Food for Thought: British Hainan

When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted with a very warm, "welcome home" by owner, Uncle Frederick. He has his way of making every one feel like family.  The restaurant itself exudes a homey atmosphere with its haphazard display of antiques and collectibles, and among these you will find some kitsch which may be to your fancy. This is definitely no designer pad.  Rather, the place bursts with character, reflecting a very warm and loving person behind the hands that put it all together. If you are an avid collector, you can spend hours upon hours just looking around the place.

Photo borrowed from British Hainan facebook

Located on Carpmael Road where it meets Crane Road, this is a family-owned restaurant that specialises in old British favourites that we grew up on like fish and chips, grilled pork chop, bangers and mash and more.  According to Uncle Frederick, his grandfather, like many of the Hainanese forefathers, worked on board British ships.  Along the way, they honed their culinary skills and began serving dishes that they learnt from the British.  At British Hainan, they serve a very well executed Hainanese pork chop which darling wife ordered.

Hainanese Pork Chop

The dish is prepared following strictly a family recipe which has been handed down through the generations. The tangy sauce is made from fresh tomatoes thus resulting in its natural sweetness. Overall the sauce is very tasty.  As for the meat, it has a 'tonkatsu' quality to it. The meat is tender and moist inside while the batter is light and crispy.

Dijon mustard pork chops

I chose the Dijon Mustard Pork Chop as my main dish.  Three pieces of pork chop with a very light dusting of flour, grilled to near-perfection, was served with home-made fries and a side of fruit salad. While I have had better pork chops else where, their version was definitely one of the better ones. I was not, at all, disappointed with my superbly prepared main dish.

Chef's fruit salad with mint sauce

The Chef's fruit salad with mint sauce, shared between the 2 of us, was refreshingly tasty. The mint sauce was flavourful but not too overly heavy.  It was a good accompaniment to the fresh crisp lettuce and fruits which included pineapples, peaches, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

Carrot cake with cheese topping

We ended the meal with carrot cake for dessert.  It contains all of the usual ingredients - carrots, nuts, spices etc but what sets it apart from others is that it is light and slightly moist with just sufficient sweetness.

One of the things in the shop that really captivated my attention was the restaurant's Menu, using old Crocodile brand brown files as holder.  This was the exact same type of file that my late father used to keep his personal collection of writings making up mainly of family literature including some newspaper cuttings.  I remember vividly the public announcement of my grandfather's retirement from civil service at the age of 45 which appeared in the Malay Mail.  As you may have guessed, the menu brought many fond memories for me.

The menu also carries an interesting listing of ciders and ales for those who intend to spend the evening drinking after dinner.  There is an al fresco area looking out on to Crane Road and this is a popular gathering space for drinkers.

By the way, everything on display is up for grabs (except when stated otherwise).  So this may just be the perfect place for collectors to eat, drink and shop.


The British Hainan
75 Carpmael Road (junction of Crane Road)
🕿 +65 63368122 
Open for dinner daily except Tuesday.  Lunch is served only on Friday and Saturday.

Ambiance:    8/10
Service:         8/10
Food:             7/10
Pricing:         $$
Recommendation: Hainanese pork chop, Oxtail Stew, Carrot Cake.  Signature dishes are its Traditional Hainanese Oxtail Stew, Braised Lamb Shank and IPA Chicken.