Cuisine: Western/ Modern European
Address: 260 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, #01-01, Singapore 588190
Nearest MRT: Hillview Station (Downtown line)

Note: 27 December is the last day of operations at the Bukit Timah Old Fire Station. Spruce still has two remaining outlets at HillV2 and Phoenix Park.

The Spruce Fire Station Restaurant at Bukit Timah is a restaurant that has one of the most prominent locations in Singapore. It is situated in the former Bukit Timah fire station at the junction of Old Jurong and Upper Bukit Timah Road, a major thoroughfare with busy traffic at any time of the day. Spruce occupies the space where the fire engines used to be parked. During our coast-to-coast trail, we had walked past the Bukit Batok Nature Reserve and decided to settle for lunch at Spruce. The big signage, with the transparent glass windows had captivated our attention.

At first, the waiter had outrightly told us that the restaurant was fully booked. However, I looked at the empty tables and said that we would not stay long here, just to settle our lunch. He relented and found a small table for 2 at the corner.

Spruce Fire Station has a simple design concept, filled with wooden tables and metal chairs from Ikea.  A small stage that hosts live music on some evenings provide some form of entertainment, but due to Covid restrictions, it has been removed. Behind the building, there is a big open air space with alfresco tables. The open bar at the middle of the restaurant provides a view for the diners who are patiently waiting for their food.

My wife ordered the Crabby Angel Hair ($26). The pasta is served with crab lumps and the sauce is lobster bisque. We found the pasta to be undercooked. Angel Hair has the texture like bee hoon, so when it is undercooked the taste is more of the wheat and sticks to the palate. The crab meat used was generous and the lobster bisque was very tasty. It was like having lobster bisque soup, but of a thinner consistency.

As for me, I wanted to avoid meat dishes as I had been having a lot of meat for the past few days. I settled for the Grilled Barramundi Fillet ($25). While the sauce used is the same for the Angel Hair dish, my main course had more seafood. This reminds me of the French seafood soup bouillabaisse, a traditional fish stew which originated from the port city of Marseille. In my dish, there was fish of course, clams, prawns and mussels. There was a dollop of mashed potato in the soup to give it a thicker texture and to provide the carbs in this dish. The lobster bisque was so delicious that I slurped up all the broth.

I love how the owner uses photos of his own trips to decorate the restaurant. Here you can see a group of young novice monks being fascinated with the dslr professional camera, a picture probably taken in Myanmar or Cambodia. The photos are hung on the old red doors of the former fire station, giving it a retro feel.

To end off on a sweet note, we both shared a Hot Chocolate Lava Cake ($14). This lava cake did not disappoint because the molten chocolate in it oozed out when we cut it. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. What a perfect way to end off our meal at Spruce. We have had lava cake at other places, but the chocolate was not as molten as this.

As we bid farewell to Spruce, being one of the lucky customers to patronise the restaurant before it closed down for good, I started to imagine how this place has seen better days. From drinks to live singing at night, this place sure holds countless fond memories for many. I wish I could be there to experience the atmosphere while sipping on some interesting and unique whiskeys as shown on the shelf.