Spathe Public House: where comfort food is as steady as the vibe

So I went to Singapore for a bit of a break before seeing the fam bam in Manila. I was really keen on ‘getting my eat on’ because I’ve been hungry for good food for quite a while.

Plaid Boy and I went down Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore’s so-called mecca of chill-steady dining and nightlife, for some post-work grub. He suggested Spathe Public House, possibly thinking I’ve missed European cuisine after my exodus three days earlier. True enough, a glance at the menu reminded me of London barbies, Spanish fiestas and Italian picnics and it all felt familial.

Everything’s supposedly designed for sharing so if you’re doing portion control you best grab some buddies to help you out.

Wine and food ordered, we scoped the scene. It’s slightly reminiscent of those pretentiously unpretentious pop-up restaurants in London and New York but the vibe spoke a different tune. Steady, communal, chilled out. And they played music from the ‘in between’ years aka alternative tunes from the noughties. I liked it.

Punters did come in groups and it almost made our twosome sore like the puny kids who get picked last in gym class. But hey, the place itself is so steady we couldn’t care less. Twas fun to find a place where it’s almost mandatory to take photos of your food so you can ‘Instagram that sh*t!’

…and I had a happy boy with me so can’t complain much!

So what did we have?

The yellow fin tuna poke was a hit (SGD18). It looked and tasted like a mini timbale of a quasi modern twist on the classic tuna tartare.

The fish was pretty fresh in its chopped state and the added flavour of avocado and roasted garlic made it rather special. The fried shallots gave it awesome texture ie the kind of crunch you need when eating something as delicate.

Plaid Boy chose the potato gnocchi (SGD18) over the pork belly which was fine by me. The sauce had mushrooms, spinach, roasted garlic and dollops of pumpkin ricotta. I normally prefer marscapone for pasta sauce and ricotta for desserts but this was gooooood. The gnocchi itself was steady albeit a bit too filling. I would love, love, love to recreate the sauce at home using a lighter pasta like cappellini or tagliardi.

I ordered an ‘individual’ serving of the Spanish octopus salad (SGD18) which arrived plentiful and was actually good enough to share between two to three people. I’m not a fan of sous-vide cooking but the octopus came out so tender and so moist! It had a pleasant smoky flavour and I can only imagine how delicious this would be if they used baby octopus. Plaid Boy claimed this dish as the surprise of the night. I’d have to agree.

Of course we had to order the grilled aussie rib-eye (SGD38) with Spathe’s garlic fries.

I caved in to Plaid Boy’s medium rare request because I am a good girlfriend had zero expectations (as I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for rare steak).

The beef was good in the most unassuming way you can describe good steak. Seasoned appropriately and served with some herby butter, this was my favourite dish of the night. The garlic fries were pretty good too!

Three ‘Spathé Classics‘, a salad and a glass of full bodied red later, I was too full for dessert so we passed on pudding (we did have some mini Magnums a few hours later though). That ordering guide was pretty accurate! Our total bill came to about SGD120 (roughly £60) which I thought was a pretty good price for two full happy bellies.

Overall it was exactly what the doctor ordered after long work hours: exciting food, engaging service, laidback setting. I think Spathé succeeds in harbouring the feeling of comfort not just through their menu but also through the concept of sharing a good meal with good friends. I’d definitely go back.

Spathe Public House
8 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01 Singapore 238958 | Tel: 65 67351035 | Email: hello@spathe.com.sg
Visit their Facebook Page here.
Ave spend SGD50pp (about £25)