The Tuckshop: Singapore Restaurant Review

Made By Locals

Leading the charge on the rejuvenation of Geylang, The Tuckshop is the brainchild of five friends with a vision. The story goes that the five founders met at a party and following on from that chance meeting, the idea of creating a social space to eat and drink within their local neighbourhood was born.

Today, The Tuckshop is a thriving part of the community and sits snugly on the corner of Guillemard Road overlooking the Kallang River.

The interior is effortlessly cool; exposed brick walls, industrial style seating and reclaimed casks for tables. The long tables make dining a particularly social occasion as the chances are you’ll be sat next to someone you’ve not yet met.

Seating also spills out on to the pavements providing a relaxed al fresco setting. Bottles of craft ale and cider line the bar area whilst paintings and prints created by talented local artists adorn the walls. This cool urban setting is relaxed and friendly, exactly what you’d hope for in a local pub.

We popped by to check out the brunch menu on a Saturday morning and were not disappointed. With items ranging from more traditional options – think eggs florentine – to those with a distinctly Singaporean twist (chilli scrambled eggs with fresh crab anyone?) there is bound to be something here that takes your fancy.

Even the coffee list manages to combine both Singaporean and western influences with ease making for some intriguing options – more on that later.

Eggs Benedict ($16): In my view, Eggs Ben is not Eggs Ben unless it is served with a traditional english muffin. At The Tuckshop this is exactly what we got, no fancy sweet brioche here, just a plain fluffy muffin. Perfect. Two poached eggs sat gloriously atop layers of thin crispy bacon and sauteed spinach.

Just the right amount of silky thin Hollandaise sauce dribbled down the sides. Yes, I prefer my bacon a little thicker. Yes, one of our eggs was ever so slightly overdone which didn’t produce a golden yolky river when cut open. That aside, this was still one of the better Egg Benedicts I’ve had in a while in Singapore.

Eggs en Cocotte ($19): A unique house creation, eggs en cocotte puts a playful spin on the usual egg brunch options. One egg was served upon a truffle mash filled pastry case, which was reminiscent of an oversized vol au vent. Whilst the other egg perched on an additional smear of mash alongside some serrano ham wrapped ‘soldiers’.

Both eggs were cooked perfectly with oozing yolks spilling out once cut. The mash was smooth and creamy with just the right amount of truffle which, by the way, is a delicious accompaniment to the egg.

The salty jamon wrapped toast created the most sophisticated dippy egg I’ve ever eaten. Dunking these in the egg yolk produced a truly decadent mouthful. Despite the combination of pastry, mash and bread this dish is surprisingly light.

The Tuckshop Breakfast of Champions ($24): The menu states that this dish is for meat lovers and/or the hungover- they’re not wrong. This is a mammoth plate of wagyu steak, crispy bacon, fried eggs, jumbo pork sausage, hash browns, and artisanal toast.

Without doubt it’s enough to feed two and is bound to give even the biggest of cavemen amongst us the meat sweats. An ambitious way to start the day, this house favourite is not for the faint hearted.

Fresh local waffles with kaya butter, condensed milk and green tea gelato ($12): Despite the fact we had already overindulged, we couldn’t resist the sound of this waffle dessert as a sweet treat to finish. The waffle was crunchy on the outside and fluffy within, though I have had thicker, lighter waffles elsewhere.

The strawberries were fresh and surprisingly flavourful. The kaya butter discs were sinful and more-ish. The gelato was smooth in texture, and certainly captured the flavour of green tea. However, for me it was a little too bitter and the subtle sweetness of a vanilla ice cream would have been preferable.

The flowers that garnished the plate looked pretty but produced such a bitter aftertaste I would recommend avoiding these.

Kaya butter kopi ($6) – This coffee was an interesting twist on your regular cup of joe. The coffee beans themselves are roasted in the butter, producing a sweet almost toffee-esque flavour. Smooth and creamy in texture, there were ‘ooh’s’ all round following the first sip.

An indulgent way to consume your morning dose of caffeine but definitely worth a try. As well as this kopi, other interesting options on the coffee list included Bandung lattes ($6) and honey matcha lattes ($6). For the more adventurous coffee lovers out there these variations are also worth a try.

Kiwi Strawberry smoothie ($7.50): A refreshing and fruity way to start the day, this ice cold smoothie is the perfect morning pick me up. Whilst I couldn’t really find any hint of kiwi, it was nonetheless delicious and not too sweet.

The Recess: Post brunch we couldn’t resist taking a quick peek next door where we found ‘The Recess’. This un-identical twin sister of The Tuckshop has been designed to provide a relaxed space for people to hang out. Whether you’re working or just meeting for a coffee, this is another laid back environment to chill and unwind or be inspired.

The Tuckshop doesn’t only cater for the brunch crowd. It has an extensive craft beer and cider collection too, with varieties from as far afield as Hawaii as well as some usual suspects from Belgium, Holland and the UK. Thus making it an ideal place to catch up with friends over a casual drink any night of the week.

Whilst you’re there it’s worth checking out their very own house beer brew. The Tuckshop have recently teamed up with Archi Pelago to create their very own lager which is infused with kalamansi and gula malaka. The result? A slightly sour tang with a sweet aftertaste. An interesting concoction though I’m not sure I could polish off more than one pint.

Whatever time of day you visit you’ll be guaranteed friendly service, a relaxed atmosphere and a good time. Even if you are not a local, you will be treated as one. A unique spot that is definitely worth a visit.

Expected Damage: $20 – $35 per person for brunch

The Tuckshop: 403 Guillemard Rd, Singapore 399795 | Tel: 6744 8205 | Website

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 11.ooam – 12.ooam (Last orders at 11.oopm) / Daily happy hours 5.00pm – 7.00pm

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