Nitty Gritty: American-Singaporean Soul Food

“The food is very hearty and has such deep flavor. It might be a little gelak but it’s oh-so-tasty. The cheesy flavour of the grits is so so good. I think about it even a couple weeks later. You can upsize your portion by topping up if you feel like it. The environment is comfortable and the service staff are great too! The location is really convenient, right outside one of Outram MRT’s exits. I would love to come back to try some thing at tea time or the dinner items one day.”

“Went for dinner on a Sunday evening at 6pm as a group of 8. Called ahead of time to make a reservation which was a good call since the restaurant does need to rearrange the tables to accommodate for bigger groups. The staff were attentive and were extremely helpful in giving recommendations since most of us are unfamiliar with soul food. Went for their upsized signature shrimps & grits, although in hindsight the upsize was completely unnecessary as I was so full by the end of the meal. Shrimps were fresh and succulent, the eggs were perfectly done, and the vegetables had a nice smoky char to them. I've never had grits before so I can't speak to how authentic this is, but all I can say that it was nice and hearty, like a nice warm serving of porridge on a cold day. Mac & cheese was very cheesy, a bit too jelat for my tastes. Butterscotch soda was also extremely sweet. Although I did try the spiced cider that my friend had and that was pretty nice. Fried okra was decent but I'm personally not a big fan of okra in general so I won't comment too much on it. Overall, very good food and we're hoping to be back to try more of their menu soon.”

“Im usually skeptical about fusion food but it was really good. The garlic shrimp grits was really good and the vanilla spice soda was one of the best sodas I have ever tried. Services was incredibly friendly, helpful and passionate. Definitely recommend this place.”

“Difficult one to rate but I will be back to sample more of the menu. The American breakfast was good. The eggs were perfectly done. The beef bacon was more tender than the competition but do note it’s not pork bacon. The Apple Fritter Pancake was also very good except that it was rather strange to serve it with kailan collard greens which were stewed in a broth and tasted very much like xian chai “salted vegetables.” See accompanying picture. They were good, just not what I’d pair with stewed apples, eggs and cornbread pancakes. The service was a bit patchy. There was a bit of a wait (around 8-10 mins) between my guest getting their breakfast and me getting my pancakes. It interrupts the flow of conversation. There were times when there were no wait staff in the dining room, making it hard to get service if you needed it. The Spiced Vanilla Cream Soda really hit the spot. Think of it as a creamier butter beer. Generally, the food was good. The servings are generous. The menu enticing enough to bring me back. The service was a bit patchy. We’ll be back for dinner some time to see how they’ve progressed.”

“This was a very pleasant surprise. We ordered the fried okra, duck confit, any given Sunday (fried chicken) and cornbread. The fried okra was delightful - not too oily or greasy and very nicely marinated. The breading was thin and crispy. The chicken was wow - better than Yardbird and probably all other southern-inspired fried chicken places. The meat cut was the breast but it was moist, tender and again superb marination with nice hint of spice. A tad salty for my tastebud, but I take much less salt than most people. My wife loved it. And please just do yourself a favour and upgrade the greens to collard greens. Simply outstanding! Crunchy with a nice bite and the accompanying potlikker was just the cherry on top. Duck confit was great as well. Very nicely crisped skin. The cornbread was interesting - we ordered the apple butter. It was ok but didn't add anything to the cornbread. Same for the sweet potato mash that came with the chicken. The cornbread was a tad more moist than I would like it, but still a great rendition. Meatsmith's is better imo. Overall, a thoroughly satisfying meal. Service was top notch - the staff were very friendly. We will be back again, with friends!”