Spruce

J and I went to Spruce the other day for a nice dinner. Spruce at the Old Upper Bukit Timah Fire Station recently opened its doors to public so we thought of checking it out. Love the tall red doors. It's so iconic!

J got me flowers Awww...

It was a nice surprise and I must say I didn't do a really great job in taking care of them thereafter but I kept some of the dried petals cos they were so pretty. I got him a little something too (:

Only decent shot I took with the bouquet of flowers lol

The ambience at Spruce had a different 'feel' from their outlet at Phoenix Park. It had a more chillax vibe to it with the lighting and island bar in the middle of the restaurant.

Roasted "Pullet" Chicken

served with Broccolini, Desiree mashed potato in Thyme Volute

$23

I ordered the chicken dish because the last time I was at Spruce, I had friends raving about it. The presentation was pretty decent but I took two bites into it and had it sent back cos there was blood in the center of the chicken. Sure enough, I had a major tummyache and diarrhoea the next day which wasn't good cos everyone was rushing out of the house for our Malacca trip and I was sweating and dying in the toilet -_- (I have an extremely weak stomach)

Think they did the chicken a little more well done and reheated the plate before sending it back. I'm not sure if other restaurants simply just use the same chicken and cook it slightly more before sending it back to the table but I wished they had re-done the dish from scratch. Not that I minded it that much cos obviously I didn't abuse the chicken before sending it back so it looked pretty decent when they re-plated it.

The chicken was decent but nothing to write home about. J didn't like the sauce at all and I guess I would have preferred a cream sauce with the dish. There was a whole portion of breast meat in the dish which I didn't like so J helped to finish it.

Baby Back Ribs

Marinated in homemade BBQ sauce served with Tomato and Corn bread

$33

We ordered the Baby Back Ribs as well which were pretty good. It was a half rack of ribs and a good portion for one serving. (It wasn't stated in the menu but we counted the bones and did our math lol) The BBQ sauce was very flavorful and the ribs were well-marinated. Wasn't as great as some of the other ribs we've had, (especially the one I had at Sydney's Hurricanes) but it was decent enough. The meat was tender and it didn't stick to the bones, which was really all that mattered.

Spruce Mac and Cheese

$10

I believe we ordered the Mac and Cheese portion for our sides cos whenever we eat together, we always order 3 mains -_- We swapped the 3rd main for 2 sides instead, a Mac and Cheese and a Green Salad ($6)

The Spruce Mac and Cheese has got to be the best dish that evening haha. It was extremely cheesy and the dish was piping hot when it got to our table. I had the Mac and Cheese the other time at Spruce Phoenix Park but they served it in a longer and shallower dish. I think this method of serving the dish was far better than the shallow dish because it managed to retain the heat very well throughout our meal, especially for dishes like sides.

The breadcrumbs were really crispy and the sauce really packed a punch. Macaroni was cooked perfectly and there is really little to fault about in this dish. Definitely one of the best Mac and Cheese I've had. Will revisit for more of this. (:

 

Here's one extremely blur photo of us in front of the bar area.

If you're looking for an out-of-the-city hangout spot, Spruce will be great for that. You could grab a drink, some light snacks and maybe a serving of their awesome Mac and Cheese!

SPRUCE (BUKIT TIMAH)

260 Upper Bukit Timah Road #01-01 Singapore 288190

Tel: (65) 6466 5582

Opening Hours: (Mon to Fri) 1130am - 1030pm (Sat to Sun) 830am - 1030pm | Bar opens till late