Shashlik Restaurant

When it comes to Russian cuisine, serious foodies would have heard of the name Troika. Founded in the 1960s, the restaurant served Russian dishes using recipes from a Russian Chef and hiring Hainanese Chefs who worked on Russian ships. Due to debts, the restaurant unfortunately closed in 1985

I believe my Dad’s generation would have fond memories of the restaurant, but since the restaurant closed when I was still a kid, I have never tried the food there. Lucky for us and the younger generation, Shashlik opened in 1986 by nine Troika staff members and 10 other staff, bringing back some of Troika’s favourite dishes. Located in Far East Shopping Centre, the restaurant has received notable awards like the Epicurean Star Awards

The restaurant maintained its links to Troika by displaying 10 wall lanterns saved from the auction of Troika’s assets, and you can also see old photos framed nicely on the walls. Shashlik was not without trouble, as they also had to close the shutters in 2015 when their staff all reached retirement age and nobody wanted to take over the business. I remembered rushing to the restaurant amongst the big crowd to bid the restaurant farewell and enjoy some of their signature dishes

Some true legends don’t die, and I was so glad that the restaurant reopened its doors in March 2016 under 2nd generation owners Derrick Tan and his brother Alan and another partner. Both Derrick and Alan are children of the late Tan Niap Hin, a shareholder and captain of Shashlik. The restaurant underwent a renovation, resulting in a bigger space for a bar area

For a start, we ordered their 2 popular soups, which are the creamy mushroom soup and French onion soup. Both soups were creamy and packed with flavour. The taste was old school but comforting, and although it does not have any of the new mushroom soup gimmicks like truffle oil, etc. It gives a wholesome, hearty and creamy satisfaction. The onion soup has a deep yet sweet flavour from the caramelised onions and meat broth used, and the cream gave it an added velvety consistency

We also had a side of escargot done most traditionally with garlic and olive oil. The escargots were not rubbery and were tender and soft to bite with a nice garlicy flavour from the sauce

My nephew ordered the Shashlik lamb chops, which were served on the hotplate with broccoli and green peppers. The lamb was very gamey for me, but perfect for my nephew, a lamb lover. I like the fact that the mains were still served to us with the wooden trolley tableside service. The broccoli has a nice charred flavour from the hotplate, which was extremely hot and can burn your hand, so be careful not to touch the metal plate. Even though the plate was very hot, it cooked the Shashlik meat perfectly with a pink inside

I had the Shashlik Iberico pork collar, which was also served on a hot plate, and as my sides were a salad and fried, they were served on a separate plate. The meat was nicely charred with a crisp on the outside and juicy, tender insides. I could not finish the whole piece of meat as it was very filling and substantial, and the oils in the pork also made it quite greasy. Pairing it with the sour salad was great to balance the natural oil from the pork

Our sides were served on a separate plate to ensure they did not get soggy or cooked on the hot plate. My cold salad was very typical of Russian salads with a coleslaw, sliced cherry tomatoes, raw onions, pickled cucumber and boiled egg slices. Instead of shoestring or crinkled fried, they served us fat fried, which were homemade, as each cut was in irregular sizing. The fries were crispy on the outside and warm and glutinous on the inside, which was perfect

Last but not least, we had to get the baked alaska dessert, which is a classic dessert made of ice cream placed on a sponge cake base, fully covered in meringue. The version at Shashlik comes with a table service on the wooden trolley, where the server will set the cake on fire with a Flambé. It is achieved by pouring high proof alcohol over the cake and setting it on fire, for that brown char on the meringue giving the cake a unique hot and cold experience. The ice cream inside the sponge cake remains cold, so it was a playful and delicious dessert, which can also be very filling due to the huge quantity of sweet meringue

Overall, the meal at Shashlik was more nostalgic and experiential than anything else. While the dishes did not disappoint, there are also other restaurants serving decent dishes at their price point. They do, however, serve some Russian classics not found in other places, which makes them unique. The main thing why I visit them again is the homely feeling I get from their servers, as there was nothing commercialised about their service, friendly chats and even down to their plates and decor. I do hope a legend like this continues on for many more generations

Address: 545 Orchard Rd, #06-19 Far East Shopping Centre, Singapore 238882

Opening hours: 12 pm to 3 pm and 6 pm to 10 pm (Closed on Mon and open from 5.30 pm on Sat and Sun)