About Club Meatballs
With an interior as well put together and concise as it’s name, Club Meatballs is conveniently located in the heart of the CBD, a short walk down the iconic China Street.
Opened by the folks over at Sarnie’s, Club Meatballs doubles up as a showroom for BW furniture and holds a hidden gem of an office space open to the public for use. With free wi-fi and an open concept, it is no surprise to find the working crowd enjoying the space right behind Club Meatballs’ walls.
The Food
The place speaks variety and flexibility with its cutting edge furnishing and manifold choices of meatballs afforded. Customers get to select from 5 different meatballs, 5 different sauces, and 5 different sides under an aptly – and cheekily – named “Pimp My Balls” section.
The first dish we got to try was the Grilled Chorizo with Char-Grilled Peppers & Burrata on Toast. The Spanish influence on the Chorizo was palpable with the sausage being a deep red shade and smoky with just the right hint of paprika.
The green peppers added a refreshing pop amidst the heavy flavours of sausage and cheese to achieve the perfect crunch, making each mouthful a delightful unity of flavour.
Next, we had the Spanish Omelette with Potatoes, Caramelised Onion & Tomato on Toast. Although the omelette hardly looked like any omelette I’ve ever beheld, I’m not complaining. The potatoes were mashed to perfection and although the dish was heavy, the spiciness of the paprika has an uplifting quality on the overall taste.
Next came our 12-hour Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sliders, the one thing I was greatly anticipating and I was not disappointed.
The pork was easily pulled apart, well braised, and incredibly fragrant, making it heavenly to bite into. Sitting on a bed of purple slaw and sandwiched between two perfectly toasted buns, the pulled pork was absolutely amazing. Perhaps the only thing that was lacking was the slaw – although it did bring a refreshing taste to the flavour of the pork.
Our next dish was the Grilled Octopus and Deep Fried Baby Squid. Having always had a keen disliking of everything sotong, I was a little apprehensive to try the dishes but against all odds, I was most pleasantly surprised, especially so by the Octopus.
Typically, Octopus and Squid tend to be chewy and tough which is my main reason for disliking them. However, the Grilled Octopus was perfect. The dish was served with Sous Vide Pork Jaw on Smashed Vegetables that melted in our mouths.
The Wagyu and Salmon Balls made it clearer than ever why the restaurant was named after this iconic dish. The portions were big, flavourful, and juicy.
The flavours of Wagyu, Truffle, and Parmesan makes this a must-try dish, but do save some stomach for it because it can really be quite thick and rich.
We were stuffed by the time we got to our Salmon Balls but this is definitely a go-to dish for seafood lovers, with a mix of two of the best food around – Salmon and Cheese.
Save some space in your stomach because the Bombetas de Chocolate were absolutely delightful. Looking more like deep fried chocolate wantons than anything else, this dish oozes warm melted dark chocolate from it’s golden brown skin with every bite.
We also managed to squeeze in a few mouthfuls of their Figs, Rum & Ice Cream dessert but we found the Fig not so much to our liking perhaps because it was too sour.
The Drinks
Club Meatballs’ happy hour drinks are one-for-one till 8pm every day and their in-house ladies night promotion on Wednesdays feature five unique cocktails.
These include the Espresso Martini, the Mojito, and the Negroni.
To ensure optimum freshness, coffee beans are self-roasted directly from Sarnie’s and so are the juices used for their drinks.
My personal favourite was the Gin Basil Smash. Yes it does have a rather frightening name that’ll leave you wondering if you’ll be smashed after one drink but the drink is light and fragrant with the right balance of Basil that makes it a minty fresh palate cleanser. The lime juice base is also freshly squeezed and sweet.
The Verdict
The space, like it’s food, is versatile, inviting and warm. With its 70 pax seating capacity and beautiful mosaic tiles, the space can cater to hosting parties and events for corporate purposes and birthday parties alike. At Club Meatballs, there’s a big sentiment for sharing, evident from how most of their dishes are tapas style.
Despite BW’s modern furnishing, the ambience remains friendly and homely without being too upscale making it the perfect place to relax with friends and family over an amazing variety of good food and affordable drinks.
Address: 20 Cross St, 01-35, China Square Central, 048422
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs: 1100 – 0000 | Friday: 1100 – 0100 | Saturday: 1000 – 0000
Website: http://www.clubmeatballs.com/
Telephone: +65 6222 8660
Rating: 8/10
This post was brought to you by Club Meatballs.