Blue Smoke

Blue Smoke
261 Joo Chiat Road

https://the1925.com.sg/bluesmoke/

Wood-Smoked Beef Brisket

Savour The Flavours Of Fire & Wood

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $52 per person.


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Established in November 2013 and operated by brothers Yeo Eng Kuang and Ivan Yeo, along with their uncle Yeo King Joey, the restaurant fronting the 1925 Brewing Co. underwent a revamp and rebranding in December 2021, emerging as Blue Smoke. Offering modern fusion dishes, all of which have been smoked over lychee wood charcoal, the award-winning Blue Smoke is a unique and memorable dining destination.

Ambience at Blue Smoke is cozy and intimate. The place has a rustic industrial feel, with warm lights, wooden and metal finishes, and a partially open kitchen and bar where you can watch staff at work. Tables are closely packed, designed for communal dining, and there's a general buzz of ambient chatter in the air.

Service at Blue Smoke is attentive and efficient. Staff demonstrate excellent product knowledge, and introduce dishes as they serve. I note they clean up quickly when diners leave, and also proactively offer to clear finished plates throughout the meal. However, I wish they would offer to refresh drinks.

Food at Blue Smoke is modern fusion Chinese Teochew and American rotisserie barbecue cuisine, with all dishes being touched by the flames of lychee wood charcoal. Expect big robust flavours, and consistently well executed plates. Portions are designed for sharing. Prices command a premium, budget about SGD $52 per person. Do note a downpayment is required for reservations too.


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Blue Smoke Exterior

Blue Smoke Interior

Blue Smoke Kitchen

Seating

Decor Lychee Wood & Mangrove Charcoal

A refreshing glass of Water (SGD $Complimentary), served chilled. Helps relieve the palate throughout the meal, as hearty and robust flavours feature.

Water (SGD $Complimentary)

The house signature Beer 1925 Lager (SGD $7) is a refreshing tropical summer lager, pairing really well with the bold and intense flavours of the dishes.

Beer 1925 Lager (SGD $7)

The limited edition Beer Vienna Lager (SGD $7) has a medium-bodied strength, with an earthy grainy sweet flavour that calls to mind espresso coffee, hazelnuts, and wheat.

Beer Vienna Lager (SGD $7)

The ever popular Beer Lychee Lager (SGD $7.50) is a delight, with a delicate fruity floral sweet grainy flavour, tasting of lychee, rose water, wheat, and malt. The body is vibrant, crisp, and dry, with a short finish.

Beer Lychee Lager (SGD $7.50)

The Chilli Balado (SGD $Complimentary) was nicely addictive, sharp with spicy salty savoury flavour, tingling the palate with a fading medium length. Highly recommended!

Chilli Balado (SGD $Complimentary)

The Emping Belinjo (SGD $6) are freshly fried and nicely crisp crunchy in texture, delicate and light with savoury nutty earthy flavour. These emping belinjo / gnetum gnemon nut crackers are best paired with the Chilli Balado for a sharp spicy salty savoury kick. Highly recommended!

Emping Belinjo (SGD $6)

Emping Belinjo

The Chicken Skin Cracklings (SGD $14) were just decent. Flavour was good, being smoky savoury salty peppery spice in taste. But my main issue with these chicken skin cracklings lay with the texture, properly crisp crunchy on the exterior, but soft and limp on the interior. Could be improved.

Chicken Skin Cracklings (SGD $14)

Chicken Skin Cracklings

The Miso Shiitake Brioche Buns (SGD $8) is a must-have starter, a umami flavour bomb. A pair of fresh buttery brioche bread buns, soft chewy with bready sweet savoury flavour, are filled with a creamy chunky blend of diced smoked shiitake mushrooms with miso paste and brown butter, bursting with vegetal salty earthy savoury buttery sweet flavour. Highly recommended!

Miso Shiitake Brioche Buns (SGD $8)

Miso Shiitake Brioche Buns

The Charred Napa Cabbage (SGD $14) is certainly not an underdog here. The sliced napa cabbage is beautifully charred, garnished with fried shallots and fresh spring onions, crunchy juicy with smoky vegetal sweet flavour. Paired with a creamy roasted black garlic aioli, lending a lovely smoky herbal salty savoury note. Highly recommended!

Charred Napa Cabbage (SGD $14)

Charred Napa Cabbage

The Smoked Iberico Pork Belly (SGD $22) features a good ratio of fat to lean pork meat. The Iberico pork belly is first smoked over lychee wood, then roasted over charcoal, resulting in a crisp crunchy skin, with a moist tender texture to the meat. Carries smoky savoury salty flavour. Served with a rich wasabi sour cream that tingles with herbal spicy sour milky flavour. Good!

Smoked Iberico Pork Belly (SGD $22)

Smoked Iberico Pork Belly

The luxurious Char-Grilled Wagyu Ribeye (SGD $28) is grilled over charcoal to a perfect medium-rare, springy moist chewy in texture, with smoky meaty savoury salty flavour. The wagyu beef ribeye cuts are served with chunky coriander pureé and crunchy pistachio crumble; combining for a mild vegetal herbal earthy nutty sweet flavour. Good!

Char-Grilled Wagyu Ribeye (SGD $28)

Char-Grilled Wagyu Ribeye

Loved the Dirty Basmati Rice (SGD $8), which features loose fluffy basmati rice flavoured with meat drippings from the roasting process, garnished with juicy golden raisins and tender chickpeas. With bold smoky meaty salty savoury sweet earthy fruity grainy flavour, this was addictive and delicious. Highly recommended!

Dirty Basmati Rice (SGD $8)

Dirty Basmati Rice

The Pineapple Smoked & Grilled (SGD $10) was excellent. Rubbed with a bit of paprika and powdered cumin, then smoked and grilled, each long wedge of juicy pineapple carries addictive smoky fruity sweet spice flavour. Highly recommended! On the side was a weird sunflower seed cream, grainy nutty earthy in taste, which we didn't like.

Pineapple Smoked & Grilled (SGD $10)

Pineapple Smoked & Grilled

The Wood-Smoked Beef Brisket is the star of the show. Marinated with garam masala, the grass-fed USDA-grade beef brisket is slow smoked for over 20 hours using lychee wood and charcoal. There are 2 cuts; the Point End (SGD $16 per 100g, SGD $48 for 300g) has a higher content of fat, giving it a juicy succulent chew to texture and bold smoky meaty savoury sweet spice flavour; while the Naval End (SGD $16 per 100g, SGD $48 for 300g) is more lean, giving it a tender moist firm chew to texture and robust smoky meaty savoury salty spice flavour. Served with juicy crisp pickled cucumber and chili, lending vegetal sour sweet spice flavour. Highly recommended!

Wood-Smoked Beef Brisket

Point End (SGD $16 per 100g, SGD $48 for 300g)

Naval End (SGD $16 per 100g, SGD $48 for 300g)

Wood-Smoked Beef Brisket

The Wood-Fired Basque Cheese Cake (SGD $18) is so good. The creamy soft cheese cake is smoked with lychee wood, resulting in a smoky cheesy milky sweet flavour. Served with a blueberry and honey compote, thick and juicy in texture with bright fruity floral sweet flavour. As we were celebrating a friend's birthday, staff surprised us with a candle and song. Highly recommended!

Wood-Fired Basque Cheese Cake (SGD $18)

Wood-Fired Basque Cheese Cake

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