Do you like roast pork? If you do, you may want to pay a visit to New Harbour Cafe.

The Hainanese Roast Pork ($16) is one of the best I’ve had in Singapore – tender, juicy meat with super crispy crackling and melt-in-your-mouth fat. Paired with their signature sweet black sauce and belachan, oh my goodness. It is a flavour explosion in your mouth.

Another wonderful dish to tantalize the tastebuds there is the Beer Chilli Stewed Clams ($22 if I remember correctly). The heady after taste of the beer and the piquant spice of the chilli went really well with the sweet, plump clams.

It’s quite a casual place and the last few times I went, we walked in without making reservations. It can get quite packed on Friday and Saturday nights though so be prepared to wait a bit if you didn’t book seats beforehand. I find that turnover is pretty high as it seems to be a place for a casual dinner or drinks, so there’s not much lingering.

Other things I’ve tried at New Harbour Cafe like the Grilled Chicken Chop and the sausage platter were alright, nothing special but were able to satisfy. The baked mussels and the escargots were fairly enjoyable.

They’ve got beers and also Archipelago craft beers on tap, as well as a variety of bottled beers and ciders. If I remember correctly they have Little Creatures Peach beer or something similar, sweet varieties to please people like me. And of course, Tiger Radler.

The area New Harbour is in has plenty of competition – you can choose from Italian (pasta or pizza), Japanese (ramen or omakase), Korean (fried chicken or BBQ), Chinese food, bistros, cafes, you name it. But I think New Harbour Cafe fills a niche – a simple, casual place to have a not-too-expensive-or-elaborate dinner after work (or in our case, before dancing) with a range of Asian-Western fusion dishes. Great for mid-sized to big groups especially, I think.

The staff can be a bit curt and all-business, but heck, you’re not staying there long anyway, right? And besides, the roast pork is totally worth it!

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New Harbour Cafe and Bar
114 Tanjong Pagar Rd
Singapore 088529

Tel: +65 6226 2657

Open from Monday to Friday from 11.00am to 11.00pm and Saturdays from 03.00pm to 11.00pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.