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.