Finally there’s a proper gastrobar in the northern most part of Singapore. The Tipsy Panda opened in Woods Square just before Covid-19 and I only got to go there recently.
Tipsy Panda is part of the Tipsy Collection which has a lot of their Tipsy animals gastrobar around the island and is the one really close to me. There’s even a live band Tue-Sat that sings Chinese Pop. Finally a place I can come and relax close to my home. I came on a Sunday evening so the band was off.
Dinner choices
Szechuan Mala Kaarage
Japanese chicken kaarage meets Szechuan Lazi Chicken 辣子鸡. You get the crispiness and juiciness of kaarage (I always find lazi chicken too dry) and the spiciness of Szechuan peppercorns. Great bar bites, better than you usual chicken nuggets.
Dry Laksa with Prawns
I heard the dry laksa was really good from the guys in Tipsy Hippo. So this time around it was an obvious choice. There’s an upgrade available to change the tiger prawns to Canadian lobsters, but I decided to stick to the original. It doesn’t matter whether it comes with prawn or lobster if the laksa is not good.
I thought they took the wrong order and came with lobster but it turned out to be tiger prawns. The tiger prawns were huge! There were bits of otah that accentuated the delicious laksa rempah which was a nice touch. Princess wished it was a bit more moist like spaghetti. I thought so too.
Spicy Cumin BBQ Lamb Skewers with Garlic Chives Pesto
I was expecting something like the Xinjiang roast lamb skewers, but it turned out to be normal kebabs. Not spiced enough.
Truffle Moonlight Beef Hor Fun
This was invented in another Tipsy Collection outlet called Tipsy Bird at PLQ. An elevated rendition of a Singaporean classic by KEK, the moonlight horfun 月光河粉 was topped with tender wagyu striploin beef and a creamy sous vide poached egg. I tasted it at Tipsy Hippo, and ordered it again here, but I had to return this. The truffle oil tasted like gasoline and the whole dish was inedible.
Szechuan Panda Noodles
Kudos to the manager, who promptly diffused the situation to give us a choice of a fresh new plate without the truffle or change to something else. We changed the horfun to their store signature Szechuan Panda Noodles that came with sliced cod fish, housemade luncheon meat, mussels and crispy lotus slices, just like what you expect in a mala hotpot. Too numbing for me, but it was quite authentic.
True to the theme of the party animal, Tipsy Panda has enough of Chengdu to make this place unique. The fun-loving staff made the experience a great one. And I really enjoyed my first pub night with my Princess that just turned drinking age.
Tipsy Panda
6 Woodlands Square #01-01, Woods Square, Singapore 737737 (Opposite Causeway Point)
Tel : +65 8028 9780
Visited Feb 2024
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