Butcher's Block

Disappointing, everything apart from the beef was terrible. Pretty dead for a Thursday, nothing compared to when I went when they first opened.

Butcher’s Block, Raffles Hotel: Stepping into Butcher’s Block when you’re a pescatarian is like a vegan stepping into McDonald’s. In case you missed their signboard, there is that glaring showcase of prized dead carcasses that greet you at the entrance. With my dining, a four-legged friend gets to live another day. Seafood eaters aren’t giving the usual heave-ho like vegans here – there are 3 prized options (remember it’s a butchery). And because it’s housed in Raffles Hotel, you can expect nothing short of luxe - luxe interior, crisp service and exotic dishes with ingredients so foreign sounding, they don’t exist in your extended vocabulary or lexicon. Grilled yellowfin tuna is time-perfect cooked, with exact lines of cooked exterior cushioning the healthy pink of moist tuna. Kim Furikake and lemon puree in the form a side ice cream scoop elevate the aesthetics, as a dance to the taste of perfection. Huli Huli dry aged duck was theatrics fun and quite a talked-about piece – it’s all about the showmanship baby. They present the dead duck in a smoking box then disappear to carve up only tiny slivers. We wondered – where did the rest go? Or was that a shiny plastic show tool? Anyway, it looked superb. Baby corn was anything but ordinary. Limp looking but robustly encrusted with puffed black quiona, bathed in Yuzu Kosho aioli. Blackmore Farm Slider with foie gras and Yuzu Koho seemed refined even though I didn’t taste this. For a refined experience and one of those nights you desire exacting and measured service, food and well-matching ambience, Butcher’s Block it is. Don’t let the unrefined name fool you. #eatstylishtravelstylish

Last visited in Jan 2025

My recent visit to Butcher’s Block was my 2nd visit here in the last few months. During one of my visits, I had tried the IMUA menu (their tasting menu) and in the other visit we tried their a-la-carte menu. The IMUA menu (S$170++) is a good way to try different dishes the restaurant has to offer across meat and seafood items. But with a-la-carte menu also you can end up trying multiple dishes as the portion sizes of the non main course are not huge and can be shared.

Among the dishes I’ve tried here my favourites would be the huli huli dry aged duck, the Blackmore striploin and the Hangar steak.

The place also a a decent wine and champagne list for those interested.

Overall, I liked both my visits to Butcher Block and would definitely recommend folks to visit this place for trying out some good meaty dishes.

The Butcher’s Block is renowned for its meat, but since we didn’t order any mains, this review focuses on the bites and sharing plates.

Bites: Spam Musubi
The Spam was impressively thick, which I personally enjoyed. However, my sister noted that she usually associates musubi with a honey-glazed flavor, but the thickness of the Spam overpowered the honey taste. Additionally, the combination of kimchi and mayo didn’t blend well, making the dish feel a bit disjointed.

Sharing: Kale with Smoked Duck
This salad was aggressively salty—like a punch to the throat. While the dish was packed with bold flavors, the saltiness overwhelmed everything else, and the elements didn’t come together cohesively.

Dessert: Truffle Ice Cream
This was the standout of the meal—my sister declared it the best dish we tried.

Bread Service: The complimentary bread tasted like a seaweed snack, which was interesting but unexpected.

Additionally, we noticed there were no coasters for our glasses, which might have been because we ordered tap water.

The total bill came to $99.52, including GST and service charge.