Review: Nassim Hill Bistro and Bakery

I was introduced to this place by a friend and even though I live fairly close by, I had never even associated the building with a bakery. This is a bakery-bistro-bar (in the morning, lunchtime and at night) that is sited at the back of the old Tanglin Post Office, behind Swiss Butchery and in what used to be the Friven headquarters.

The building is a hodge-podge of businesses that doesn't really make sense to me. Even the entrance, is either from the drop off, where these days, all the obscenely expensive super cars get to park, or else in the basement carpark via the cargo lift that I presume is used to transport furniture up to Domicil on the top floor. It seems very hard to fathom that it could be home to a good food outlet or bakery.

Odd though it is, this place is absolutely fantastic. This casual place is by the same group, Imaginings Pte Ltd, that owns KPO. I'm glad I didn't know that before I went, because I would have had the impression that it was slick or overpriced. The interesting thing about this place is that it doesn't really have much character, cement screed industrial floors, regular dark brown wood ones, the servers were yellow beer-sponsored tee-shirts- you know, it's just regular. It has random touches like a huge marble counter and stained glass panes, which are as inconguent as they are quirky.

But the food is excellent and consistent. The eggs are rich and nicely scrambled, the pancakes are fluffy, the banana foster french toast is thick and the fish and chips ($23) have a wonderful, crisp beer batter which puts it in at least the top three if not the best that I've had in Singapore.  The steak and eggs, or spanish eggs are very good, as are the sandwiches- ham and emmenthal cheese sandwich on walnut cranberry bread is particularly delicious and the hot rueben on Austrian beer bread was warm, juicy and massive. Everything comes with a side of salad, fries and a large variety basket of warmly, freshly baked bread, which is quite a luxury. They bake all their bread daily and I am told that it is baked and bought in by the artisan baker at Killiney.

Over the Easter weekend, they had specials of potato rosti with smoked salmon, sweet potato has, waffles and ricotta hotcakes- it was great to find a full menu that actually draws you in!

There isn't any service charge (granted, service is a little hectic when the place is full as it can get at weekend lunch) and the meals are priced at $15-18 for eggs, $18 for sandwiches and $17 for salads. The helpings are probably the most generous of any brunch place that I can think of. I like that there is ample choice with five pages of brunch, sandwiches, salads and pastas and also that the layout of the place is spacious and if you go in the morning for breakfast, fairly empty and peaceful.

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar
56 Tanglin Road #01-03 Tanglin Post Office, Singapore 247964

Tel: +65 6835 1128
Opening Hours: 8:00am – 12:00am (Closed Mon), 

Breakfast & brunch: 8am – 5pm, Lunch: 11am – 5pm, Dinner: 5pm – 10:30pm

All pictures courtesy of Nassim Hill Bakery's page. For more tantalising photos, check out gninethree's review in pictures here.