The American Mass Hall – Classic American Cuisine with Vibrant Nuances of Asian Flavours [MEDIA INVITE]

The culinary scene within Singapore’s CBD is vibrant, however, it can be challenging to find classic American Cuisine. The departure of traditional American casual franchises such as Chilli’s, TGI Friday, Dan Ryan and Tony Roma’s left a gaping hole in American casual dining. Recognising the void in the market, Chef Heman Tan, a seasoned culinary professional and co-owner entered this bustling CBD dining scene with The American Mass Hall (“AMH”). An American-theme restaurant, focusing on classic American cuisine with a vibrant infusion of Asian zest, the signature of Chef Heman.

The Entrance

Sofa Seating & Photo Zone

The décor is a blend of traditional American Southern casual steakhouses with a modern touch. The indoor dining tables and chairs use dark colour wood, usually found in a traditional Southern steakhouse. The modern touch comes in their Instagram Sofa section that invites you to take photos, complete with cowboy hats as props.

Part of the Dining Area

We kicked off the tasting with Mass Hall’s Oyster Bay [$5 per piece] – Ice Smoked, Japanese Oysters, Orange Granita (min 3 pcs). The oysters made a grand entrance with the dry-iced effect when served on the table. They are plump, juicy and refreshing. The orange granita sparks a citrussy flavour and the balsamic vinegar pearls add a lovely sweetness to the oysters.

Mass Hall’s Oyster Bay

Hush Puppy Corn Ball [$8] – Corn Ball, Spicy Mayo. It is a Southern side dish, that originated from Louisiana. Hush puppies are made from deep-fried cornmeal or wheat flour dumplings. It has a crispy exterior and chewy interiors with juicy corn kernels. Served with spicy mayo, it will get your appetite going for the rest of the meal.

Hush Puppy Corn Ball 

Mass Hall’s Baked Garlic Bun [$5] – Garlic Butter, Loaf. Instead of using baguettes, AMH uses hot dog buns. Each bun has a crispy exterior and fluffy interior filled with garlic butter. Extra layer of garlic butter mix will make it even better. LD says that it tasted like old school garlic bread from childhood.

Mass Hall’s Baked Garlic Bun 

Home Made Mushroom Soup (GF) [$9] – Champignons, Shitake, Cream; French Onion Soup [$9] – Red & White Onion, Vegetable Stock, Gruyere Cheese. Both these soups are made from scratch. If you are gluten intolerant, please inform the service staff and they will leave out the croutons from the mushroom soup. While the mushroom soup is delicious, the French Onion soup is just superb. Sweet, robust and packed with solid vegetable essence. Yummy!

Home Made Mushroom Soup 

French Onion Soup 

Burrata “Boo-rah-tuh” [$19] – Burrata, Parma Ham, Tomatoes, Watermelon, Balsamic Reduction Salad. Our favourite cheese and salad. The creaminess of the burrata paired well with Parma ham and balsamic reductions. The sweet juices from the watermelon and tomatoes round up the ingredients on the plate nicely.

Burrata “Boo-rah-tuh"

Continuing with the Burrata theme, The Burrata Lava Cheesy Wonderland Lovers [$24] – Burrata, Mozzarella, Gruyere, Tomato Coulis. This American Sour Dough Pizza comes in oval shape and is loaded with generous toppings of triple cheese. It is creamy, cheesy and it has that WOW pull cheese effect when we take a slice.

The Burrata Lava Cheesy Wonderland Lovers 

Chili Crab Mac & Cheese [$18] – Crab Meat, Mac & Cheese. An American classic dish with a local twist. When I had my first bite of just mac and cheese, the “Jelakness” just hits me. But once I incorporated the Chilli Crab, the spicy and tangy sauce just cuts through the overwhelming richness from the creamy cheese and balances this dish nicely.

Chili Crab Mac & Cheese 

The Octopus [$22] – Sous Vide Octopus, Mashed Potato, Sous Vide Egg. Super tender octopus, combined with velvety mashed potatoes and sous vide egg. Watch out for the spicy paprika kick in the egg that brightens up this dish.

The Octopus

For the Meats, we had Iberico Platters, “Bone-drop” BBQ Iberico Prime Ribs [$39] – 700gm BBQ Iberico Prime Ribs, Cole Slaw, Pineapple Salsa. True to its name, Chef Heman effortlessly pulled out the bones. The meat is very tender, juicy and infused with paprika hickory BBQ sauce. The classic coleslaw is crunchy and creamy, while the pineapple salsa balances the dish nicely.

“Bone-drop” BBQ Iberico Prime Ribs
Image Credit: The American Mass Hall

For the Meats, Steaks, Fish and Chicken dishes, you can choose one or two side dishes to your liking. Those side dishes are Classic Creamy Spinach, Corn Nibbles with Bacon & Cheese, French Fries, Potato Wedges, Baked Potato with Sour Cream & Bacon, Mushroom Ragout, Smashed Potatoes, Coleslaw, Seasonal Veggies, Onion Rings, Butter Rice, and Sous Vide Egg with Brown Jus.

The Menu 

Angus Beef Short Rib [$30] – 120-Day Grain Fed Angus Beef Short Ribs. This dish is brought to your table, covered with a glass dome filled with smoke. Once settled, the service staff will slowly remove the dome and the smoke will slowly dissipate, leaving this dish infused with a smoky aroma. The beef short ribs are braised to fork tender and served on top of smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. The additional red wine sauce on the side adds the OMPH factor to this dish. A comforting dish for me.

Angus Beef Short Rib 

Cajun Blackened Barramundi Fillet [$25] – Grilled Barramundi Fillet, Cajun Spice, Pineapple Salsa. A Southern-style dish, where the fish is coated with spice blend and seared on a hot pan. The searing released a lovely aroma, while the spices absorbed into the fish and created a nice black crust on our barramundi fillet. It is plated with pineapple salsa and a wedge of lime.

Cajun Blackened Barramundi Fillet 

My Premium Fish & Chips [$18] – Battered Barramundi Fillet & Tartar Sauce. A perfectly fried barramundi fish fillet. The exterior is crispy and crunchy, while the fish remain moist and flaky. Our fish and chips are plated with potato wedges and corn nibbles with bacon & cheese. Not to worry, you can still choose the traditional fries for your sides if you want.

My Premium Fish & Chips 

Spaghetti Prawn Aglio Olio [$22] – Spaghetti Chilli, Garlic, Bacon, Prawn, Button Mushroom. The aglio olio here is created using Chef Heman’s Aglio Olio Chilli Paste produced with Kwong Cheong Thye Asian Sauce Manufacturer. This al-dente spaghetti dish can only be described as EXPLOSIVE and not for the faint-hearted, but those who are in for kick, this is the best dish.

Spaghetti Prawn Aglio Olio 

We finally reached the desserts. Tiramisu [$9] – Espresso infused Tiramisu, Gelato; Crème Brûlée Cempedak [10] – Burnt Cream, Cempedak, Popping Candy, Gelato; and Deconstructed Apple Crumble [$9] – Green Apple, Popping Candy, Gelato. These trio of desserts round up the lunch nicely.

Crème Brûlée Cempedak, Tiramisu &
 Deconstructed Apple Crumble

The deconstructed apple crumble has a light buttery crumble, paired well with a touch of sourness from the green apple and vanilla gelato. The tiramisu is creamy and loaded with a solid shot of espresso. The Crème Brûlée Cempedak takes the crown for me. The Cempedak in the crème just explodes when you bite into it, and it is just rocking when it is paired with the caramelised torched sugar.

Root Beer Float

Overall, we had a great time feasting on casual American cuisine curated by Chef Heman and his team. Instead of serving the typical classic dishes, Chef Heman incorporates his signature flair to the dishes. Our favourite dishes are Mass Hall’s Oyster Bay, The Burrata Lava Cheesy Wonderland Lovers, The Octopus, Angus Beef Short Rib and Premium Fish and Chips. Not forgetting the Tiramisu and Crème Brûlée Cempedak. Check out The American Mass Hall for your next dining destination!! Cheers!!

Drink Menu

Thank you very much Engagevu and The American Mass Hall team for the invitation.

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25; $26 - $50

American Mass Hall

2 Mistri Road

#01-01 Lumiere

Singapore 079624

T: +65 9743 0116

F: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMassHall

IG: @americanmasshall

OH:

Daily: 11.00 – 22.00

Meat N’ Chill – 8th Year Anniversary A la Carte Buffet [MEDIA INVITE]

Meat N’ Chill celebrates its 8th year anniversary by throwing All-You-Can-Feast A la carte buffet with free flow of Hofbrau beer. This LIMITED TIME ONLY anniversary barbeque buffet will showcase Meat N’ Chill (‘MNC’) Signature dishes for you to savour.

Known for its succulent ribs and gourmet steaks, MNC is also not shy with its serving portions for its main meals.

Here is the short version of the menu for the All-You-Can-Feast A la carte buffet:

Mains: Smoked Duck, Picanhas Steak, The Meanest Pork Ribs in Town, 14-hour Smoked Brisket, Pork Belly and Australia Grass Fed Striploin Minute Steak.

Sides: Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Shrimp, Sausage, Mac n Cheese, Grilled Bread, Garden Salad, Cherry Tomatoes, Buttered Corn and Truffle Fries.

Drinks Hofbrau Beer or water.

We have tried the pork ribs at MNC a few times already. It is well-marinated, tender and succulent with a bouncy bite to it. The texture of the meat is not soft and mushy, instead, it has a nice bounciness to it. Just the way LD like her bbq pork ribs. The sauce is sweet with a solid tanginess to it.

BBQ Pork Ribs, Minute Steak & Grilled Pineapple

For the steak, we both picked the Picanhas Steak compare to Australia Grass Fed Striploin Minute Steak. Both of the steaks are cooked to the point of medium rare, however, the tender and juicy texture of the picanhas steak won us over. The minute steak is harder and will need more chewing.

Smoked Duck & Picanhas Steak

Picanhas Steak

The 14-hour smoked brisket is just irresistible. The cut of the brisket is thick and it delivers that Melts-In-Your-Mouth sensation, infused with the smoky flavour. #Beefgasm. Must Order!

14-Hour Smoked Brisket

14-Hour Smoked Brisket

Moving to the sides, we strongly recommend grilled shrimp. It is crunchy, lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked. We wanted to order more, but looking at the dishes crowding the table, we exercise restraint.

Grilled Shrimp

Mac n Cheese, loaded with bacon, mushroom and more cheese. It is delicious, but the downside is it only come in one size which is big. Better if you come in a big group to share this.

Mac N Cheese

The sausages are tender and juicy, while the grilled pork belly is a bit hard to our liking. I prefer my pork belly to be thick and slowly grilled over the fire to let the fats melt.

Pichanhas Steak, Sausages & Pork Belly

I always like to have grilled pineapple when consuming huge amount of meat. Not only it is good as a palate cleanser, but it also helps to minimise the “jelakness” from all the fats. The cherry tomato marinated with balsamic vinegar also provided a well-balanced side dish for the buffet. Served chilled, the sweetness of the tomatoes is enhanced with herbs, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. LD simply love their tomatoes so much that she tried to ‘fish’ out from Chef.

Grilled Pineapple & Marinated Tomatoes

The truffle fries have a crispy exterior followed by a soft interior, but it can be better if MNC added a bit more shaved cheese on top. The grilled bread brings a nostalgic feel of traditional coffee shop Western food, of course, the version here is much better.

Grilled Bread, Truffle Fries, Ketchup, Buttered Corn and Garden Salad

The Garden salad is fresh and simple, while the buttered corn can do with more charred in it.

To spice up the dishes, you will be served different sauces such as mushroom sauce, red wine, bbq sauce, ketchup and salt flakes.

Not forgetting the Free-Flow of Hofbrau beer.

Hofbrau Beer with The Spread
Image Credit: Meat N' Chill

Overall, the All-You-Can-Feast A la carte buffet allows us to try out different signature dishes by Chef Bruce in MNC. It is available for limited time only. So don’t miss out on it. Cheers!!

Meat N’ Chill All-You-Can-Feast A la Carte Buffet

When: From 27 April 2023 (Limited Time Only)

Day: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Only

Time: 12.00 – 14.00; 17.00 – 20.30 (By Reservation Only)

Price: $59.90++

Thank you very much Protegie and Meat N’ Chill Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 7.75/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Media Invite)

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

Meat N’ Chill – Steak N’ Ribs Restaurant

805 Bukit Timah Road

#01-04. 6th Avenue Centre.

Singapore 279883

T: +65 8812 4455

W: https://meatnchill.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/meatnchill/

IG: @Meatnchill

OH:

Tue – Sun: 11.30 -14.30; 17.00 - 21.00

Closed on Monday.

Menu available online