Freehouse is a craft beer joint you can escape to after a hard day’s work. Hidden on the second floor of a shophouse along Boon Tat Street, feel free to knock back a few pints and leave your troubles at the door.

This unsuspecting craft beer den houses up to 16 different craft beers and ciders on rotation, all affordably priced from S$9 for a 10oz pint. The selection changes constantly, so feel free to ask the bartender what the hottest beers are for the week.

In addition to their excellent range of tipples, they also serve up amazing grub; interesting bar bites like their signature Cereal Frog Legs With Ginger Flower Dressing to mouth watering mains like their Bombay Burger With Piccalilli.

Freehouse does not have a particularly striking sign board, just a small fluorescent one that might be a little tricky to spot. Once you find it, your journey to beer heaven begins at the foot of a dimly lit staircase.

This joint exudes a cosy and laid-back vibe. The quaint shophouse space is simply decorated with wood furniture, twinkling lights, graffiti stained walls, and craft beer posters but what really got us excited was the bar—a row of 16 shiny taps against pristine tiles.

We started off with some of their more interesting varieties; a 10oz glass of Heretic Chocolate Hazelnut Porter (S$12++ for 10oz) followed by another (of the same measure) of Zeffer Cider Cherry Bomb (S$11.50++ for 10oz)

Their food menu is not extensive, but they sure pack a punch and include possibly some of the most interesting renditions of classic bar bites we have ever seen.

We ordered the Bombay Burger With Piccalilli (S$15++) which comprised a massive boneless chicken thigh seasoned beautifully with Indian spices (cumin being a dominant flavour), sandwiched between two sturdy yet pillowy, perfectly charred buns. The chicken itself brimmed with so much flavour and was tender enough to chew off with relative ease.

If you love spicy food, then definitely go for the Thai Beef Sliders With Somtum (S$16++). Although small in size, the kitchen really goes above and beyond to stuff a smorgasbord of ingredients between two tiny buns.

The Thai flavours really came through with this. It was tangy, sweet with an intense heat that kicks you at the end. The beef patty was firm and juicy and the tangy som tum salad provided an added brightness to the dish.

Despite the spiciness leaving us gasping for ice water after, we must say that this was some of the best sliders we have ever had. Period.

Freehouse
21A Boon Tat Street
Singapore 069620
Tel: +65 8362 6740
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Thu & Sat: 5pm – 12am
Fri: 3pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Note: Preparazzi has closed.

Words by Alexa Michelle, photographs by ladyironchef

Ever wondered how it’s like to have Asian food in your taste buds while dining in a western ambience? That would be my closest description to how I felt when at Preparazzi Bar Gourmet.

Located in the midst of the Central Business District area along Boon Tat Street, Preparazzi Bar Gourmet is a relatively new restaurant which specialises in serving modern Singapore cuisine – western dishes with a local twist.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, I was greeted with an arty interior as the walls had a canvas painting and a shimmery gold typography that says ‘hello gorgeous’. We proceeded to order the truffle mac & cheese ($10.90) and beef slider ($14.90) as a start. The truffle mac & cheese consists of macaroni; cheddar cheese mixed with truffle salt and honshimeiji mushrooms. As a truffle lover, the smell and blend of truffle salt with honshimeiji makes this dish a must-try, making it taste like a fusion of macaroni mixed with Asian mushroom.

The beef slider wrapped in gougère, looking very much like a pastry, was filled with Angus beef steak, topped with tamarind pepper, pineapple chutney and onion jam. Once you bite into it, you’ll taste a blast of sweet and savoury; sweetness from the pineapple and jam and savoury tasting from the Angus beef.

For our mains, we tried the X.O. vongole ($20.90) and duck confit ($19.90). The X.O. vongole is a dish cooked in spaghetti with white clams, X.O. gremolata, white wine and asparagus. The fragrance of the X.O. gremolata and cut asparagus will make one feel that this pasta dish is not too heavy to indulge while enjoying the white clams. A dish that has a good balance of healthy sides while indulging in seafood!

My favourite has to be the duck confit as it was accompanied with sweet potato gnocchi, corn, garlic, chilli and 5-spice salt. On the first bite of the duck meat, this dish brought sudden memories of dining in a Chinese restaurant. I felt that the chewy sweet potato gnocchi was paired with the duck meat to replace the typical carbohydrates selection of rice or potatoes.

Another main dish we got to try was the roast pork crackling ($23.90), a pork belly dish served with crispy cayenne apple, corn, pea and pineapple chutney. Similar to the duck confit, it brings a whiff of Asian aroma and taste to the dish. However, the roast pork crackling is slightly dryer than the duck confit as it had various thick pastes accompanying it.

Last but not least, every girl’s favourite, would be the part we get to desserts. It is almost impossible for most ladies to resist the sweet ending to a meal! With that said, we ordered the kopi-misu ($15). You might wonder why the name kopi-misu? This dessert is in fact similar to tiramisu except it is a sponge finger cake with kopi, mascarpone and coco powder. If you are a tiramisu lover, you’ll definitely fall in love with Preparazzi’s rendition. The texture of the cake was simply soft and creamy with a layer of coco powder set on top, it melted in our mouths on the first bite and we couldn’t resist finishing the entire plate afterwards.

Another dessert that we tried was the “baked” Singapore ($15.90). Its unique almond cake wraps in a combination of pineapple jam, raspberry sauce, vanilla gelato and meringue on top. It was indeed one of the most unique tasting desserts we’ve had representing the flavours of Singapore as a whole. But we felt that the portion of the meringue was overwhelming, and not something that we would order again.

To sum it up, Preparazzi Bar Gourmet offers a wide range of western food infused with Asian dishes. For the adventure seekers and exotic food lovers, you might want to venture to this area of the Central Business District to give it a try. Their menu also includes a fair selection of drinks such as cocktails and wine, sweet treats like cupcakes and French fries that come with a choice of truffle salt ($9.90), curry salt ($9.90) and rosemary salt with parmesan ($8.90). Recommended for dining up to 4 pax.

Preparazzi Bar Gourmet
29 Boon Tat Street, Singapore
Tel: +65 6220 0629
Mon to Sat: 11am – 11pm
(Closed on Sun)
Note: This was an invited media tasting.

About the writer:
In her free time, Alexa likes to visit museum exhibitions, reading or lying on the beach. Apart from having a sweet tooth, on selective food items of course, she also enjoys lounging to the beat of good tunes. Tempt her with tea and cakes if you could, weak spots do it right all the time. To read more of Alexa’s writings, please visit Pixiekrane.