BLooiE's Roadhouse

Clubbing

First published on 13 Apr 2009.

It’s beloved of bikers and pool players, but the jury’s still out on BLooiE’s. On our first visit to their Bukit Timah outpost we faced a cold reception in every sense. Deafening rock, air-con so preposterously high it felt like winter in Montreal, brusque service (‘Here. Sign it. With the pen,’ ordered a waitress) and dire food (an undercooked steak, with carrots so hard they almost broke my fork). On returning, warmth was all around: soft pop music, the wait-staff all smiles and charm, and a perfectly decent Cajun chicken burger. Pick your night to avoid the Roadhouse blues, and you’ll find an enticing menu of high-cholesterol treats in a cosy, roadside-diner ambience: spacious surrounds, moose head and rugby shirts on the wall, well-stocked brickwork bar, TV screens and leafy, out-of-town location. A beery, blokeish bonhomie prevails, so don’t take a date unless you’re a serious ah beng. Botak Jones does this stuff much cheaper, too, but BLooiE’s shades it for style and comfort.

Drinks $10-$18.

BLooiE’s was featured in Convival Pursuit: Lazy East Pubs.