New seafood grill restaurant Smolder at Tiong Bahru showcases the best of Ah Hua Kelong, paired with bold cocktails
If you’re looking to dig into the freshest seafood in Singapore, your best bet is to book a seat at one of the restaurants opened by local fish farm Ah Hua Kelong: Scaled at Lavender or the all-new Smolder at Tiong Bahru.
The latter is the latest opening by the Ah Hua Kelong team, and is located just a few minutes away from the buzzy area where Tiong Bahru Market stands.
Like its sibling restaurant, Smolder restaurant focuses on dishes made with fresh catch from Ah Hua Kelong but does it with more smoky pizzazz.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of these names, Ah Hua Kelong is one of the few surviving kelongs (traditional floating fish farms) in Singapore.
Taking pride in the seafood produced at his kelong, owner Wong Jing Kai (or Kai as he prefers to go by) started cooking and serving fresh catch at his first restaurant, Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong, which opened in 2018.
He then went on to add fish soup brand Sliced to the Ah Hua Kelong portfolio but it has since shuttered.
Smolder at Tiong Bahru is his newest concept and its speciality lies in grilled seafood, since Kai wanted to recreate the gratifying experience of a coastal BBQ meal in the heart of Singapore.
That said, while Smolder endeavours to use Ah Hua Kelong produce as much as it can, they do look elsewhere for ingredients they can’t find on the kelong, such as octopus.
Decor-wise, Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong has more of a rustic and laidback vibe whereas Smolder’s more spacious Tiong Bahru space comes through as a bit more refined with nice modern touches — though remaining cosy and casual.
It’s especially great for a date night, especially since the restaurant also serves up some tasty drinks from bar honcho Edward Koh.
Ed, as cocktail bar regulars will know him by, has plenty of experience behind the bar counter — he used to work at the popular cocktail bar Sugarhall, which just closed in July.
Smolder’s fresh catch
Most people would visit Smolder for its seafood items, so how do they actually fare?
Our favourite dish here was the grilled whole red snapper (S$68 for 700g), which came off the grill all sexily smoky, moist and tender.
It’s a rather simple dish but the beauty is in its simplicity — the execution on the fish is superb and you can spice things up with a dab of the potent house-made chilli that accompanies it.
Other big plate options (which can feed around 4 pax) at Smolder include: Whole pearl grouper (S$85 for 700g), Alaskan king crab leg (seasonal price), and a whole Boston lobster, grilled (seasonal price).
If stews are up your alley, Smolder’s Portuguese seafood stew (S$28) is a must-order.
Although it’s filled with an assortment of fresh ingredients including prawns, mussels and clams, it’s the supremely comforting stew that’s really the star.
The stew is tangy and hearty — it tastes like a less piquant chilli crab sauce, that’s also quite a bit saltier.
But let us stress: Mopping up the stew with the garlic bread at the side is pure heaven.
The garlic bread is an old-school style one. Think chopped-up baguettes topped with rich garlicky butter. These go well with any sauce — if it’s not enough, you can also order some more at S$8!
Not just seafood that’s smoldering
Although we say Smolder is a seafood grill specialist, its menu actually features a good range of non-seafood dishes that are all pretty solid as well.
A dish that we never thought would be this entrancing is its zucchini and parmesan fritters (S$10).
It might sound very basic and unremarkable but the zucchini is so fresh and juicy, while the parmesan adds such a nice layer of umami — taken together, the different textures are just impeccable.
Another one is the elote (S$9). Although it’s a rather classic Mexican street food dish, Smolder adds a dainty twist by using white corn instead of the usual yellow corn for a more vibrant and pronounced sweetness.
The corn cobs are smothered with a fragrant and spicy rub which isn’t too overpowering and goes nicely with the sweetness.
Those who prefer meat over fish can also get themselves a burger (S$28), which features a wonderfully thick and juicy wagyu beef patty, topped with bacon and fluffy brioche buns.
There’s nothing really more to say about this, just that everything was on point and Smolder makes a damn solid burger that will satisfy all those cravings.
The sweet and the intoxicating
We would say the savoury dishes deserve the most attention at Smolder but there’s one dessert in particular that really enthralled us.
The spiced apple wontons with vanilla semifreddo (S$15) is a dessert that feels charmingly local.
Moreishly crunchy fried wanton, filled with luscious apples and paired with plush, velvety semifreddo? Yes, please.
If you’re partial to cocktails, there are also some really cool ideas laid out in the signature cocktails (all at S$26, S$22 during happy hour from 5pm to 7pm daily) section of Smolder’s menu.
One personal favourite is the One With Everything (S$26) which throws basil and tomato into the mix for an intriguing pizza-inspired negroni twist that sports a savoury twinge.
It’s finished with a small wedge of scamorza cheese as garnish that you can nibble on if you desire an even stronger savoury kick.
Great seafood dishes, fun drinks and a creative dessert to end it all?
It might be jumping the gun but Smolder might give Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong a run for its money as the best kelong-to-table restaurant in Singapore.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the young hawkers selling hand-torn mee hoon kueh and and our review of MrBeast’s burgers, which are now in Singapore.
Tues 5pm - 11pm
Wed 5pm - 11pm
Thurs 5pm - 11pm
Fri 12pm - 2.30pm, 5pm - 11pm
Sat 12pm - 2.30pm, 5pm - 11pm
Sun 12pm - 2.30pm, 5pm - 11pm
- Havelock
- Outram Park
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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