Damn - that was unexpectedly good. I had heard that the chef from Wine Garage had started up this place (320 Tanglin Road, 6836-5528), but the thought of getting American food in Singapore was never that appealing to me. I now regret having dismissed it so easily, as this place was better than a lot of the places back home, and it made me realize that I really have been missing out all of this time.
We enjoyed everything they brought us tonight, be it the signature Spruce Burger with bacon to all of the delicious sides, including roasted mushrooms, tomato with blue cheese, or roasted corn, the last of which was surprisingly reminiscient of that Mexican corn that I had back in LA, even if it was a bit sweeter. This was also the only place in Singapore that I've found to make a really kicka$$ lemonade. It didn't matter that the beer selection was depressingly limited.
Sure, I could nitpick a little...most easily on the burger, which - just like it was back at Wine Garage - was so wet that Eddie Murphy's welfare burger skit kept entering my head. And the use of momotaro tomatoes was a bit of a waste when the pungent blue cheese overpowered its natural taste anyway (gigantic beefsteak tomatoes a la Morton's would have been my preference). But none of this is going to stop us from getting these items again. We'll be back without hesitation.
6 comments:
Spruce bugs me, I've been there with the wife twice and we really tried to like it. The service staff were almost totally untrained, and there was something creepy about the chef guy prowling around the dining area when it was obvious that food wasn't coming out of the kitchen within any normally acceptable time-frame. The food was okay, but my wife's was hot, and mine was cold; making me think that whoever was doing the cooking had prepared mine before even starting on hers. I know that everyone says this is an American restaurant; but I've never had such a disjointed dining experience at any restaurant in the US...
I agree with Anonymous with regards to the staff - I've been to Spruce 3 times already, and found the service pretty erratic each time. A pity because the food's not bad at all, and the patio was simply beautiful!
ahh, looks like last of the summer tomaotes, here in the upper south. It froze here, last night. ( wnc). But several thick slices of homegrown tomatoes, and some real blue cheese or mayo, and you can forget the steak, or burger. well not quite. blt is still my favorite. thanks.
spuce bugs me a bit... umm, allow me to speak, rather candidly if i may, AS ONE OF THE TRAINED STAFF, of the many hotels, resorts, airlines, and ships you might frequent - screw off. do you think we like working nights and weekends, at your beck and call, for a pittance, just cause you have a few bucks? I managed a midlevel motel for five seasons and every time, with out fail, when ever I saw sombody pull up in a caddy, lincoln, rolls or bently, i said to myself ug oh. and it was true. save one guy. he said, whars all the fuss about. watch me bike, please. and we did. but the rest... nickle and dime you to death. clean room, heat or air. 69.95. for two double beds. hey, aint my fault they added 13 percent tax round here. I feel like matthew, just collecting it. tv, hot water for tea or coffee in the am, 10 to 1 rather have a regular family. sorry but have you ever stopped to think that the persons in "spruce" dont exist for your mere gratification? That they have lives of their own? kind of like hospitals. be nice and I will be nice, and i dont mean tips. dont really care. just ask, i will oblige. I once worked 36 hours straight when a storm hit. with out even a change of underwear. but it was ok. but treat me as your paid monkey, well,..
The person above is scary...
This is a little late, but I've been to Spruce four times in the past couple months, and haven't yet had much of an issue with service or speed. Even during a completely packed brunch, we were seated and served in a timely manner. As for dinner/lunch, the spicy crab and artichoke dip was amazing, but at $30 perhaps a little overpriced. The pork chop was (for once) very tender and went well with the miso butter corn (though the mash was a little too soft for my taste). Still, it's clear that the restaurant respects its ingredients and will only serve you food of a certain standard... the dishes are refreshingly simple but very well executed. I've always believed that great food should be casual yet refined, and Spruce is just that.
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