBQ beef ribs and Wagyu steaks that were more commonly found in restaurants. Naturally, the east-side folk lapped it up with delight.

T-Bob’s Corner made high-quality steaks easily accessible to the heartlanders, and such was their level of success, it eventually led to them opening their own store in a separate retail outlet within the same HDB void deck. This new restaurant quickly became a household name in Bedok for celebratory dinners and birthday feasts—more often than not involving copious amounts of grilled meat, savoury desserts, and the likes.

On the 8 November 2020, T-Bob’s Corner moved away from the heartlands to take their business to a more centralised location along Victoria Street. Today, it finds itself on the ground floor of Victoria Hotel opposite Bras Basah Complex, taking over the space from Steakout, which is also a steak restaurant.

What I tried

Rows of numerous polaroid photographs lined a wall on one side of the restaurant—each one presenting happy faces surrounding T-Bob’s Corner’s infamous Tomahawk steak. The photographs were arranged based on where each diner resided, and it was publicly clear that over the years, T-Bob’s charm had spread to all corners of Singapore and even overseas.

Against this backdrop, I pierced my fork into T-Bob’s classic BBQ Beef Ribs (S$32.90), sitting in all its caramelised glory. The plate presented itself as two slabs of slow-braised short ribs juiced in caramelised BBQ sauce—with sliced carrot, lettuce and mashed potatoes on the side. Portions-wise, this dish is a bit much for one person and is better placed for sharing between two.

Just as I fondly recalled, the meat was gloriously tender. I found myself ditching my knife after a few helpings, as the meat separated with very little resistance under the weight of my fork. Coupled with the sweetness of the caramelised BBQ sauce, the smokiness of the meat lent a nice balance of flavour as I savoured every juicy mouthful.

My fork gravitated towards the Spaghetti Alle Vongole (S$17.90) next, which is a plate of spaghetti tossed with parsley and chilli flakes and served with clams. Upon my first few mouthfuls, the spicy kick from the chilli flakes was stronger than I had expected, but it gradually faded as I continued. The flavours of this dish, which had subtle hints of garlic and olive oil, was not as rich as the BBQ Beef Ribs—I found this delightful as I could then finish the plate without feeling too bloated or nauseous towards the end.

Though the food coma was starting to set in at this point, my day was not done if I did not try one of T-Bob’s chef’s recommendations—the Sloppy Angus Burger (S$17.90). The burger came as a thick, medium well Angus beef patty dressed in melted cheddar cheese and chilli beef gravy, tightly packed between fried onion rings and green coral lettuce.

It was instantly obvious to me that eating this burger like a regular one would be quite the challenge, seeing how it’s stacked to a width of at least four fingers wide—so I came in with the fork and knife. The patty is incredibly juicy and thick, and when combined with the melted cheddar and chilli beef gravy, it’s quite a lot to take in. The flavours together made this a very rich and filling burger, and would perhaps be a great meal for a starving person.

A plate of Sizzling Brownie (S$15.90) arrived at my table as the dessert of the day—sizzling on a hot plate and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on its crown. The heat from the hot plate was enough to render the insides of this brownie with savoury chunks of charred fudge, making it a crumbly and sweet dessert as opposed to the more conventional version with a liquid fudge filling.

I finished my indulgence in T-Bob’s Corner with a Virgin Mojito (S$8.90)—a lemon, lime and mint soda that was equally as refreshing as it was tasty. The balance of mintiness and sweetness in this drink is just right, making it the perfect conclusion to my virgin experience at T-Bob’s new outlet.

Final thoughts

Coming to T-Bob’s Corner felt like a homecoming of sorts, and as a Bedok resident, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pride for their new expansion. To me, their new outlet represented a continuation of a story that started in the heartlands, and a bold effort to make themselves more accessible to people from everywhere—a clear sign that T-Bob’s is growing, with no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

As I sat on my table, I observed a constant stream of people coming in for lunch on a Sunday, while the majority of empty tables around me had ‘Reserved’ signs on them. T-Bob’s Corner clearly had not lost its reputation amongst the faithful, and in turn, looked to be busier than when they were at Bedok. The story of T-Bob’s Corner is a continuing one—and it’s told brilliantly in beef ribs, savoury desserts and good times.

Expected Damage: S$25 – S$45 per pax