Cuisine: Caribbean
Address: 2 Jiak Chuan Road Singapore 089260
Nearest MRT: Outram Park (Northeast / East-West line)

To the surprise of many people, Keong Saik Road in Singapore’s Chinatown was named by the Lonely Planet guide as the 4th must-visit destination in Asia recently. The naughtiness of the former red-light haunt has made way for hipster fun and gentrified entertainment at trendy and award-winning restaurants and bars operating from heritage shophouses that have been beautified.

Originally named after Chinese businessman Tan Keong Saik, this creative enclave has transcended its origins as a red-light district, and is now a bustling hub for local artists, discerning gourmands and lifestyle enthusiasts alike.

Its conserved shophouses—which stand in stark contrast to the backdrop of the Central Business District’s skyscrapers—house a trove of world-class restaurants, hip bars and bustling creative hubs, making the neighbourhood a great place for a bout of urban exploration.

Inspired by all things Caribbean, Lime House puts you at ease as you tuck into a delicious menu both full of fine dining and traditional Caribbean dishes, from slipper lobster cocktail and Caribbean fish cakes to baby back ribs and the famous Jamaican jerk chicken.

For the drinks menu, I like the graphic design of the map of the Caribbean islands, indicating the various influences of the rum, be it French, Spanish or English. Rum flights ($32) are a sampling portion of 3 different kinds of rum, but the price is not fixed and can be higher depending on the bottle of rum that the diners choose. The more aged the rum, the more expensive it will be.

The Cuban Martiki ($22) is a cocktail of pineapple juice and rum, served in a beautiful class and topped with a slice of pineapple.

Another delicious rum drink on the menu is the Caribe Lager ($19). It is a mix of a shot of rum and lager, giving it a brown hue. The drink was not too gassy and easy on the palate.

For starters, we had Spicy shrimp ($18). It has four pieces of sea shrimp pan-seared with habanero and topped with warm salsa on a plantain coracle. The shrimps were juicy and fresh, with a hint of the spice that was not overkilling.

Next, we had the Tribajam curry goat ($32) which was recommended by the waiter. It is a Caribbean classic with fresh goat meat and served with rice and peas. I was expecting the main dish portions to be much bigger, as I remembered the Caribbean countries that I traversed through, they gave lots of rice and plantain. Unfortunately, this dish was not generous in its ingredients. The curry goat sauce was really delicious though, and we scooped up all the sauce without leaving a drop behind.

Another main course that we ordered for sharing is the Jerk Chicken ($29) which is also the chef’s special. Again, the serving was too small. The boneless chicken thigh was well-marinated in Caribbean flavours and the vegetables that went with the dish brought out the flavours. The chicken meat was tender and not overcooked.

Since the main courses were not very filling for us, we decided to order another dish – Caribbean Nachos ($14). It is made of crispy plantain chips with avocado and tomato salsa. It tastes like the Mexican version of nachos, and for me, I especially loved the avocado salsa.

Overall, we loved the Caribbean vibes of this restaurant, with many picture-worthy spots in the bistro. However, the prices for the food and drinks are quite steep considering that the ingredients used are quite typical and easily sourced in Singapore. (Expected damage around $40 per person). Water is also chargeable at $1.50 per person, because the restaurant uses a sustainable mineral water filtration system. If you do not wish to support their cause, just inform the waiter and it would be removed from the bill.

I know that many Singaporeans would not mind splurging on such places to experience the exotic Caribbean cuisine since we all can’t travel there now. But for me who has visited around 5 countries in the Caribbean, I can easily feed myself for 3 days with the amount spent here. Nevertheless, if you’re a rum aficionado, do head over to Lime House to have a full range of rum samples, from all across the Caribbean.