Singapore Dining - Luke's Oyster Bar and Chop House at The Heeren (Orchard Road)

[yflyer]

Earlier this month, Mrs yflyer and I had lunch at Luke's Oyster Bar and Chop House.



We stumbled upon this place at The Heeren, along Orchard Road, by accident. We had originally planned to go to The Naked Finn near Alexandra Road, but they were full for lunch. After a little aimless driving around, we headed to The Heeren, a building along Orchard Road, intending to explore the dining outlets there, as well as the new Robinsons Department Store outlet in the building.

At the lift lobby, the building directory showed "Luke's Oyster Bar and Chop House" on the third floor. On impulse, we headed to the third floor. At first we could not find it.

Eventually we located it behind a nondescript door in the Ladies' Fashion section of Robinsons.



Through the door, we entered an intimate, cosy restaurant with fresh oysters on ice on display...





...and a nice view of Orchard Road from the seats at the bar counter...



This restaurant specializes in oysters sourced from the Eastern seaboard of the US...





...as well as chops (such as steaks...) and other Western/American dishes.



They also have lunch specials...



...and an impressive drink list / cocktail selection...

[yflyer]

Lunch started with hot towels...(not unlike SQ! )...



And corn muffins (In lieu of bread) with soft butter...



The muffins came piping hot...

We ordered a few oysters to taste...



These were not large that day, but were extraordinarily fresh tasting and delicate...



We tried the steak tartare, a dish whose main ingredient is raw minced beef, which was beautifully blended and tasted wonderful...

[yflyer]

We also tried the clam chowder, which was delicious and very creamy (Perhaps a little too creamy for the Asian palate...).

We had indicated to our waiter that Mrs yflyer and I were planning to share all the dishes. What was nice was that the soup and our mains were split and plated separately, a very welcome touch, and very much in line with the superb service we received from all the staff.

So rather than a large bowl of clam chowder, Mrs yflyer and I each received a mini Staub bowl of clam chowder. I was glad we shared the bowl, because the half portion was just the perfect quantity for each of us.



We also ordered a Kale salad, which was sweet and refreshingly Asian-tasting.

[yflyer]

Our main for the day was the lobster roll. Again, this was split into two plates for us to share. (What you see on the plate is a half portion...)



This was absolutely delicious, with the freshness of the lobster complemented by the warm brioche bread on which it was served.



Mrs yflyer had intended to try dessert as well, but by that point, we were quite stuffed and could not manage more...

It was a memorable lunch, one of the most enjoyable lunches we had recently, and I made a mental note to be back some time soon to try the other dishes on the menu (And dessert too...)

[yflyer]

A week later, we were back again for lunch. Yes, the place made that deep an impression!

This time we started with a Rock & Rye...a unique cocktail which could serve as either an aperitif or a digestif...



We saw another diner ordering it the last time round, and we were intrigued...

This was young rye whiskey mixed with citrus and cassia and other undisclosed ingredients, mixed and left to "steep" for a while before being served on ice.





It came in a glass with a humonguous ice cube (which we later learnt were individually hand cut from large blocks of ice)...



A very distinctive drink, bittersweet and complex. A nice way to start or finish a meal...

[yflyer]

For our second meal at Luke's we began with the Caeser's salad, and opted for the version with deep fried oysters...



The salad was crisp, and the deep-fried oysters retained their freshness and flavour...

[yflyer]

For our main course, we had the Maryland-style Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes.

Mrs yflyer and I shared one main, which was divided into two portions and plated in the kitchen (Each of us had one crab cake.)



This was absolutely spectacular. The nicest crab cakes that I have ever eaten (And I have eaten quite a few!).



At this point the chef/owner, Travis, stepped out of the kitchen, and I complimented him on his creation..."Thank you! It is all crab!"...and indeed, rather than make the crab cake with other ingredients/filler, in Travis's version of this dish, the crab cakes really were all crab meat, tasting fresh and intense.

Singapore is famous for chilli/pepper crab but as I ate this crab cake, I was thinking to myself that our National Crab Dish now has serious competition!



Mouthwateringly good!

I washed this down with a glass of Chablis from their wine list...

[yflyer]

When we first looked at the menu, we were debating whether or not to order another main, or try the "Travis" Burger, but pragmatism prevailed. If we were to have any hope of ever sampling dessert at this restaurant, we would have to save space...the burger would have to wait till our next visit (Which I suspect may be quite soon...).

We ordered the chocolate brownie for dessert, again sharing this between the two of us...



This was a heavenly treat. The chocolate brownie came with peanut butter ice cream...a wonderful end to a great meal.

[yflyer]

Not only was the food and ambience wonderful, the service was top notch as well...with warm, friendly staff who appear to know exactly what is needed to ensure you have a nice meal...

So...two very memorable lunches at Luke's Oyster Bar and Chop House this August. It has been a long time since I have been so thrilled by a restaurant in Singapore.

Highly recommended, and thanks for reading!

[crazycrab955]

Good to see that the second branch of Luke's is as impressive as the first. Had not realised that Travis opened a second branch -- hopefully more people can experience his excellent cooking now.

And, for those who may not know, Travis is a Boston native and features several items on his menu that are very authentic New England food. He flies in oysters from some of the most world-renowned locations such as Wellfleet on Cape Cod -- if you are an oyster fan, Luke's is your place.

[CarbonMan]

Looks really good, yflyer! Thanks for sharing the review.

[9V-JKL]

Thanks for sharing.

This I got to ask: if the owner is Travis, who's Luke?

[yflyer]

Good to see that the second branch of Luke's is as impressive as the first. Had not realised that Travis opened a second branch -- hopefully more people can experience his excellent cooking now.

And, for those who may not know, Travis is a Boston native and features several items on his menu that are very authentic New England food. He flies in oysters from some of the most world-renowned locations such as Wellfleet on Cape Cod -- if you are an oyster fan, Luke's is your place.

Thanks for the info, crazycrab955! I didn't realize this was his second outlet until after eating here -- never been to the original one.

[yflyer]

Looks really good, yflyer! Thanks for sharing the review.

Thanks, CarbonMan! I am already plotting a return to try their chops, and maybe another round of crab cakes...

[yflyer]

Thanks for sharing.

This I got to ask: if the owner is Travis, who's Luke?

Good question, 9V-JKL! I believe the restaurant is named after his son...