Truth be told, what we’re about to unveil isn’t entirely hidden. But granted, Chinatown Complex Food Centre is pretty much Pan’s Labyrinth for the uninitiated, so safe to say this British tavern still flies under the radar. Swapping pub stools for communal canteen tables, the lads behind Smith Street Tavern bring a slice of British pub culture into an inimitable Chinatown hawker stall. Expect a rotating line-up of the best British craft beers drafted from 10 taps curated by local craft beer distributors, Quality Drops Craft Beer and Beer Clan.
The hand-written boards shout breweries from England, Scotland and Wales. You might find popular labels such as Polly’s, Tempest, BEAK and Overtone, all known for their mastery of a wide range of craft beer styles. When we visited, there was also Tartarus from Leeds showing up with some loud experimental styles. One that really stood out was Vault City Brewing, an Edinburgh-based brewery that is solely focused on producing stellar fruited sour beers, a well-loved style in Singapore. We enjoyed a racy pint of Cloudy Lemonade ($13) that went down with a beautiful tang courtesy of unripe mangoes.
So why specifically the UK?
While it may all lead up to high spirits, this take-over initiative is really about showcasing the recent success of craft beer breweries in the United Kingdom, one pint at a time. “Britain is going through a nearly two-decade-long craft beer boom. There are about 2,400 craft breweries that exist today. However, we believe that in the last 5 years, British craft breweries are brewing some of the best that the world has to offer,” shares Russell Devine, Founder of Quality Drops. He continues, “Access to top ingredients, knowledge transfer from breweries around the world, as well as a refinement of skills and equipment, has meant some of the best breweries are based in the UK.”
The crew has also brought back a whole bunch of proper British snacks to pair with your swigs. Think Black Country crispy pork scratchings, KP’s peanuts, and Smith’s bacon fries and scampi fries. In the coming weeks, there will be collaborations that will see classic pub snacks and pies up for grabs. Still got a couple more left in your tank? Know that OG Smith Street Taps is right around the corner so you’ll have plenty more to crush. For live updates on the tap list and collaborations, look them up on their socials.
Smith Street Tavern (#02-58) opens on Tuesdays to Fridays from 6pm to 1030pm and runs for the next six weeks.
READ MORE
Where do local baristas go for coffee?
Surrey Hills Deli debuts at Raffles Place with 1-for-1 gourmet sandwich
Ghostwriter is an incubator space for Singapore’s F&B entrepreneurs tucked away in Ann Siang Hill