Shashlik: Off-menu steak, borscht and desserts on fire at this Russian-meets-Hainanese food institution

For the new season of Makan Kakis, my foodie friends and I are eating our way through Singapore’s food heritage. And first up is a uniquely Singaporean creation those of a certain vintage will recognise – Russian cuisine with a Hainanese twist.

In a throwback to my childhood, I invited Chef Melvyn Lee along for my revisit of Shashlik at Far East Shopping Centre, a restaurant my family would visit on special occasions.

For a kid growing up in the '80s, it was a rare invitation into the mysterious world of grown-ups and the epitome of “fancy” dining, complete with engraved silverware, bow-tied waitstaff in waistcoats and food set on fire (but more on that later).   

Some will remember The Troika Room - White Bear Restaurant which preceded Shashlik in the 1960s. Hainanese cooks were hired to follow recipes from Russian chef Mamochka (Mummy) Liber and from that kitchen, a whole new fusion cuisine emerged.

When mounting debts forced Troika to shutter in 1985, nine former employees pooled their savings to open their own restaurant a year later. They named it after Troika's signature beef skewers and Shashlik was born.

Fast forward from its hey-day in the '80s and '90s, Shashlik was facing imminent closure in 2015 when its current co-owner Alan Tan and his brother Derrick followed their hearts and their late father’s footsteps to revive the business. Their dad was former head waiter Tan Niap Hin, one of the original co-founders of the restaurant.

“We got a bit sentimental when the last of the remaining owners decided to call it a day. This is a place that we grew up in. We have a lot of fond memories in here,” Alan shared. It was Derrick, a trained chef, who mooted the idea of continuing what their father had started, to “just see if we can bring it back to sunshine again”.

One restaurant renovation and nine successful but challenging years later, the Tan brothers have indeed given Shashlik a new day in the sun. Their mission has been to maintain the restaurant’s culinary legacy of Hainanese-style Russian cuisine, with a few new dishes thrown in for good measure.

As head chef and culinary curator, Derrick was eager to make us an off-menu dish so retro Chef Melvyn had never even heard of it. As for me, having a few years on him, I had not eaten carpetbag steak since the early '90s.

We watched as freshly shucked oysters from France were stuffed in Australian tenderloin, wrapped in bacon, then pan-seared and finished off in a searingly hot 350-degree oven. The Hainanese twist came from the beef’s soya sauce seasoning. The carpetbag steak was a tasty surf and nod to the past which Derrick hopes to bring back some day, but for now, there are plenty of classic dishes left on the menu.

Try their time-honoured borscht (S$14). Inspired by the renowned Eastern European beet soup, Shashlik’s version follows the same 60-year-old recipe from the Troika days. Passed through generations of Hainanese chefs, the soup has evolved to suit the Singaporean palate. It’s a milder, less-beety local iteration with lots of home-made appeal. Cabbage, potatoes, carrots and succulent Angus beef brisket bulk up the broth. Sour cream imparts silkiness and tang.

The traditional Hainanese sweet butter rolls (50 cents per piece) should not be missed. Baked from an equally old recipe, the pillowy-soft bread is exceptionally good slathered with salted butter and dipped in the borscht.

Moving on to the mains, brace yourselves for tableside theatrics. The namesake signature shashlik (S$55) arrives on a serving cart made of heavy wood, one of the few surviving relics from the restaurant’s past, along with old menus on the bartop, sepia photos on the walls and the original kitchen doors festooned with peeling signs and food safety stickers.

Glistening beef tenderloin, boasting distinct grill marks, is expertly de-skewered and served sizzling on a hotplate. Alan offered us these pro tips:

1. Melt butter on the hotplate with the beef for luscious flavour.
2. To keep the beef slices warm and prevent overcooking, lay them atop the rolled-out cucumber slices on the hotplate.

Without sauces or heavy seasoning, the quality of the meat stood out. It was tender and juicy, exuding pure beefy flavour.

The Blue Fire Ribs (S$60 for the full slab, S$50 for the regular) are an aptly named revelation. Imagine Hainanese sweet and sour pork but served ablaze. Fiery dark rum is poured with a flourish all over the ribs, dancing blue flames infusing the meltingly tender meat with smoky, caramelised aroma and flavour.

A newer addition to the menu, the ribs were an outstanding surprise. It all made sense when Alan revealed a little secret. Derrick was previously the head chef of American BBQ franchise Tony Roma’s for 20 years. “He wanted to pay homage to where he learned his craft. The other one is homage to Shashlik. Shashlik is known for their flambe,” Alan explained.

To finish our meal, I knew we had to go with the show-stopping Baked Alaska (S$35 for the regular and S$25 for the petite). “It’s like the fireworks at the end of a parade,” Alan agreed. My ultimate childhood fantasy confection, it was such a rare treat back in the day, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve enjoyed it and it’s still capable of reducing me to girlish squeals and giggles.

Meringue enrobing a thin layer of sponge that hides an ice cream centre, Baked Alaska is like the Matryoshka dolls of dessert. Reportedly named by famed NYC restaurant Delmonico’s to celebrate America's purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, Shashlik pays fitting tribute to its iconic history. Yet again, their version is finished off tableside with a rum flambe. The peaks and swirls of meringue get extra toasty, hot charred exterior contrasting beautifully with the cold, sweet interior.

“It's like a roller coaster in your mouth” was Chef Melvyn’s accurate description. Like proverbial moths, we had been drawn in by the carnival of fire and ice. Charmed into prolonging our visit, we ordered hot beverages and got to meet the last bastion of Shashlik’s famed old guard.

At 83, Foo Sek Chuan is one of their longest serving staff and a symbol of the restaurant’s enduring old school service. His specialties include Russian and Irish coffees (S$22 each) concocted with a side of stoic showmanship. And it would seem, asbestos hands.

For our Irish coffee, Uncle Foo deftly turned the glass continuously over a naked flame. Firstly, to ensure the glass wouldn’t crack. Secondly, so the sugar wouldn’t burn as it dissolved in the whisky. Unflinchingly bare-handed, he then flambeed it.

Adding sock-brewed kopitiam-style coffee, his creation was topped off with hand-whipped cream. A boozy, blazingly befitting end to a nostalgic meal. While we took pains not to burn ourselves with the hot coffee, Uncle Foo explained that after so many years of practise, his hands don’t even feel the heat anymore.

His words were a reminder that the Shashlik story is one forged through fire. The original nine – that once motley crew of jobless waitstaff, bartenders and cooks – had a burning desire to survive. Carrying the torch for next generation, Alan and Derrick have re-ignited the embers of their family’s beloved Russo-Hainanese food heritage.

However, with news of Far East Shopping Centre’s recent en bloc sale, could the future of Shashlik once again be snuffed out? Choosing to remain upbeat, Alan left us with these thoughts: “No one really owns heritage. You can be a custodian of it at this point in time, but you find someone worthy of it to continue after you.”

Here’s to keeping that spark of hope alive.

Shashlik Restaurant is located at 545 Orchard Road, #06-19 Far East Shopping Centre, Singapore 23888. Opening hours are 12 noon to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm (Tue to Fri); 12 noon to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm (Sat, Sun and public holidays); Closed on Mondays.

Catch Makan Kakis with Denise Tan every Thursday from 11am on Mediacorp GOLD 905.