Merry Men Kitchen and Bar @ River Valley, Singapore

Opened by four unlikely friends, who came from different career backgrounds (lawyer and physiotherapist? Wow.), the concept of their brainchild - Merry Men Kitchen and Bar is fairly simple, and that is to provide a platform for friends to gather, relax and unwind after a long day of work. Of course, the act of unwinding is not unwinding without good and affordable food, accompanied by a few jugs of good imported beer at the river-side. Sounds like a perfect place to hang out on a Friday night? It sure is. If you're there on a weekend morning or afternoon, do expect leng lui's jogging with their dogs, but obviously that is not the main focus. If you know what I mean.

For appetisers, their Escargots and mushrooms (S$20) impressed us quite effortlessly. These are not your average Sazeriya's cooked snails smeared in a shitload of garlic and oil (to do them justice, the standard for the price is pretty good I have to admit.) Merry Men's rendition is crafted with a complementing cream sauce and topped with baked, fluffy toast.

The Kurobuta Pork Rack (S$28) I had is out of the world. The kurobuta rib was tender and juicy with the right ratio of meat and fats. Nothing fancy, but a raspberry red wine sauce, was used to prepare this nice, big piece of pork rack for the purpose of preserving its original flavour and texture. It is then completed with sauteed beans, mashed potatoes, and salad.

Lamb 'Barnsley' Chop (S$32) was lovely, but nothing to rave about. One thing I particularly like about their oven-roasted rendition was the olive butter crust, which adds an interesting texture for the lamb chops. However, the lamb was slightly tough for my liking. Nevertheless, this set is completed with salad, mashed potatoes and caponata (supposedly to be fried eggplant, capers and celery doused in sweet and sour sauce).

Perfect environment just to drink a cuppa and watch the world pass by, while admiring the random art pieces and fashion magazines. Or perhaps, a chill-out place for friends over some Australian and Japanese imported beer, while watching live telecasts of your favourite sports?

One thing I love about Merry Men is that they never scrimp on portions, despite all prices in NETT. That's right, which means that there is no additional service charges. I always like to think that they are honest merchants who did not include it in the given prices, or did they?

All in all, Merry Men did succeed in making us merry after our meal, and maybe that, is the essence of their name. Have a good weekend and OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!

Merry Men Kitchen and Bar

+65 6735 9667

Opening Hours

Mon to Thur – 5pm till 12am

Fri – 3pm till 1am

Sat – 3pm till 2am

Sun – Brunch 11am till 4pm

Dinner 4pm till 12am

86 Robertson Quay

#01-02

Singapore 238245