Sugarhall – Good Rum For Your Tum

About Sugarhall

Sugarhall features unconventional beats of Jamaican Reggae & old-school ska, lightbulbs in mason jars suspended by hemp ropes with a wood-clad interior evoking a rustic ambience. Their bartenders are dressed in checks and nothing says modern barnyard more than Sugarhall – the latest (well, almost) entrant to Amoy Street’s bar scene.

Conceived 5 months ago by the same folks behind neighbour Jigger and Pony, Sugarhall prides itself as the first rum-based grill bar in Singapore, standing by the concept of fun-dining and honest flame-grilled goodness.

Former sous chef at SKIRT Steakhouse at W Hotel, Chef Polo Seah leads the kitchen with a promise to deliver the freshest ingredients by having sauces, dips and cold cuts prepared in-house. Chef Seah also gets creative with underrated greens, giving them their deserved share of the limelight with his culinary finesse.

And as the song lyrics go, it’s now time for us to get some rum in our tums.

Cocktails at Sugarhall

We were seated at the bar and had the opportunity to watch the bartenders deftly prepare every cocktail concoction.

You’ll likely be spoilt for choice with the staggering number of 60 rum or rum-based cocktails. For the indecisive, you’ll be happy to know that there is an in-house spectrum which can offer you cocktail suggestions based on your level of hunger.

We heeded the spectrum’s advice and started off with the San Juan Cooler ($22). Leaving the flavours of Bacardi Superior Rum, passionfruit syrup, green grapes, lime, Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic to mingle with each other, this drink makes a good order for some after-work rejuvenation.

Another must-order is the Mai-Tai ala Sugarhall ($22). A robust concoction consisting of Rhum-Rhum Blanc Agricole, Myers Dark Rum, spiced apricot brandy, orgeat, lime, almond, the drink turned out a tad too strong for me. Nonetheless, I appreciated the visual theatrics of a dehydrated pineapple and a flaming lime peel that tagged along with this tipple.

Food at Sugarhall

When the Tiger Prawns ($18) were served, I couldn’t wait to dig into them. It was difficult to resist food that demanded its presence felt with its aroma wafting to my nose as it was served. I expected these sizeable crustaceans to have a heavier flavour but I was surprised with its lightness. Tossed in Szechuan pepper and herb butter, this dish was more than decent and easily made it into my good books.

A 300g cut brined in salt and a smack of orange parsley, the Pork Chop ($28) was another dish that fared well. The chunky slab of meat was grilled evenly and the orange parsley dip provided a refreshing tang to the dish.

Apart from these two dishes featured, other highlights include the Rainbow Trout ($16), Creamy Mushroom ($10) and the Bone-in Lamb Saddle ($28).

True to its name, the Rainbow Trout was a colourful platter with pink trout meat, strips of yellow watermelon, green fennel and bright passionfruit foam. The briny taste of trout also went well with the fruity flavours of watermelon and passionfruit.

The Creamy Mushroom featured button and enoki mushrooms soaked in creamy goodness topped with lemon thyme. This makes an amazing side order. It was tough resisting the urge to pick at them while I had my go at the mains, which paled slightly in comparison to these delectable gems.

The Bone-in Lamb Saddle was grilled nicely, leaving the edges slightly charred while retaining the meat’s tenderness.

Verdict

Few bars manage both the kitchen and the cocktail programme as well as Sugarhall. I liked that freshness is maintained in the food, standing by their promise of delivering good and honest food while the cocktails won me over with their varying flavours and innovative presentations. I’ll be back with my bunch of girlfriends to try out the rest of the menu.