Expat Choice Visits Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse for Sunday Brunch

The Big Smoke - Thirty Six Brewlab and Smokehouse hits the spot for craft brews, bbq and beer art.

Quality craft beers and a brick smoker is what Thirty Six Brewlab and Smokehouse is all about. 

And if that custom-built brick hearth is the heart of Thirty Six, then the microbrewery are its arteries, pouring fresh, cold brews, lovingly made by head brewer Greg Brown. Other local craft brews such as Specific Gravity and Rye & Pint are available too, making this a great venue for convivial outings of the craft beer nature. 

The brews by head brewer Greg Brown cater to a broad audience, with twenty over taps at the bar, you’ll definitely want to try as many of them as possible to determine which ones are your  favorites. Thirty Six has a sampler set of beers waiting for you. 

The food is British with some slight twists. 

Ribs - spicy and moreish with a slight kick to it, it’s not your usual BBQ sauce. Scotch egg with a choice of impossible meat - a great option for vegetarians - super crispy on the outside, lava yoke on the inside, one of those appetizers that you just have to have with beer. Beer batter fish and chips made with Lion Brewery Co. 's Straits Pale Ale served with twice-cooked hand cut fries, mushy peas, is an easy order. 

Even the vegetables get a smoke treatment. Wood Fired Cauliflower is a delicious, smokey turmeric and ginger, cashew nut butter, miso leek pureé, kale and lemon dish that has Indian spice influences in it, something unusual but definitely worthy of praise. 

Burnt pandan cheese cake 

It’s a pandan twist to the Basque burnt cheesecake and it gets a smoke treatment as well. Goes well with their raspberry sours beer. 

An overall pleasant experience, with a nice alcove spot on Club Street, Thirty Six Brewlab and Smokehouse. The service is great and it will do very well once dining in groups and music can be played. 

For a Sunday early afternoon hearty brunch and in-house brewed beers we decided it was time to visit the recently launched Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse located at 36 Club Street.

Speaking with the service staff who are BTW extremely attentive and helpful with the explanation of the beer selection and the ins and outs of the east meets west internationally inspired menu - we learn the establishment had opened (soft launched) during a round of social distancing restrictions in mid June 2021

Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse has not had a chance to really fly as yet due to the current restrictions, although that being said - the dining room in this spacious and handsomely decked out indoor and al fresco setting was 60% capacity inside on our visit - with tables of two's enjoying the Sunday menu which is extensive as much as it is delicious.

We decided on communal dining and ordered quite a feast with a varied selection which is perfect for experiencing more of the menu in one visit - starting with a Scotch Egg - touching on Singapore's colonial past.

This is a free-range egg and coated with Nduja sauce which I learn is a spicy, spreadable mix made from pork, fat, herbs, spices and chillies - head up! We did experience a subtle kick with each mouthful.

The egg is encased in a mix of impossible meat, plus regular sausage and served with a home-made sriracha mayo - offering a Thai note where east meets west.

Everyone’s got that one hot sauce they put on everything - right? For some, it’s a more traditional hot sauce. For guests visiting Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse, it’s sriracha -  a dipping sauce made from chilli, sugar, salt, garlic, and vinegar.

We ordered a house brew of "Nectaron" to drink with our Scotch Egg. The Nectaron delivered notes of passion fruit, peach, grapefruit and pineapple - yes, quite an experience and together with the Scotch Egg was very drinkable.

The Scotch Egg ($10) is prepared on the dry side - not the fatty pork experience of other Scotch Egg encrusted concoctions I've tasted. Together with the pairing of Nectaron brew and further dipped in Sriracha sauce the mix was enjoyable.

We also munched on a side serving of American inspired Crispy Popcorn Chicken ($9). These tiny, bite-sized pieces of chicken are marinated in cider then soaked in buttermilk and coated with flour, paprika, onion, and garlic powders - then finished with a sprinkling of chilli powder and Togarashi - which is also a powder of red chilli pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger and seaweed. Here we get the "east meets west" reference again, which continues through the entire brunch experience.

Moving on to main course for this Sunday brunch experience it was time to taste test the Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse Fish & Chips ($25) - a dish close to my heart, and the heart of my dear departed mother, who would ALWAYS order Fish & Chips as her selection no matter the restaurant, or the occasion. 

Halibut is the perfect fish for this dish with it's plump white juicy flesh. The Halibut is prepared lightly battered with Lion Brewery Co's Straits Pale Ale and fried to order. Served with twice-cooked hand-cut fries (think along the lines of a French Pommes Frites experience).

I cannot resist but to order Fish & Chips when I see them mentioned on a menu - and must add this selection has now entered in to my Top Picks of recent Fish & Chips experiences in Singapore, although, I do prefer a thick cut English style chip with my beer battered fish .

Next, the Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs ($28 1/2 Rack) is a must for taste, and heartiness. Plenty of fall off-the-bone meat to gnaw away at here. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and glazed with a sauce made from kicap manis - a sweet Indonesian soy sauce, chipotle sauce and rice vinegar, the ribs are cooked by being grilled low and slow over an open fire grill. A signature cooking style at Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse. Nothing better than a smokey finished dish washed down by one of the many curated house brews.

Both the Fish & Chips, and The Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs were accompanied by an order of Wood-Fired Cauliflower $25). Take Turmeric and ginger, then rub it all over the Cauliflower, drizzle with cashew nut butter - grill over the open flame, then serve with a cauliflower rice, miso leek puree, kale and lemon. This is exactly what you can expect. An explosion in your mouth. This for me was a highlight. The perfect accompaniment to the main courses we selected.

Nestled in a restored conservation building Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse offers creative and playful original brews from their on-site micro-brewery as well as a delicious menu featuring the bold flavours produced only by grilling on an open flame.

As things ramp up and we expand social distancing measures in Singapore, Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse will continue to offer pocket friendly communal Sunday Roast selections ( now popular with home delivery) which we intend to be back for and report on for our readers.