Looking for some American cuisine along with a place to chill after your work or even during lunch? Then Tocha Bistro is the place you need to visit!
Conveniently located within Hotel Boss in Jalan Sultan (Near Bugis & Lavender MRT), Tocha Bistro offers not only an exquisite menu featuring over sixty mouth watering food & drinks, but also a place of elegance for one to simply just let loose and relax after a long day.
Being fans of American food we knew we had to give Tocha Bistro a try. We were simply at a loss when we were presented with the menu because there were just so many options we wanted to try! But after recommendations from the manager, we decided to try some of their signature dishes.
We ordered their Signature Lamb Shank, Grilled Cod Fish, Tiger Prawn Pasta With White Wine Sauce, Crispy Pork Knuckle as well as their mushroom soup for appetizer.
Starting with the appetizer(of course); the Mushroom soup came first. Can I just say, I am a big fan of mushroom soup coupled with crispy garlic bread but this one just takes it to a whole new level! The mushroom soup is unlike those canned ones which you are usually served at other restaurants. They made it on their own using real mushrooms and every mouth is filled with mushroom slices! To say this is just an appetizer is such an understatement honestly. It can be considered a side dish already, considering how much mushroom is in there.
And then there’s the crispy garlic bread which I didn’t expect much of because… just how well can a garlic bread taste right? Boy was I wrong! This was nothing like I have tasted before. It is neither too crispy or soggy, just at the right crunch, and the garlic and butter taste is not too strong. Everything is just balanced so well! To be honest, this bistro already had me at their mushroom soup but let’s move on to our main dishes!
Grilled Cod Fish
The Cod Fish here is so fresh such that the fish meat can be literally sliced off piece by piece. Despite being grilled, the fish meat is still very smooth and retained its juiciness.
The quality of the fish meat was already half the battle won for the dish. But the quality and crisp of the skin totally won my heart! The skin of the cod fish here totally exceeded my expectations – Crispy but still fresh. Fresh yet the absence of the scaly texture. Perfect.
Think this dish cannot get any better? Well you’re wrong! The cod fish is accompanied by Tocha’s very own self-made Honey Mustard Sauce which goes perfectly with the fish! I recommend cutting of the meat and skin and dip them into the sauce together for the perfect blend of tenderness, crispiness and freshness!
The dish comes with their handmade mash potato as a side and their mash potato is really different! There’s a hint of pepper added into the mash and there are still cubes of potato within the mash that really adds that crunch to the whole dish!
Crispy Pork Knuckle
First of all, SORRY we did not capture a solo image of the pork knuckle (bottom right) because it was so mouth watering we couldn’t wait anymore!
Let’s just say, I am a HUGE fan of pork knuckle, and whenever it is present in the menu, I will order it. Unfortunately, most of the times, I end up disappointed because the skin ends up not crispy or the portion is just way too small for the price…
So when the dish reach my table, I immediately took a piece of the skin and put it into my mouth.
Damn! I definitely made a right choice ordering this dish! The skin was crispy and the meat was so tender! Not hard like some run-on-the-mill pork you might have eaten before. The fats to meat ratio was absolutely well balanced!
The dish comes with 3 sauces : Apple Sauce, Mint Sauce and Brown Sauce – catering to everybody
For those who prefer your pork knuckle along with a more salty sauce, you can go with their brown sauce. And for those who are more sensitive to the “pork smell”, don’t worry! The Mint sauce is meant for you! However, despite the ability for the mint to mask the “pork smell”, you are guaranteed that it wouldn’t hinder the exquisite taste of the pork knuckle.
My personal favorite would be the apple sauce – leaning more towards the sweet side. Being predominantly a salty dish, the pork knuckle goes really well with the sweetness of the apple sauce.
This dish comes with the mashed potato and salad as well!
Tiger Prawn Pasta
Just look at those prawns!
This pasta dish was an eye-opener for me as it was the first time I tried pasta in white wine sauce (I usually go for those bolognese sauce ones at best) and it is really unique! On top of that, the texture of the pasta is very soft and bouncey as well! But the highlight of the dish has to be the tiger prawns!
First of all, the word ‘Tiger’ is really well earned. Because those prawns are HUGE. It was really fresh as well and the meat is juicy and sweet and the flavour of the prawn is really infused well into the pasta. And the best part? The body is already rid of it’s shell for you! I don’t know about you guys but this is a huge plus point for me because I love eating prawns but hate plucking the shells! Really shows how delicate and meticulous the staff of Tocha Bistro are!
Braised Lamb Shank
To be honest I am not a huge fan of lamb meat because I always perceive them to be rather tough. But this lamb shank is so tender! The lamb meat is braised overnight to ensure maximum flavor and softness and the meat is what I would call “fork-soft”, meaning you can cut the lamb meat with just a fork without the need for a knife.
The lamb shank is drenched in a peppery sauce that is so addictive we even dip our remaining pork knuckle and fish cod into the sauce! A must try dish when you visit Tocha Bistro!
So what is a Bistro Bar without the drinks?!
Their Bar is located just outside of the inner dining area. Ideal for a relaxing after dinner drink or even as a place for get together with your friends or loved ones. The bar features over 20 different types of whisky for you to choose from amidst other types of alcohol.
So the first drink we tried is their Signature ‘Singapore Fantasy’. Talking about fantasy, this drink is really what I will be fantasizing about after a tiring day – with the right balance of sweetness (from the pineapple juice), sourness (Lime juice) as well as the kick from the vodka. A drink not to be missed when you visit Tocha!
And did we mention how beautiful this cocktail is? Just take a look yourself! Perfect for an Instagram post!
We also ordered their Pina Colada. I actually couldn’t decide on what to order but when I saw that ‘Malibu’ is one of the ingredient of this cocktail I just decided on this. I mean what better way to relax than drinking and thinking about Malibu? (And Miley)
This cocktail lies slightly more to the sweet side, with the addition of cocounut cream and pineapple juice as well. It is also a drink suitable for those who do not hold their alcohol well or anyone who is just looking for a light drink as the alcohol content of this drink is slightly lower than the aforementioned ‘Singapore Fantasy’ as well as the other drinks on the menu. But that doesn’t mean this drink is lesser than the others! Not only is it sweet, but also has a creamy texture to it which I feel is really special because I don’t get that a lot in drinks and it reminds me of eating ice cream– a rich blissful flavour!
We also ordered bar snacks along with our drinks : their crispy pork belly (remember I LOVE anything with crispy skin?). OK, the crispy pork belly is a wonder as well. Deep fried to perfection with the skin being so crispy but yet the meat remains tender and not oily.
BUT the best thing? THEIR IN-HOUSE SAMBAL CHILLI. I swear, this is the best sambal chilli I have ever eaten. Yes, it is very spicy but it goes so well with the bar snacks that I am willing to take the spiciness (even my friend who cannot tolerate spicy food subconsciously starts dipping his food in to the chilli)
After 2 drinks we could not get enough (because the place is just so chill and the food & drinks are all so good!)
So, we ordered another drink and some more bar snacks…
Here is…the Cosmopolitan!
This drink is a bit on the sour side, with triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice being the ingredients along with vodka. Just what we were hoping for after the sweet Pina Colada. So if you are someone who prefer your drink to be less sweet and a bit more sour, the Cosmopolitan is for you!
In addition, we ordered their spicy mild wing and their signature ‘Tocha Special Top Shell’.
The wings are really a must-try as it goes really well with the drinks! Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Not to mention that this snack comes along with their sambal chilli as well! SHIOK!!
The Tocha Special Top Shell is basically 3 gigantic scallop grilled in their special sauce. I was totally taken aback by this… it is so unfair to name this a “bar snack” when it is truly a masterpiece. Layer of mayo and cheese baked together with scallop is nothing I have ever tasted before. Despite being fresh and hot out of the grill, I gobbled it down within seconds cause it was just so delicious! IMPRESSED!
It was late after we finished our second round of drinks so we decided to head home thereafter. Wished we could have stayed longer and explore more of their menu. I am sure they will be as nice as those we have ordered! In Tocha Bistro, every dish comes with a surprise for us! Even before we step out of the bar, we have already decided to come back here soon!
I highly recommend for everyone to try out this bistro! It is also very conveniently located near Bugis and they also offer set lunch menu at very affordable prices! (Check out below)
Also, Tocha Bistro is currently in the midst of having a change in menu outlook but here’s their current menu for you to consider before heading down!
So do yourself a favour and head down to Tocha Bistro, you will not regret it!
Tocha Bistro
500 Jalan Sultan, #01-20 Hotel Boss, 199020
Operating Hours : 11am – 1am
Phone : 6291 7118
Reservations : quandoo.sg
Order : foodpanda.sg
Instagram: @TochaBistroSG
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