Located in a charming neighborhood, around the back of Sembawang Hill Food Centre, the cowboy hats, American flags, and all sorts of Old West paraphernalia adorning the walls at Western Bar add up to a whole lot of kitschy fun. We were ushered in quickly (through swinging doors no less) by a friendly waitress and had a seat inside (there’s a nice alfresco area out back, too).
We started our session of nostalgia with root beer floats ($4.30), then followed it up with breaded garlic mushrooms ($5.90) and mussels in tomato stew ($6.90). The former featured succulent, fresh mushrooms, which were great on their own, though the batter could have stuck on a little better; the mussels in the latter were juicy and well-flavored with the tomato and parsley sauce.
For mains, we had the braised lamb shank ($16.90) and a weekly special, the linguine con gamberi e sesame ($13.90). The lamb (with a mountain of mash) was pretty sizeable and slide-off-the-bone tender, with that hearty, home-cooked lamb flavor that’s so rare these days. The cream-based pasta with prawns was delightfully presented, but the sauce wasn’t as rich as many we’ve had.
Dessert proved an easy decision—the chocolate lava cake ($5.90) with vanilla ice cream called out to us. It wasn’t as moist as we’d hoped (we’re spoiled when it comes to fondants), but it was a satisfying end to our meal.
Western Bar’s food is better than decent, but that’s not what we loved most about it. Western Bar is to Gen Y- and Gen X-ers what a place like Colbar is to baby boomers—familiar, friendly and full of the good things we remember about our younger days. Add to that excellent service, value-for-money food and its location (next to gems like Yahava KoffeeWorks), and it delivers on its promised “most wanted dining experience.”
When the weather is good, eating outside can be a truly enjoyable dining experience. These joints with charming open air areas are just the place to dine on breezy evenings.
